Abraham Avinu

Abraham ben Terach Avinu – the first Jew in the world, the founder of the Jewish people. He was born on the 10th of Tishrei in the year 1948 (from Creation), on the day of Yom Kippur, in the city of Ur Kasdim (Ibn Ezra, Bereishit 11:26). His father Terach, son of Nachor, was 70 years old at his birth (Bereishit 11:26). His mother's name was Amtelai, daughter of Karnevo (Bava Batra 91a; Sefer HaYashar), and the newborn was given the name Avram (Bereishit 11:26). The name of Abraham's mother – Amtelai bat Karnevo – is a segula for success and good fortune among the Jewish people. The soul of the first man, Adam, was embodied in him (Seder HaDorot). According to the Midrash, it was Abraham who was meant to be the first man, but out of concern that if he sinned there would be no one left to rectify it, the Almighty first created Adam — so that if Adam were to sin, Abraham would come into the world and be able to correct it. (Bereishit Rabbah 14:6; Shochar Tov 34) His grandfather Nachor was the great-great-grandson of Ever, who was in turn the great-grandson of Shem and the great-great-grandson of Noach, the forefather of present-day humanity. In the kabbalistic book Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation), whose authorship is attributed to Abraham, it is revealed how he independently explored the world around him and his own inner nature. Rising level by level, he succeeded in grasping the secret of the creation of the world by means of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and he was able to create — and perhaps did create — human beings, as is hinted at by the words of the Torah: "the souls that they made in Charan." Only when Avram reached the limit of his comprehension did the Creator reveal Himself to him and establish an eternal covenant with him, choosing him as the forefather of the Jewish people (Sefer Yetzirah 6:7, Raza DeYetzirah; see also Bereishit Rabbah 61:1; Kli Yakar, Bereishit 1:1; Chochma U'Musar 1, 445). Abraham departed from this world at the age of 175; the Creator shortened his life by five years so that he would not see his grandson Esau stray from the path of the Jewish people — for it was precisely on the day of Abraham's passing that the 15-year-old Esau committed adultery and murder, and also turned to idol worship. It was impossible to postpone the day of Esau's spiritual downfall, because "everything is in the hands of Heaven except for the fear of Heaven." (Bereishit Rabbah 63:12; Rashi, Siftei Chachamim, Bereishit 15:15) It was on this very day that Esau sold his birthright to his younger brother Yaakov. (Bereishit 25:30-33, Rashi; Bava Batra 16b) The 1st of Teves is the yahrzeit of Abraham Avinu. The power of this day lies in the fact that it combines two mighty channels — the festival of Chanukah, with its endless flow of Light and miracles, and Rosh Chodesh, the New Month — the beginning and potential of the entire month. On Erev Rosh Chodesh Teves, we light the 6th candle of the Chanukiah. The 5th candle represents complete darkness, into which we bring Light. The 6th candle is already so much more light. And therefore, this day is a segula for complete Teshuva — the most fitting time to pray by the Chanukah candles for those whom we wish to bring back to faith, to lead to teshuva, to add the Light of the Creator into their lives. Because Rosh Chodesh Teves is also the time when our forefather Abraham Avinu departed from the world, and before he left this world, he saw that his son Yishmael had begun to do teshuva. Erev Rosh Chodesh Teves is also a segula for praying for those Jews who are involved with non-Jews, that they might leave them and return to their Jewishness, become Jews, cross over to the other side, as did Abraham Avinu — Abraham HaIvri (Bereishit 14), from the word "avar" (crossed over) — for all of humanity stands, as it were, on one side, while Abraham stands on the other. Our forefather Abraham was one of the 6 greatest tzadikim who died a special death, which the masters of the hidden wisdom call "the kiss of the Shechinah" — and the bodies of those who die such a death are not subject to decay. (Bava Batra 17a, Rashi; Derech Eretz Zuta 1) His sons Yitzchak and Yishmael buried Abraham in the Cave of Machpelah beside Sarah. (Bereishit 25:9-10; Zohar 3, 164a) His teachers Shem and Ever took part in his burial. (Bereishit Rabbah 62:3; Sefer HaYashar) In the Talmud, Abraham is named among the 7 "shepherds of humanity" — the greatest tzadikim of all time — alongside Adam, Shet, Metushelach, and his three descendants: Yaakov, Moshe, and the prophet Shmuel (Sukkah 52b). The resting place of Abraham Avinu is in Hebron, in the Cave of the Patriarchs — Machpelah. May the tzadik Abraham Avinu watch over our people! ("Zechut Avot")