One of the uses of "of", perhaps the most important one, is to express a relationship between a part and a whole. For example,
"He is a member OF that family" (member OF family)
"I want a piece OF that cake" (piece OF cake)
Those examples are physical, but the relationship can also be abstract. In such cases, the relation expresses membership in a category. For example,
"He sang songs OF joy" (his songs belong to the category of "the joyful")
"He performed acts OF mercy" (his acts belong to the category of "the merciful")
"Her ability to explain is a skill OF value" (the ability belongs to the category of "the valuable").