Elevating all life to its Source

במדרש יודע ה' ימי תמימים כו'.

In the Midrash: "Hashem knows the days of the wholehearted (temimim)" (Tehillim 37:18).

The Sefas Emes opens with the verse the Midrash applies to the tzaddikim, whose "days" are precious before Hashem.

חביב חייהם של צדיקים לפני הקב"ה בעוה"ז ובעוה"ב.

"The lives of tzaddikim are beloved before Hashem in this world and in the World to Come."

The very lives and days of the righteous are cherished by Hashem in both olam hazeh and olam haba.

כי עיקר החיים לאדם כדכתיב ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים הוא כמו מים חיים שהוא המעיין נובע.

For the essence of life in a person, as it is written "and He breathed into his nostrils a breath of life (nishmas chaim)" (Bereishis 2:7), is like living waters (mayim chaim) — a flowing spring.

The core of human life is the neshamah Hashem breathed in, which is like an ever-flowing spring of living water.

כן הנשמה מעיין נובע מחי החיים.

So too the neshamah is a spring flowing from the Life of all life (Chei HaChaim).

The soul is a wellspring whose source is Hashem Himself, the source of all life.

ויהי האדם לנפש חי' שע"י מתעלים כל החיות שבעולם דאיתא החותך חיים לכל חי כי לכל בריה יש משהו חיות כפי מה שמדד הקב"ה.

"And the man became a living being (nefesh chayah)" (Bereishis 2:7) — through whom all the vitality in the world is elevated, as it is brought, "He who apportions life to every living thing," for every creature has some measure of vitality according to what Hashem allotted.

Man, the "living being," is the conduit through which all the world's life-force is raised up. Hashem grants each creature a precise measure of vitality.

וגם הדומם מצמיח הצומח.

And even the inanimate (domem) causes the vegetative (tzomeach) to grow.

The mineral world nourishes the plant world — the first link in a chain of ascending vitality.

והצומח מזין החי.

And the vegetative nourishes the animal (chai).

Plants in turn sustain the animal kingdom.

והחי בא אל האדם שהוא מעלה הכל עד חי החיים.

And the animal comes to man, who raises everything up to the Life of all life.

Animal life is consumed by and elevated through man, who lifts the entire chain — mineral, plant, animal — back to its Source in Hashem.

וכל אלה נקראו חיי שעה והאדם יש בו חיי עולם.

And all these are called "temporary life (chayei sha'ah)," while man has within him "eternal life (chayei olam)."

The vitality of the lower creations is fleeting; man alone carries an eternal dimension of life.

והיא הנשמה.

And that is the neshamah.

This eternal life within man is his soul.

ומקודם החטא הי' גם המלבוש חיי עולם.

And before the sin, even the "garment" (the body) was eternal life.

Before Adam's chet, even the physical body shared in the eternal, undying quality of the soul.

ואח"כ הגוף נשפל ממדריגתו.

And afterward the body fell from its level.

The sin caused the body to descend, losing its original elevated, eternal status.

אבל הנשמה היא נשמת חיים.

But the neshamah remains a "breath of life."

Even after the fall, the soul itself retained its character as ever-living, flowing life.

ולפי שהצדיק מעלה הכל אל חי החיים כתיב יודע ה' ימי תמימים שהם מעלים הכל לדביקות עליון.

And since the tzaddik raises everything up to the Life of all life, it is written "Hashem knows the days of the wholehearted," for they elevate everything to supernal deveikus.

The tzaddik's distinction is that he lifts all creation into attachment with Hashem; this is why his "days" are known and beloved.

וכתיב ואברהם זקן בא בימים וה' ברך את אברהם בכל.

And it is written: "And Avraham was old, advanced in days (ba ba-yamim), and Hashem blessed Avraham with everything (ba-kol)" (Bereishis 24:1).

The Sefas Emes now applies this theme to Avraham, who came "into his days" and was blessed "with everything."

פי' בכל הברכות כי כלי מחזיק ברכה היא שלום.

Meaning, with all the blessings — for the vessel that holds blessing is shalom (peace/wholeness).

"Ba-kol" means Avraham held all blessings, because the one vessel capable of containing blessing is peace, the quality of wholeness.

וכמ"ש בשבת ויברך.

As is said regarding Shabbos, "and He blessed" (Bereishis 2:3).

Shabbos too is described with "and He blessed," linking it to this theme of blessing.

מטעם כי השבת מעלה הכל אל השורש כמ"ש וינח ביום השביעי על כן ברך.

For the reason that Shabbos raises everything up to the root, as it says "and He rested on the seventh day; therefore He blessed [it]" (Shemos 20:11).

Shabbos receives blessing precisely because, as a day of rest, it lifts all of creation back to its Source — and elevation to the root is what draws down blessing.

כמו כן אברהם אבינו זקן בא בימים פי' שהעלה כל הימים והזמן אל השורש.

Likewise Avraham Avinu, "old, advanced in days" — meaning that he raised all his days and time up to the root.

Like Shabbos, Avraham elevated every one of his days and all of his time back to their Source in Hashem.

וה' ברך.

"And Hashem blessed [him]."

Because he raised everything to the root, blessing flowed to him.

וה' הוא וב"ד.

And "Hashem (va-Hashem)" [with the connective vav] means "He and His court (beis din)."

Chazal teach that "va-Hashem" — Hashem with the added vav — denotes Hashem together with His heavenly court, the attribute of measured justice.

כי הוא מדה במדה הואיל והעלה הכל עד השורש.

For it is measure for measure (middah ke-neged middah): since he raised everything up to the root.

The blessing came to Avraham as a precise, measured response in kind — because he elevated all to the root, the full measure of blessing was returned to him.

ע"כ הי' הוא הכלי מחזיק ברכה.

Therefore he became the vessel that holds blessing.

Through this avodah of elevation, Avraham himself became the perfect vessel — shalom — able to contain all blessing.

כמ"ש במדרש אברהם בירך הכל ומי בירך אותו הקב"ה:

As the Midrash says: "Avraham blessed everyone, and who blessed him? Hashem [Himself]."

Avraham was a source of blessing to all; in turn, Hashem directly blessed him — the ultimate confirmation that he was the vessel that holds all blessing.

Summary: The essence of human life is the neshamah Hashem breathed in — a spring of living water flowing from the Life of all life. Man is the "living being" who elevates the whole chain of vitality (mineral, plant, animal) back to its Source; while their life is "temporary," his soul is "eternal life" (before the sin even the body shared this). The tzaddik's days are "known" and beloved because he raises everything to supernal deveikus. So Avraham, "advanced in days," raised all his days and time to the root — like Shabbos, which is blessed because it elevates all to its Source — and therefore became the vessel of shalom that holds every blessing: Avraham blessed all, and Hashem blessed him.