CHAYEI SARAH - BLESSED WITH EVERYTHING

Abraham, the founding patriarch of the Jewish nation, is described in Parshat Chayei Sarah (Gen. 24:1) as having become old. The verse informs us that he was “zaken, ba bayamim” – elderly, and advanced in [his] days. The expression “ba bayamim” is uniquely used for Abraham and is not found with reference to anyone else mentioned in the Torah. The verse continues by telling us that “God blessed Abraham with everything” – and again, no one besides for Abraham is described this way in the Torah. Through the eyes of the Nesivos Sholom, Rabbi Dunner explains why Abraham’s unique attribute of kindness makes him unique, not just in terms of his own lifetime, but also in terms of what it has done for the world beyond his lifetime and until today.