Self-nullification makes a vessel for blessing

בפסוק ואברהם זקן כו' וה' ברך את אברהם בכל.

On the verse, "And Avraham was old… and Hashem blessed Avraham with everything (bakol)." (Bereishis 24:1)

The Sefas Emes examines the verse describing Avraham's old age together with the blessing that Hashem blessed him "with everything."

במדרש זקן שקנה חכמה זקן זה קנה ב' עולמים.

In the Midrash: "zaken" (an elder) is one who has acquired chochmah (wisdom); this elder acquired two worlds.

Reading "zaken" as "zeh kanah" (this one acquired), the Midrash teaches that a true elder is one who, through wisdom, has acquired both this world and the World to Come.

כי כשהאדם בא אל החכמה אמיתיות ויודע ומבין לבטל עצמו אל השי"ת.

For when a person arrives at true chochmah and knows and understands to nullify himself to Hashem.

True wisdom leads a person to bittul — to nullify his own self before Hashem, recognizing that he is nothing apart from his Source.

וכל מה שפורש עצמו מן העולם ומבטל עצמו אל השורש עי"ז מקיים העולם.

And to the extent that he separates himself from the world and nullifies himself to the Root, through this he sustains the world.

Paradoxically, by detaching from worldliness and nullifying himself to his Divine Root, a person actually sustains and upholds the very world he steps back from.

והשבת יוכיח שיש בו ביטול כל המעשים והוא הוא קיום כל ימי המעשה דכ' וישבות כו' ויברך.

And Shabbos proves it, for in it there is a nullification of all activities, and it is itself the sustaining of all the weekdays, as it is written, "And He rested… and He blessed." (Bereishis 2:2-3)

Shabbos demonstrates this principle: precisely by ceasing all melachah (work), it becomes the source of blessing and sustenance for all the workdays of the week.

וכל הנייחא לפניו ית' כשהתחתונים הם כלים לקבל הברכה.

And all the "nachas ruach" (satisfaction) before Him, may He be blessed, is when the lower beings are vessels to receive the blessing.

What gives Hashem satisfaction is when those below make themselves into fitting vessels, ready and able to receive His blessing.

וע"י שבש"ק מבטלין בנ"י המעשים ומקבלין נשמה יתירה ונקראין כלי מחזיק ברכה וזהו הנייחא לפניו דכתיב טוב בעיני ה' לברך את ישראל.

And because on Shabbos Kodesh Bnei Yisrael nullify their activities and receive a neshamah yeseirah (additional soul), they are called a "vessel that holds blessing"; and this is the satisfaction before Him, as it is written, "It is good in the eyes of Hashem to bless Yisrael." (cf. Bamidbar 24:1)

By ceasing work on Shabbos and receiving the extra soul, Bnei Yisrael become vessels capable of holding blessing — and this readiness to receive is precisely what brings Hashem the satisfaction of blessing them.

וזהו הרמז ואברהם זקן ונתקרב אל שורש העליון.

And this is the hint of "And Avraham was old" — he drew near to the supernal Root.

Avraham's "old age" signifies his having reached true wisdom and drawn close to his supernal Root through self-nullification.

ואז וה' ברך בכל.

And then, "And Hashem blessed [him] with everything."

Because Avraham nullified himself to the Root and became a perfect vessel, he became capable of receiving the all-encompassing blessing of "bakol."

פי' אפילו בעולם הזה כמ"ש שקנה ב' עולמות:

Meaning, even in this world, as it is stated that he acquired two worlds.

The blessing of "bakol" included even this world — for through his wisdom and bittul, Avraham acquired and was blessed in both this world and the next.

Summary: The Midrash reads "zaken" as one who through wisdom acquired two worlds. The Sefas Emes explains that true chochmah leads to bittul — nullifying oneself to the Divine Root — and that by separating from worldliness one paradoxically sustains the world, just as Shabbos, through ceasing all work, becomes the wellspring of blessing for the entire week. When the lower beings make themselves into vessels (as Bnei Yisrael do on Shabbos with the neshamah yeseirah), they bring Hashem satisfaction and draw down blessing. So Avraham, "old" with wisdom, drew near to the supernal Root and was therefore blessed "with everything" — acquiring both worlds, even this one.