Avraham Avinu
אברהם אבינוThe first of the Avos — chesed, the journey of faith, and the soul-root he planted in Yisrael. The Sfas Emes on Avraham.
177 essays
Noach
- Noach the tzaddik versus the AvosNoach · תרמ"א · Essay 2
- Surviving the flood through Hashem's chesed and emunahNoach · תרמ"ב · Essay 3
- History's staged ascent toward unity for Heaven's sakeNoach · תרמ"ב · Essay 4
- Unity for the sake of Heaven enduresNoach · תרמ"ח · Essay 2
- Avraham's unquenchable love kept holiness aliveNoach · תרמ"ח · Essay 3
- Noach's fear versus Avraham's loveNoach · תרמ"ט · Essay 1
- Torah’s light radiates across all timeNoach · תרנ"א · Essay 1
- From many utterances back to the OneNoach · תרנ"ד · Essay 1
- Avraham drew others close, unlike NoachNoach · תרנ"ה · Essay 1
- Three levels of creation toward ShabbosNoach · תרנ"ה · Essay 2
- The tzaddik as vessel for Torah-lightNoach · תרנ"ז · Essay 1
- Fear as the gateway to loveNoach · תרנ"ט · Essay 2
- Avraham's supernatural Torah supersedes Noach's natureNoach · תרנ"ט · Essay 3
- Noach as Shabbos rest versus Avraham's earned pillarNoach · תר"ס · Essay 1
- Avraham finding Hashem where Noach only fledNoach · תרס"א · Essay 1
- Holy speech released from exileNoach · תרס"ב · Essay 2
Lech Lecha
- Readiness to hear Hashem's callLech Lecha · תרל"ב · Essay 4
- Two levels of hearing and bittulLech Lecha · תרל"ה · Essay 1
- Avraham channeling all desires to HashemLech Lecha · תרל"ה · Essay 2
- Avraham's service rooted in his childrenLech Lecha · תרל"ו · Essay 2
- Serving Hashem without ulterior rewardLech Lecha · תרל"ו · Essay 3
- Universal yichud versus Yisrael's loving mitzvosLech Lecha · תרל"ז · Essay 1
- Avraham's two avodos of unityLech Lecha · תרל"ז · Essay 2
- Fleeing honor returns glory to HashemLech Lecha · תרל"ז · Essay 3
- Avraham as the world's foundationLech Lecha · תרל"ז · Essay 5
- Wholeness through self-nullificationLech Lecha · תרל"ז · Essay 6
- The tzaddik sustains and blesses the worldLech Lecha · תרל"ח · Essay 1
- The tzaddik's gaze elevates all creationLech Lecha · תרל"ח · Essay 2
- Why Avraham's offspring need Eretz YisraelLech Lecha · תרל"ט · Essay 1
- Earning wholeness through longingLech Lecha · תרל"ט · Essay 2
- The tzaddik's glory shines from contrastLech Lecha · תרמ"א · Essay 1
- Milah removes the covering that conceals holinessLech Lecha · תרמ"א · Essay 2
- Milah enables one to bear revelationLech Lecha · תרמ"א · Essay 3
- Avraham stitched the world to its rootLech Lecha · תרמ"ב · Essay 1
- Avraham paving the path of teshuvahLech Lecha · תרמ"ב · Essay 2
- Bris mila reveals the hidden inner lightLech Lecha · תרמ"ב · Essay 3
- Bittul unlocks revelation beyond natureLech Lecha · תרמ"ג · Essay 1
- Trials as spiritual elevationLech Lecha · תרמ"ד · Essay 3
- True unity belongs to AvrahamLech Lecha · תרמ"ד · Essay 4
- Avraham and the avodah of constant ascentLech Lecha · תרמ"ה · Essay 1
- Avraham's hidden light reserved to bless the worldLech Lecha · תרמ"ה · Essay 2
- Avraham the chassid earns enduring supernal chesedLech Lecha · תרמ"ו · Essay 2
- Avraham's emunah that his loss was for the goodLech Lecha · תרמ"ו · Essay 3
- The hei of Avraham binds creation to HashemLech Lecha · תרמ"ו · Essay 4
- Emunah reveals hidden light beyond natureLech Lecha · תרמ"ז · Essay 1
- Milah elevates Avraham to a new beginningLech Lecha · תרמ"ז · Essay 2
- Chesed prevailing for the world's enduranceLech Lecha · תרמ"ז · Essay 3
- Avraham chosen for his future, not pastLech Lecha · תרמ"ח · Essay 2
- The three pillars of emunah past present futureLech Lecha · תרמ"ט · Essay 1
- Hashem shields and restrains Avraham's chesedLech Lecha · תרמ"ט · Essay 2
- Bittul to Hashem's word over one's own reasoningLech Lecha · תרמ"ט · Essay 4
- The Avos as foundation for the generationsLech Lecha · תר"נ · Essay 1
- The bris milah binds creationLech Lecha · תרנ"א · Essay 1
- Avraham planted indestructible love of HashemLech Lecha · תרנ"א · Essay 2
- Seeking the hidden Director of creationLech Lecha · תרנ"ב · Essay 1
- Avraham's journeys refine the worldLech Lecha · תרנ"ג · Essay 1
- Avraham's emunah transcends nature; bris milahLech Lecha · תרנ"ג · Essay 2
- Two doors: natural wisdom and Torah from HeavenLech Lecha · תרנ"ד · Essay 1
- Smallness below builds greatness aboveLech Lecha · תרנ"ה · Essay 1
- Milah as tikkun of knowledge of good and evilLech Lecha · תרנ"ה · Essay 3
- Renewing avodah and rising above natureLech Lecha · תרנ"ו · Essay 1
- Providence Above Nature For Yir'ei HashemLech Lecha · תרנ"ו · Essay 2
- Avraham as a path to cleave to HashemLech Lecha · תרנ"ז · Essay 1
- Two letters, two Toros, two worldsLech Lecha · תרנ"ז · Essay 2
- Avraham as echad mends the worldLech Lecha · תרנ"ח · Essay 1
- Milah binds to the Thirteen Attributes and teshuvahLech Lecha · תרנ"ח · Essay 2
- Forgetting the world to cleave to HashemLech Lecha · תר"ס · Essay 1
- Milah draws holy souls from above natureLech Lecha · תרס"א · Essay 1
- Bris milah joins body to soulLech Lecha · תרס"א · Essay 2
- Avraham actualizes the soul's lofty rootLech Lecha · תרס"ב · Essay 2
- Mitzvos as a Garment and ShieldLech Lecha · תרס"ב · Essay 3
- Zechus Avos sustains Israel through galusLech Lecha · תרס"ד · Essay 2
- Ahavah rabbah, the hidden light above creationLech Lecha · תרס"ה · Essay 1
- Milah refines desire to reveal the inner pointLech Lecha · תרס"ה · Essay 2
Vayeira
- The mitzvah as a doorwayVayeira · תרל"ב · Essay 3
- The Akeidah as a request, accepted with joyVayeira · תרל"ד · Essay 3
- Deeds of the Avos reach all generationsVayeira · תרל"ד · Essay 4
- Sharing the merit of a mitzvahVayeira · תרל"ו · Essay 2
- Earning brachah through one's deedsVayeira · תרל"ו · Essay 3
- Yiras Shomayim completed through actionVayeira · תרל"ו · Essay 4
- Milah opens the body to soul's lightVayeira · תרל"ז · Essay 1
- Graduated path to mesirus nefeshVayeira · תרל"ז · Essay 2
- Earning kedushah through one's own deedsVayeira · תרל"ח · Essay 1
- Always remain a seeker at Hashem's doorVayeira · תרל"ח · Essay 2
- Avraham's humility as inner battle in prayerVayeira · תרל"ח · Essay 3
- Milah as the opening to wholenessVayeira · תרל"ט · Essay 1
- The Akeidah as foundation of all tikkunVayeira · תרל"ט · Essay 2
- Avraham's tests as an eternal banner of miraclesVayeira · תרל"ט · Essay 3
- The inner point opened by milahVayeira · תר"מ · Essay 1
- Chesed precedes and tempers judgmentVayeira · תר"מ · Essay 2
- Milah unveils the hidden light through avodahVayeira · תרמ"א · Essay 1
- Avraham chose the path of rectifying creationVayeira · תרמ"א · Essay 2
- Avos transmit daas to future generationsVayeira · תרמ"א · Essay 3
- Milah removes the concealing huskVayeira · תרמ"ב · Essay 1
- Avraham as partner in ongoing creationVayeira · תרמ"ג · Essay 1
- The Akeidah as a test in yirahVayeira · תרמ"ג · Essay 3
- Bris milah as permanent inner lightVayeira · תרמ"ד · Essay 1
- Milah opens the gates of revelationVayeira · תרמ"ה · Essay 1
- The Akeidah's enduring power for all generationsVayeira · תרמ"ה · Essay 2
- Avraham merits disclosure through constant deveikusVayeira · תרמ"ו · Essay 2
- Judgment clothed in chesed sustains the worldVayeira · תרמ"ו · Essay 3
- Milah unlocks the hidden secret of HashemVayeira · תרמ"ז · Essay 1
- Mitzvos as openings to Hashem's secretVayeira · תרמ"ח · Essay 1
- Three modes of Avraham's prayerVayeira · תרמ"ח · Essay 3
- Trials that refine Avraham's love into an eternal pillarVayeira · תרמ"ט · Essay 2
- Yishmael as bridge to the nationsVayeira · תר"נ · Essay 1
- Hidden light revealed through milahVayeira · תרנ"א · Essay 1
- Avraham's daily thread of chesedVayeira · תרנ"ג · Essay 1
- Avraham's three traits lead to love of HashemVayeira · תרנ"ג · Essay 2
- Perceiving Hashem through the Divine imageVayeira · תרנ"ו · Essay 1
- Chesed Of Avraham Tempers JudgmentVayeira · תרנ"ו · Essay 2
- Avraham as Hashem's shieldVayeira · תרנ"ט · Essay 2
- Milah as the root of Avraham's mitzvosVayeira · תר"ס · Essay 1
- Opening from below, gate opened from AboveVayeira · תרס"ב · Essay 1
- Avraham reopens the gate to lifeVayeira · תרס"ב · Essay 2
- Drawing close to Hashem by receiving His chesedVayeira · תרס"ה · Essay 2
Chayei Sarah
- Eliezer the faithful servant's self-effacing bittulChayei Sarah · תרל"א · Essay 6
- Avraham as the channel for Hashem's chesedChayei Sarah · תרל"ב · Essay 2
- The zaken who elevates all his days into wisdomChayei Sarah · תרל"ד · Essay 5
- The unseen soul cleaving to HashemChayei Sarah · תרל"ו · Essay 1
- Teshuvah from love and the soul's rootChayei Sarah · תרל"ז · Essay 2
- A complete blessing admits no deficiencyChayei Sarah · תרל"ז · Essay 3
- Yirah is the gateway to ahavahChayei Sarah · תרל"ח · Essay 2
- Whole days bound to their SourceChayei Sarah · תרל"ט · Essay 1
- The blessing of "all" to YitzchakChayei Sarah · תרל"ט · Essay 4
- Self-nullification makes a vessel for blessingChayei Sarah · תרמ"ז · Essay 2
- Earned chesed versus unearned giftsChayei Sarah · תרמ"ח · Essay 3
- Tzaddikim elevate time, nature, and soulsChayei Sarah · תרמ"ט · Essay 1
- Making lasting ascents and a place for the ShechinahChayei Sarah · תרנ"ב · Essay 1
- Tzaddikim's wholeness in every life-stageChayei Sarah · תרנ"ג · Essay 2
- Eliezer's path from cursed to blessedChayei Sarah · תרנ"ד · Essay 3
- Enduring blessing flows through the AvosChayei Sarah · תרנ"ה · Essay 1
- Elevating all life to its SourceChayei Sarah · תרנ"ז · Essay 1
- Avraham, the vessel of chesedChayei Sarah · תרנ"ט · Essay 2
Toldot
- Cleaving to the tzaddik spreads his wellspringsToldot · תרל"ו · Essay 2
- Awe born from loveToldot · תרל"ח · Essay 1
- Lasting blessing requires chesed over dinToldot · תרל"ח · Essay 2
- Blocked wells prompt new avodahToldot · תר"מ · Essay 2
- Mercy bridges kindness and judgmentToldot · תר"מ · Essay 4
- Avraham's longing for self-sacrificeToldot · תרמ"א · Essay 2
- Din, mercy, and Yitzchak's blessingsToldot · תרמ"א · Essay 4
- Love and fear unite in avodahToldot · תרמ"ב · Essay 1
- Two paths of seeking the hidden treasureToldot · תרנ"ב · Essay 1
Vayishlach
Vayeshev
Shekalim
Parah
Vayikra
Shabbat HaGadol
Pesach
Tazria
- Finding holiness through concealment and distanceTazria · תרל"א · Essay 3
- Clarifying daas through bris milahTazria · תרנ"ב · Essay 2
- Soul within body and bris milah's tikkunTazria · תרנ"ה · Essay 1
- Purity Drawn From Impurity Through BrisTazria · תרנ"ו · Essay 2
- Awakening from below transcends natureTazria · תרנ"ח · Essay 1
- Milah as the gateway to all mitzvosTazria · תרנ"ח · Essay 2
Emor
Bechukotai
Bamidbar
Naso
- Bittul to Hashem as the source of all blessingNaso · תרמ"ו · Essay 2
- Dust and ashes: foundation and refinementNaso · תר"נ · Essay 3
- Dust as the fertile foundation of refinementNaso · תרנ"ג · Essay 1
- The good eye that turns din into berachahNaso · תרנ"ד · Essay 4
- Blessing as reconnection to the rootNaso · תרנ"ט · Essay 2
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Sukkot
- Leaving the permanent for the sukkahSukkot · תרמ"ב · Essay 9
- Leaving nature to perceive the hidden lightSukkot · תרמ"ז · Essay 1
- Hashem's Name resting on the sukkahSukkot · תרמ"ח · Essay 2
- Sukkah and separation unto HashemSukkot · תרנ"א · Essay 4
- Separation that blesses the whole worldSukkot · תרס"ד · Essay 4