“V’Avraham zakein, ba bayamim– and Abraham is old, coming into his days”(B’reisheit 24:1) – as an elder, Abraham is coming to the end of life.  The Sages associate Abraham with the soul-trait of hesed, loving kindness.  This is his mythic essence, despite some of his less-enlightened actions. 

Based on a teaching by the Sh'lah, Isaiah Horowitz, the Slonimer Rebbe teaches that a day on which we have not done an act of hesed is not considered a day in our lives.

When we do an act of loving-kindness, we draw down the Divine hesed that sustains the world and renews creation each day.  So a day without hesed does not really count as a day in our lives – such a day is devoid of life, vitality and meaning.  

Let us be blessed that we, like Abraham, come into our days.  Let us enter each day fully with our Divine center shining and radiating love, a love that can transform our time into blessing, drawing ever more hesed into the world. 

Rabbi SaraLeya
20 Heshvan 5772
November 16, 2011