In the Torah portion Chayei Sarah, the Torah states: "Avraham was old, ba bayamim, advancing in days." The Torah seems to imply that it was at this stage of Avraham's life that he became old. However, in a statement made about Avraham and Sarah about 41 years earlier, the Torah already says that "Avraham and Sarah were old, ba bayamim, advancing in days."
The literal translation of ba bayamim is not "advancing in days," but "entering into the days." It thus does not so much describe the person's age as it does his way of life. For a person's days and the events that transpire therein have a permanent effect on the individual - he "enters" his essence and soul into everything that happens to him.
We may accordingly say that the repetition of the statement "Avraham was old, ba bayamim, advancing in days," was not intended to highlight the Patriarch's advanced age but the aspect of ba bayamim.
It is human nature that the older a person becomes, the less he tends to be affected by the events that swirl around him, either because he has become more mature and settled, or because he has already lived so many years that he is not so easily fazed by events; life holds fewer and fewer "surprises."
The Torah therefore informs us that, although many years earlier, Avraham was already considered "old", many years later, he was still ba bayamim - the events of the intervening 41 years had a profound effect on his life. He "entered" into those days. Especially so, since in this span of time, his son Yitzchak was born, and his wife Sarah died.
With this interpretation of ba bayamim, we will better understand the comment of the Zohar on the verse "Avraham was old, ba bayamim, advancing in days," that all of Avraham's days were complete in his service to G-d; he did not fail to serve G-d for even one day of his life.
In light of the earlier explanation of ba bayamim, we understand that the Zohar's interpretation is not merely mystical, but also thoroughly grounded in the simple context of the verse: not a day in Avraham's life passed without something meaningful happening. Rather, each day was infused with spiritual content - ba bayamim; he "entered into" his days, engaging in the particular spiritual service necessary on any given day.
Thus, according to the simple meaning of the verse, ba bayamim relates how the events of Avraham's life affected him - each day and event resulted in change. The Zohar, the inner aspect of the Torah, comes to inform us about the inner meaning of Avraham's life, how Avraham had an impact on his days, not only physically but in the spiritual sense as well.
In light of this explanation, we can better understand the opening verse of the portion Chayei Sarah, which states: "The life of Sarah was 100 years, and 20 years, and seven years - the years of the life of Sarah."
Generally, when the Torah recounts how long a person lived, the expression used is "His days were..." or "His years were..." Why does the Torah use here the expression "The life of Sarah was ..."?
As our Sages inform us, the verse recounting Sarah's days informs us that all of Sarah's days were filled with Divine service in the best possible manner - "All her years were equally good." But how can this be, when her 127 years encompassed such extremes - living in the Promised Land, and being forced to spend time in the homes of Pharaoh and Avimelech?
Nevertheless, with regard to the life of Sarah, i.e., regarding the spirituality, holiness and Divine service that truly made up her life, it can genuinely be said that they were all equally good. For Sarah's true existence was spiritual. These true moments of her life were "all equally good."
Based on Likkutei Sichos, Chayei Sarah 5751
