ספר בראשית

This is what the Midrash had in mind when it ‎interpreted the opening words of our chapter ‎ואברהם זקן בא בימים‎, ‎to mean that prior to the existence of Avraham there had not ‎been a concept on earth known as ‎זקנה‎, “old age,” i.e. G’d’s ‎largesse flowing directly, without detour through nature, to any ‎human being. The reason was simple. No human being had ‎accumulated the kind of merits that enabled G’d to direct this ‎flow of largesse by bypassing normal channels. Avraham’s merits ‎had opened new channels of communication between G’d and ‎man.‎At this point the author refers to a method of writing the 72-‎lettered “name” of Hashem in 9 columns of 8 three lettered ‎words, using Exodus 14,19,20 and 21, respectively, (each verse ‎having 72 letters) and consecutively, and the middle verse in by ‎reading it from left to right, so that you get the diagram ‎shown.In that diagram you will note that in the top row the ‎‎“name” spelled ‎סיט‎ appears in the column preceding the one ‎commencing with a name consisting of ‎עלמ‎.[I am attaching ‎the diagram so that you, the reader can better visualize what the ‎author is speaking about. Ed.]The word ‎סיט‎ occurs on several ‎occasions in the Mishnah, throughout the section known as ‎‎taharot as a vessel used in measuring. (Maimonides on ‎‎Keylim 13,4, Orlah, 3,2 for instance) This “name” of ‎G’d serves as symbol of Avraham’s ability to channel G’d’s largesse ‎from the celestial domains to our regions. The next column in our ‎diagram is headed by the letters ‎עלמ‎, [alluding to our ‎עולם‎, world] ‎and symbolizes for our purposes, the manner of distribution of ‎this largesse once it has entered the sphere of the material world. ‎We refer to this in our daily amidah prayer when we recite ‎the words: ‎וזוכר חסדי אבות ומביא גואל לבני בניהם‎. “He (G’d) ‎remembers the deeds of loving kindness of the patriarchs and ‎brings the redeemer to their children’s children.” On the face of ‎it, it is difficult to understand the words ‎חסדי אבות‎, “the pious ‎deeds performed by the patriarchs.” All the author of this ‎paragraph had to mention was ‎וזוכר אבות‎, that “G’d remembers ‎the patriarchs.” Furthermore, why would the author of this ‎paragraph refer to the redemption as being brought to the ‎‎“children’s children” of the patriarchs? It would have sufficed to ‎refer to their ‎בניהם‎, “children.” When speaking of fathers, it is ‎customary to relate to their children rather than to their ‎grandchildren. However, when understanding the entire ‎paragraph and what it teaches in light of what we have explained, ‎both the word “‎חסדי‎” and the words “‎לבני בניהם‎” make perfect ‎sense, as the author draws our attention to the manner in which ‎G’d’s largesse is transmitted to the Jewish people and who we ‎have to thank for this. The ‎חסד‎ of which the author speaks is an ‎allusion to the “source” of the largesse, i.e. G’d Himself, (not ‎nature) whereas the ‎בני בניהם‎, is an allusion to the meritorious ‎deeds of the patriarchs which paved the way for the Jewish ‎people to receive G’d’s largesse directly, without ‎detours.When the paragraph above is introduced with the ‎words: ‎ואברהם זקן בא בימים וה' ברך את אברהם בכל‎, this is an ‎allusion to Avraham, the first of the patriarchs having been able ‎to open the sluices of G’d’s treasure chamber to enable the flow of ‎its goodness to bypass regular channels and flow directly to His ‎people. When G’d’s largesse flows to us in this manner, it is not ‎limited in measure at all, as it would be if it had to reach us via ‎nature.This is the meaning of bereshit rabbah 59,5 ‎where the author writes: Avraham would bless everybody. ‎‎(Compare Genesis 12,3) To the question whence Avraham was ‎able to do so, i.e. who had blessed him first? The answer is that ‎G’d personally, had done so in His capacity of ‎רצון‎ as explained on ‎page 118.‎