Blessed With Emunah:
The Rebbe Reb Zushe zy”a (quoted in Sefer Mayanos Netzach) says that this pasuk is saying that Hashem blessed Avrohom with the good middah known as “kol”, everything.
This middah is hinted to in the bracha we say in the morning: “She’asa li kol tzarchi. Who gave me all of my needs.” It can be explained to mean that whatever Hashem does for a person is for his benefit. If Hashem gives someone something, it is what he needs.
Avrohom was given this blessing. He was given the emunah to believe that Hashem always gave him exactly what he needed.
Maaser Annuls Harsh Decrees:
Chazal say (Medrash Tanchuma 4) that Hashem blessed Avrohom “bakol”, with everything, in the merit of giving maaser.
Sefer Me’or Einayim explains that the pasuk says in regards to the mitzvah of giving maaser (Malachi 3:10): “And test Me with this...if I do not open for you the windows of Heaven and pour down for you blessing until there is no room to suffice for it.”
He says that this means that there are many “windows of Heaven” from which blessings pour down to earth. The only reason we don’t automatically receive these blessings is our improper deeds cause harsh decrees to be created, which stuff up the windows. But when one gives maaser, the decrees disappear and the blessings are able to pour through.
He further explains that Chazal say that a person is “led in the way that he desires to go.” This means that when a person acts a certain way, he evokes Divine influences that treat him in the same way. If one acts with compassion towards others, he is treated with compassion and harsh decrees against him are rescinded. When one shows kindness by giving tzedakah, he is treated with kindness.
It is stated that “Avrohom was old, advanced in days.” This seems repetitive. The Me’or Einayim explains that the word “zaken” does not merely mean that he was old. Rather, it means that he reached a status of an elder in the upper worlds by perfecting his middos and being worthy of Divine goodness.
Thus, the Medrash is saying that Avrohom achieved a level of being worthy of all blessings. It says that “Hashem” blessed him. The Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 51:2) says that the name “Hashem” refers to “Him and His bais din”. In other words, every Divine force agreed that he was worthy of blessing. The Tanchuma says that the reason this was so was because he gave maaser from everything he had (Bereishis 14:20) and, therefore, he was clearly deserving of having any harsh decree against him annulled.
We see from this that the merit of maaser annuls all decrees and allows us to receive an abundance of blessing and goodness.
The Segulah of Maaser and Chomesh:
It is related (Keser Rosh, Siman 153) that Rav Chaim of Volozhin zt”l said in the name of his rebbi, the Vilna Gaon zy”a, that anyone who gives a maaser (a tenth) of their money to tzedakah will be protected from all harm, and anyone who gives a chomesh (a fifth) of their income to tzedakah is guaranteed to become wealthy and to attain a high level of bitachon.
Maaser Leads to Wealth:
The verse states (Devarim 14:22): “Aser t’asher...You shall surely give maaser from all of the crops of your planting.” The Gemara says (Shabbos 119A): “Give maaser in order to become rich.” (The Gemara learns the word “aser” to mean to give maaser, and the word “t’asher” to mean to get rich. Thus, the verse is saying that if one gives maaser, he will become wealthy.) Chazal also say (Bava Basra 25B): “If one wants to become rich, he should give away his money.”
Sefer Zahav Hamenorah quotes Rav Tzvi Mendel, the son of the Rebbe Rav Zusha zy”a, who notes that we see that the word “aser”, which refers to giving maaser, is very similar to the word “(t’)asher”, which means wealth. The only difference is one letter. In the word for giving maaser, there is a “sin”, with the dot on the left side of the letter, while in the word for wealth, there is a “shin”, with the dot on the right side.
He says that this is the meaning of the verse (Bereshis 13:9): “If you go left, I will go right.” If one “goes to the left”, meaning that he places the dot on the left side and gives maaser, then Hashem will put the dot on the right side and make the person wealthy.
