The greater the Tzaddik the greater potential he has to succeed in a greater and harder test. Of course the test of going to Eretz Yisrael was much easier than the test of sacrificing Yitzchak. But when Avraham Avinu was given his first test he wasn't on that spiritual level of succeeding the Nisayon of Akeidat Yitzchak and therefore he wasn't given that test then. As he succeeded each test he grew spiritually stronger and greater and the test became harder until he was capable of being tested with sacrificing his own son.
The Midrash is teaching us this important message the purpose of every test is the same and each test is the same in the sense that the person where they are holding have the challenge on their level and it's a challenge capable of succeeding.
The Kotzker Rebbe explains this that a person's journey of life is similar to a ladder. Our purpose is to go up the ladder step by step. How do we go up another step? Every time we overcome our challenges we go up a step. Obviously the challenge on the next step is a little harder. If we succeed we move up another step and then we face a challenge a little more hard. It's not that it's getting harder, it's the fact that we have grown spiritually so we need a harder challenge for it to be a test. If we had the challenge on the same level we wouldn't be growing, because we are already stronger and it wouldn't be a balanced test. The Kotzker explains that if a person doesn't succeed in overcoming their test and succumbs to the desire or challenge then the person drops a few steps. The next test will be on the level they fell to. So our lives are made up of ups and downs. The goal is that there should be more ups than downs.
With this theme we can understand a very difficult Gemara. The Gemara (Kesubos 33:) tells us thst Chananya, Mishael and Azarya were thrown into the fire by Nevuchadnetzar. Hashem made a miracle and they were saved. The Gemara tells us that if they would have been tortured they wouldn't have been able to withstand the pain, the reason they were willing to be thrown into the fire was because they knew that it would only take a few minutes till they would die. But they weren't able to withstand ongoing torture. These Tzaddikim were willing to be burned to death and instead of telling us how great they were for doing so, the Gemara tells us that if they would have been tortured they would have succumbed. Why is the Gemara pulling them down?
The answer is that the Gemara isn't trying to pull them down at all. The Gemara is teaching us the same message. A person only goes through a Nisayon they are capable of succeeding. Chananya, Mishael and Azarya were capable of withstanding their Nisayon by being thrown into the fire but they weren't able to withstand torture. That is why they were given the test of the fire and they weren't tortured.
This is such an important message for us. There are times where we have a Nisayon, a challenge, a lust or desire and feel that it is beyond us to overcome. But if it was beyond our capabilities then Hashem wouldn't have placed us in that situation. If we are there then it means we have the capability to succeed.
May the zechut of Avraham Avinu and his Mesirus Nefesh give us the spiritual strength to succeed in our ongoing struggles and battles.
