Whole days bound to their root

במדרש יודע ה' ימי תמימים כו' שנותיהם תמימים כו' שני חיי שרה שחביב שנותיהם של צדיקים לפני הקב"ה בעוה"ז ובעוה"ב.

In the Midrash: "Hashem knows the days of the wholehearted (temimim)" etc. (Tehillim 37:18) — "their years are whole (temimim)" etc. — "the years of the life of Sarah" — for the years of the tzaddikim are beloved before HaKadosh Baruch Hu, in this world and in the World to Come.

The Midrash connects the verse about the "whole" days of the upright to the "years of the life of Sarah," teaching that the years of tzaddikim are precious to Hashem because they are complete and whole.

דאיתא היום קצר והמלאכה מרובה כו'.

For it is taught (Avos 2:15): "The day is short and the work is much," etc.

The Sefas Emes invokes the well-known teaching that there is far more avodah to accomplish than time available to do it.

פירוש שבכל עת ועת קצרה הזמן באמת מעבודה המוטל על הבריות.

The explanation: that at every moment, time is truly too short for the avodah that is laid upon the creatures.

At every single moment the demands of the service of Hashem outstrip the limited time we are given to fulfill them.

כי באמת הזמן הוא בכלל הטבע אשר הוא בצמצום וקצבה.

For in truth, time is part of nature, which is in tzimtzum (constriction) and limitation.

Time belongs to the natural order, and nature by its very definition is bounded, measured, and finite.

ועבודת הבורא ית' הוא למעלה מכל זמן וקצבה.

And the avodah of the Borei Yisbarach (the Creator) is above all time and limitation.

The service of Hashem, by contrast, belongs to the infinite — it transcends the bounds of time altogether.

ומה העצה לזה.

And what is the counsel for this [predicament]?

How, then, can a person fit infinite avodah into finite, limited time?

אך מי שמתקן בכל עת כפי היכולת בידו.

Only one who rectifies at every moment according to what is within his ability —

The answer is that a person should simply fill each moment with whatever good he is capable of doing at that time.

אז מתדבקים הימים בשרש העליון וכשנמשך להם משורש שלמעלה מהטבע ממילא אין מחסור.

Then the days become attached to the supernal root, and when there is drawn to them [vitality] from the root that is above nature, automatically there is no lack.

By filling each moment with what he can, a person binds his days to their root Above; and once they draw from that supra-natural source, the limitation of time falls away and nothing is lacking.

והתדבקות בשורש אי אפשר להיות רק כשהם תמימים.

And attachment to the root is possible only when they are "whole" (temimim).

But this binding of the days to their supernal root can occur only if the days are complete — none left empty or wasted.

כי כל עוד שלא מילא האדם הזמן כפי היכולת בטבע הימים חסירים לבוא להגיע אל השורש כמובן.

For so long as a person has not filled the time according to his ability, by nature the days are deficient and cannot reach up to the root, as is understood.

Any moment left unfilled leaves the day incomplete, and an incomplete day cannot rise to connect with its root Above.

זולת בעלי תשובה שנאמר עליהם בשעתא חדא וברגעא חדא כו' והם מתדבקים תמיד בשורש העליון שהוא מקום בעלי תשובה.

Except for ba'alei teshuvah (penitents), about whom it is said, "in a single hour and in a single moment," etc.; and they are always attached to the supernal root, which is the "place of the ba'alei teshuvah."

The one exception is the ba'al teshuvah, who can acquire his entire world in a single moment, leaping over the ordinary constraints of time. He reaches a level rooted in the very source above time — the lofty "place" reserved for penitents — and is therefore constantly bound to that root.

לכן נאמר בפ' שני חיי שרה לומר שהשנים נתדבקו בשורש הימים שלמעלה כדאיתא בזוה"ק פ' נח לכל אדם יש שורש למעלה.

Therefore it says in the parshah, "the years of the life of Sarah," to say that her years became attached to the root of the days Above, as it is taught in the Zohar Hakadosh, Parshas Noach, that every person has a root Above.

Sarah's years are described as "whole" because they were all bound to their supernal root; the Zohar teaches that each person has such a root on High.

וזהו נח נח כו'.

And this is [the meaning of the double] "Noach, Noach," etc.

The repetition of Noach's name hints at this very idea — that a person exists both here below and at his root Above.

וכמו כן הימים כפי מה שיש לאדם בעוה"ז יש לו כנגדם בשורש הארות מיוחדים לכל ימיו והאדם במעשיו צריך לעורר כח השורש.

And likewise the days: corresponding to whatever days a person has in this world, he has, parallel to them, special illuminations in the root for all his days; and the person, through his deeds, must awaken the power of the root.

Each day a person lives in this world has a corresponding spiritual light prepared for it at its root Above, and it is up to a person, through his actions in each day, to arouse and draw down that special light awaiting at the day's root.

והאמת כי זה הכח מיוחד לבני ישראל שיוכלו במעשיהם לעורר סיוע עליון שלמעלה מהטבע וזהו ענין הברית שניתן לבנ"י וגם ש"ק שהיא מעין עוה"ב.

And the truth is that this power is unique to Bnei Yisrael, that they can, through their deeds, awaken supernal assistance that is above nature; and this is the matter of the bris (covenant) that was given to Bnei Yisrael, and also of Shabbos Kodesh, which is a semblance of olam haba.

This capacity — to draw down through one's deeds a help from Above that transcends nature — is a special gift granted to Bnei Yisrael, and it flows to them specifically through the covenant and through Shabbos, a taste of the World to Come.

וז"ש וה' ברך כו' אברהם בכל פירוש שנתן לו כח להמשיך הקדושה והברכה בכל עת ובכל מקום שהי'.

And this is the meaning of "And Hashem blessed Avraham with everything (bakol)" (Bereishis 24:1) — the explanation is that He gave him the power to draw down kedushah and blessing at every time and in every place that he was.

The blessing "bakol" means Avraham was empowered to draw holiness and blessing into every moment and every place, never bound by the limits of time or circumstance.

וזה עצמו ואברהם זקן שהוא התדבקות בעולם העליון כידוע.

And this itself is "And Avraham was old (zaken)," which signifies attachment to the upper world, as is known.

Avraham's "old age" denotes not mere years but his deep attachment to the higher world — "zaken" hinting at one who has acquired wisdom and connection Above.

ושם אין מחסור לכן נקרא כל:

And there [in the upper world] there is no lack; therefore it is called "kol" (everything/all).

Because the upper root is above the constrictions of time and nature, it knows no deficiency — and so Avraham's blessing is called "bakol," for from that rootedness flows complete, unlimited blessing.

Summary: Time belongs to bounded nature, while the avodah of Hashem is infinite — so the day is always "short and the work much." The remedy is to fill each moment with whatever good one can; then the days become "whole" (temimim) and bind to their supernal root, which is above nature and knows no lack. Sarah's years and Avraham's blessing "bakol" both express this: every day has a special light waiting at its root Above, and Bnei Yisrael — through the covenant and Shabbos — have the unique power to awaken that supra-natural light through their deeds, so that nothing is ever lacking.