November 17, 2025|כ"ו חשון ה' אלפים תשפ"ו Blessed with Everything: Avraham’s Legacy and Our Strength By Rabbi Jonathan Muskat

This past week Yael and I went to Lakewood to buy dining room furniture. And I have to say, I behaved very well in the store. That’s not what I said, but after we spent almost two hours there and finally left, Yael told me that the woman from the store said that I behaved far better than most men who come in with their wives. Most men, apparently, walk in declaring, “I’m not paying a penny over $250,” or “I don’t like this,” or “I don’t like that.” I had some opinions, and I did a lot of research before we walked in so I kind of knew what we were getting. But according to the lady behind the desk – unsolicited – I behaved myself.

Furniture shopping is interesting. When you don’t need anything, you don’t think about getting more stuff. But once you’re building and renovating, suddenly you start saying, “Well, why not this? Why not that?” I generally don’t like shopping, especially when there are so many options. You walk into the store planning to buy one thing at one price, and then there’s another piece that’s nicer, or bigger, or more expensive, and it’s very tricky. Sometimes I feel like we should have a line ready in our back pocket: “Why do I need this? Hashem beirach oti ba’kol – Hashem has already blessed me with everything.”

I mean, this is Avraham’s line: “Va-Hashem beirach et Avraham ba’kol” – God blessed Avraham with everything. You can very well imagine Sarah going shopping at the local Bedouin bazaar, telling Avraham, “Guess what – the Black Friday sales are coming up! We better go to the market.” And Avraham’s response: “Why do I need anything? Va’Hashem beirach oti ba’kol. God blessed me with everything. I don’t need anything else. I don’t need Black Friday sales. I’m good.”

But the truth is, he didn’t say this line when Sarah was alive because he knows what’s good for him, and technically, he doesn’t say it even after she dies. The Torah says it about him. The Torah states that God blessed Avraham with everything after Sarah died. And I wonder: why does the Torah tell us this specifically now?

Before addressing the timing of this statement, we need to understand what “everything” actually means. What is kol? There are so many different explanations. The Gemara in Bava Batra lists no fewer than seven. I’m not sure if I even want to share the first interpretation – Rabbi Meir says she’lo hayta lo bat – that he had everything because he didn’t have a daughter. Not so PC. Don’t worry, Rabbi Yehuda disagrees; he says she’hayta lo bat – he specifically did have a daughter, and that is everything. An interesting debate. Ramban tries to justify Rabbi Meir’s position, explaining that in those days, if Avraham had a daughter, she would almost certainly have married into a Canaanite family and adopted their idolatrous practices, which would have been unbearably painful for Avraham.

In any case, acherim omrim – others say that Avraham indeed had a daughter, and her name was Bakol. Rabbi Elazar Ha-Modai says itztagninut hayta b’libo shel Avraham Avinu – that Avraham possessed such mastery of astrology she’kol malchei mizrach u’ma’arav mashkimin l’fitcho – that kings of East and West would come early every morning to learn from his wisdom. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai gives explanation number five: even tovah hayta teluya b’tzavaro shel Avraham avinu – Avraham had a precious stone hanging from his neck, she’kol choleh ha’roeh oto miyad mitrapei – and any sick person who looked at it would immediately be healed. Explanation number six: shelo marad Esav b’yamav – Esav did not rebel during Avraham’s lifetime. And explanation number seven: she’asah Yishmael teshuva b’yamav – Yishmael repented during Avraham’s lifetime.

So the seven explanations are: he didn’t have a daughter; he had a daughter; he had a daughter named Bakol; kings visited him for his wisdom; he had a miraculous healing stone; Esav stayed frum; and Yishmael did teshuva.

There are even more explanations – mystical readings from the Ramban, who is actually criticized for expressing too much mysticism in his commentary – but let’s focus on the seven from the Gemara. Perhaps we can further subdivide these interpretations into different categories. Rather than being mutually exclusive, maybe all of them are true. Rather than each offering a distinct answer, maybe each reflects a different aspect of the same answer.

One category relates to Avraham’s investment in his children – either literally bringing them into the world or ensuring the honorable legacy they leave behind. Rashi points out that the numerical value of ben (son) equals that of bakol (everything), teaching that our children are everything. For Avraham, his descendants were among his greatest blessings – and the greatest blessing he gave to the world. They became the torchbearers of ethical monotheism.

The second category relates to Avraham’s contributions to others – providing spiritual guidance, physical healing, or moral leadership. Helping others is also “bakol” – everything. And perhaps the different opinions reflect different perspectives – each legitimate – on what truly gives life meaning, on what “bakol” represents in this world. The common denominator is the blessing of making a meaningful contribution to humanity.

But I think the most important point is when the Torah tells us this. Avraham is zaken ba bayamim – old, advanced in years. He is alone. His beloved Sarah has just passed away. He has an unmarried son. He is grieving. At this moment of loneliness and vulnerability – when most people would feel emptiness – the Torah tells us: Va-Hashem beirach et Avraham ba-kol. It is precisely at the moment of sadness that Avraham realizes how blessed he truly was.

Because times of sadness can become moments of profound reflection – moments when we recognize what we have built, whom we have influenced, and what our legacy can be. For different people, “kol” means different things. That’s why there are so many opinions. But the Torah is teaching us this revolutionary idea: even at the very moment of loss, we can recognize the fullness of our lives.

And perhaps, on the most basic level, “Va-Hashem beirach et Avraham ba-kol” reflects back to Parshat Lech Lecha: v’nivr’chu becha kol mishpechot ha’adamah – all the families of the earth will be blessed through you. The kol is the ability to bless others. At a time of loss, Avraham recognizes that he still possesses this – the power to influence, to give, to uplift. The greatest gift in life is the gift of giving itself.

And in that moment, Avraham begins a new chapter. He puts a plan in place to find a wife for Yitzchak. He still has work to do.

This is the spirit of the Jew. This is why we always rise after we fall – because we internalize the mission of Avraham.

Recently, in an interview, Ron Dermer said the following about Israel fighting Hamas and Iran and all those who wish to destroy us: “When I was at the UN, I must have met more than 160 ambassadors. I never met the ambassador of Babylon. I never met the ambassador of Imperial Rome. And I never met the ambassador of the thousand-year Reich. But there is an ambassador of Israel. So I’m quite confident that we will survive this enemy.”

And do you know why we will survive every enemy? Because we inherited Avraham’s gift – the ability to stand in darkness and still see kol, the fullness of blessing. We rise from pain with deeper faith, from loss with greater purpose, and from fear with stronger courage. We are a nation that turns wounds into wisdom and struggles into strength. As long as we continue to bless others, we will never stop being a blessing to the world.