English: Rabbi Ami bar Abba said: Avraham recognized his Creator at the age of three, as it is said “because (ekev) Avraham obeyed My voice”; the numerical value of ekev is 172 [and Avraham lived 175 years].
On the daf / in context: The gematria of “ekev” yields the age at which Avraham’s recognition of God began, leaving three years of childhood before that recognition.
Type of Learning
Custom (Bavli — Avraham recognized God at age three)
What Is Learned
Avraham recognized his Creator at the age of three; the numerical value of the word ekev supplies the calculation from his lifespan.