The three levels of blessing in the Avos

בפ' ויתן אברהם את כל אשר לו ליצחק.

On the posuk: "And Avraham gave all that he had to Yitzchak" (Bereishis 25:5).

The Sefas Emes opens by examining what this "all" that Avraham bequeathed to Yitzchak truly was.

זו הברכה שכ' וה' ברך את אברהם בכל כמ"ש במדרש.

This is the blessing of which it is written "And Hashem blessed Avraham with all" (Bereishis 24:1), as stated in the Midrash.

The "all" that Avraham gave over was the very blessing of "bakol" with which Hashem had blessed him.

אך כל הוא מדת יעקב כמ"ש ז"ל אברהם בכל יצחק מכל יעקב כל.

However, "kol" (all) is the midah of Yaakov, as Chazal said: Avraham — "bakol" (with all); Yitzchak — "mikol" (from all); Yaakov — "kol" (all).

Each of the Avos embodied a different relationship to the blessing of "all," and the complete, unqualified "kol" belongs specifically to Yaakov.

ואברהם שהי' אב לאבות הי' כלולין בו הג' ברכות וידע כי בחי' כל שהוא מדת יעקב שייך לזרע יצחק וז"ש כל אשר לו ליצחק.

And Avraham, who was the father of the Avos, had all three blessings included within him, and he knew that the aspect of "kol," which is the midah of Yaakov, belongs to the offspring of Yitzchak — and this is the meaning of "all that he had, to Yitzchak."

Since Avraham contained all three levels, he recognized that the highest level, "kol" (Yaakov's), would flow specifically through Yitzchak's line, and so he transmitted it to him.

ובודאי כל הברכות כלולין באלה הג' והם ג' ברכות שבברכת כהנים והם ג' סעודות בשבת דכתיב ויברך את יום השביעי והברכה מתפשטת לג' בחי' הנ"ל.

And certainly all blessings are included within these three, which correspond to the three blessings of Birkas Kohanim, and to the three seudos of Shabbos — for it is written "And He blessed the seventh day," and that blessing spreads out into the three aspects mentioned above.

The threefold pattern of the Avos recurs throughout: in the priestly blessing and in the three Shabbos meals, all of which channel the blessing of the seventh day into its three dimensions.

והנה בכל הוא יותר מבחי' מכל כדאיתא בגמ' האומר מטובו חיינו הוא בור רק בטובו.

Now, "bakol" is greater than the aspect of "mikol," as the Gemara states: one who says "we live from His goodness (mituvo)" is an ignoramus; rather, "by His goodness (b'tuvo)."

The Gemara distinguishes "from His good" (a mere portion) from "by His good" (the whole), showing that the prefix changes the entire meaning — the same distinction as "mikol" versus "bakol."

והפי' כי מטובו הוא חלק מן הטוב.

And the explanation is that "mituvo" (from His good) means a portion of the good.

"From His good" implies receiving only a detached fragment of Hashem's goodness.

ובטובו הוא שהחלק דבוק בשורש.

But "b'tuvo" (by His good) means that the portion is attached to its root.

"By His good" means the portion one receives remains connected to its Source, drawing life directly from it.

וכמו כן בכל.

And likewise with "bakol."

So too "bakol" (with all) signifies the blessing that stays bound to its root, unlike "mikol" which is a separated portion.

אכן כל הוא למעלה מכולן והוא עצם השרש והטוב.

However, "kol" is above all of them — it is the very essence of the root and the good itself.

Yaakov's "kol" is the highest level of all: not a portion, nor even a portion bound to the root, but the root and the good in their very essence.

והוא אמת ליעקב.

And this is "emes l'Yaakov" (truth to Yaakov).

This essential, undivided wholeness is precisely Yaakov's midah of emes — truth that is complete and indivisible.

[כי הברכה הוא לפעמים נחלק ונבדל ולפעמים בדביקות ולפעמים אחדות אחד והמשכיל יבין]

[For the blessing is sometimes divided and separate, sometimes in attachment, and sometimes in a single oneness — and the wise one will understand.]

These are the three levels of blessing: a detached portion (Avraham's recipients), a portion joined to its root, and complete unity (Yaakov) — the discerning reader will grasp how they correspond to the Avos.

וז"ש בישמעאל ידו בכל שהי' לו חלק במדת אברהם.

And this is the meaning of what is said of Yishmael, "his hand against all (yado bakol)" — that he had a portion in the midah of Avraham.

Because Yishmael descended from Avraham, he had some share in the "bakol," which is why the posuk uses this expression about him.

ויד כל בו שמדת יעקב גובר ושולט עליו.

"And the hand of all against him (v'yad kol bo)" — that the midah of Yaakov overpowers and rules over him.

Yet the supreme level of "kol," Yaakov's midah of emes, dominates and subdues Yishmael, for truth ultimately prevails.

שבזה אין אחיזה לשום סט"א כי הוא אמת לאמיתו:

For in this there is no grip for any sitra achra (the "other side," forces of impurity), since it is absolute truth.

The level of Yaakov's complete emes gives no foothold to any force of impurity, because perfect truth admits no falsehood within it.

Summary: The blessing of "all" that Avraham gave to Yitzchak corresponds to three ascending levels — "bakol," "mikol," and "kol" — embodied by the three Avos and reflected in Birkas Kohanim and the three Shabbos seudos. The highest, "kol," is the midah of Yaakov: the very essence of the root and the good, which is absolute emes that gives no foothold to the forces of impurity.