Ten Tests of Avrohom
Parsha Pages | November 15, 2024
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Ten Tests of Avrohom

Parsha Pages | June 27, 2025

THE TESTS

Rashi Rambam R. Ovadia from Bartenura Avos D’ Rabbi Nosson GR”A (Vilna Gaon) based upon Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer

  • Avrohom hid underground for thirteen years from King Nimrod, who wanted to kill him.
  • Uhr Kasdim where Avrohom was thrown into the fiery furnace.
  • Avrohom was commanded to leave his family and homeland.
  • Soon after he arrived in Canaan, he was forced to leave to escape a famine.
  • Sarah was kidnapped by Pharaoh's officials.
  • The kings captured Lot, and Avrohom went to war with the four Kings to rescue him.
  • HaShem told Avrohom that his offspring would suffer under four monarchies at the Covenant Between the Pieces.
  • At an advanced age, he was commanded to circumcise himself and his son.
  • His marriage to Hagar after he despaired that Sarah would never give birth.
  • He was commanded to drive away Yishmael & Hagar.
  • Avimelech's abduction of Sarah.
  • He was commanded to sacrifice Yitzchak.

Chesed L'Avrohom

Avrohom Avinu was tested ten times and passed all of them (Avos 5:3). Avrohom's attribute was chesed, kindness. Rav Yaakov explains that the tests demanded that he serve HaShem out of character. He is told to leave his aging father and to chase away his son Yishmael, acts that appeared insensitive and cruel. The akeida, sacrificing his son Yitzchak, was the total opposite of Avrohom's nature and his lifelong mission of teaching that HaShem is merciful and does not demand human sacrifice as practiced by idolaters. Only by serving HaShem against his nature did Avrohom pass the tests.

While Rav Yaakov mentions only these three nisyonos, other tests (see Rashi and Rav op cit.) also conflict with chesed. As an outgoing activist, Avrohom was sorely tested by thirteen years of hiding from Nimrod underground. As a man with plans for a life devoted to chesed, it was more difficult to give up his life when Nimrod threw him into a fiery furnace. As war is the antithesis of chesed, Avrohom's decision to wage war against the four kings who captured Lot was particularly challenging. The prophetic knowledge that his descendants would be oppressed was especially painful to a man of Avrohom's compassion.

Finally, bris milah, even now, is viewed by some as barbaric, the opposite of chesed. Avrohom may have been concerned that knowledge of his and his son's bris would compromise his lifelong chesed mission of promulgating monotheism (Michtav MeiEliyahu, II. p.162).While Avrohom's tribulations required that he suppress his innate instinct to do chesed, ultimately, as the fulfillment of the Divine Merciful Will, they were acts of chesed.

All the miracles that were done for the Jews were done in the merit of Avrohom Avinu (Yalkut Shimoni Yehoshua Perek 3; remez 16).

Iyun Yaacov (Sotah 36b): Ten miracles were done for the Jews on the day they entered the Land of Israel and they were all done in the merit of the Ten Tests passed by Avrohom:

  1. Crossing the Yardein river in dry land
  2. The same day they came to the mountains of Gerizim and Aival (more than 60 mil)
  3. No one was able to stand before the Jews
  4. Anyone that attempted to stand opposed to them was immediately killed
  5. That same day they were able to bring the stones out of the river and set up the altar
  6. That same day they were able to write the entire Torah in the seventy languages on the stones
  7. That same day they were able to offer many burnt-offerings and peace-offerings
  8. That same day they all ate and drank and engaged in simchah activities
  9. That same day they had the blessings and the curses
  10. That same day they also traveled and camped at Gilgal

Rabbi Simon Jacobson (The Meaningful Live Center):

To achieve greatness, every one of us needs to experience, in one form or another, these ten challenges. If you study your life and the life and history of your family, you will find glimpses of the ten different trials and tribulations, what we call “nisyonos.” (They may or may not be in the same order as they occurred in the live of Avrohom).

  1. The challenge of childhood
  2. The challenge of commitment
  3. The challenge of change
  4. The challenge of deprivation
  5. The challenge of intimacy
  6. The challenge of confrontation
  7. The challenge of suffering
  8. The challenge of transformation
  9. The challenge of discipline
  10. The challenge of becoming Divine

These are the ten general challenges that we will all face in our lifetimes. How we will rise to these ten challenges will define our lives.

THE TESTS

Rashi Rambam R. Ovadia from Bartenura Avos D’ Rabbi Nosson GR”A (Vilna Gaon) based upon Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer

  • Avrohom hid underground for thirteen years from King Nimrod, who wanted to kill him.
  • Uhr Kasdim where Avrohom was thrown into the fiery furnace.
  • Avrohom was commanded to leave his family and homeland.
  • Soon after he arrived in Canaan, he was forced to leave to escape a famine.
  • Sarah was kidnapped by Pharaoh's officials.
  • The kings captured Lot, and Avrohom went to war with the four Kings to rescue him.
  • HaShem told Avrohom that his offspring would suffer under four monarchies at the Covenant Between the Pieces.
  • At an advanced age, he was commanded to circumcise himself and his son.
  • His marriage to Hagar after he despaired that Sarah would never give birth.
  • He was commanded to drive away Yishmael & Hagar.
  • Avimelech's abduction of Sarah.
  • He was commanded to sacrifice Yitzchak.

Chesed L'Avrohom

Avrohom Avinu was tested ten times and passed all of them (Avos 5:3). Avrohom's attribute was chesed, kindness. Rav Yaakov explains that the tests demanded that he serve HaShem out of character. He is told to leave his aging father and to chase away his son Yishmael, acts that appeared insensitive and cruel. The akeida, sacrificing his son Yitzchak, was the total opposite of Avrohom's nature and his lifelong mission of teaching that HaShem is merciful and does not demand human sacrifice as practiced by idolaters. Only by serving HaShem against his nature did Avrohom pass the tests.

While Rav Yaakov mentions only these three nisyonos, other tests (see Rashi and Rav op cit.) also conflict with chesed. As an outgoing activist, Avrohom was sorely tested by thirteen years of hiding from Nimrod underground. As a man with plans for a life devoted to chesed, it was more difficult to give up his life when Nimrod threw him into a fiery furnace. As war is the antithesis of chesed, Avrohom's decision to wage war against the four kings who captured Lot was particularly challenging. The prophetic knowledge that his descendants would be oppressed was especially painful to a man of Avrohom's compassion.

Finally, bris milah, even now, is viewed by some as barbaric, the opposite of chesed. Avrohom may have been concerned that knowledge of his and his son's bris would compromise his lifelong chesed mission of promulgating monotheism (Michtav MeiEliyahu, II. p.162).While Avrohom's tribulations required that he suppress his innate instinct to do chesed, ultimately, as the fulfillment of the Divine Merciful Will, they were acts of chesed.

All the miracles that were done for the Jews were done in the merit of Avrohom Avinu (Yalkut Shimoni Yehoshua Perek 3; remez 16).

Iyun Yaacov (Sotah 36b): Ten miracles were done for the Jews on the day they entered the Land of Israel and they were all done in the merit of the Ten Tests passed by Avrohom:

  1. Crossing the Yardein river in dry land
  2. The same day they came to the mountains of Gerizim and Aival (more than 60 mil)
  3. No one was able to stand before the Jews
  4. Anyone that attempted to stand opposed to them was immediately killed
  5. That same day they were able to bring the stones out of the river and set up the altar
  6. That same day they were able to write the entire Torah in the seventy languages on the stones
  7. That same day they were able to offer many burnt-offerings and peace-offerings
  8. That same day they all ate and drank and engaged in simchah activities
  9. That same day they had the blessings and the curses
  10. That same day they also traveled and camped at Gilgal

Rabbi Simon Jacobson (The Meaningful Live Center):

To achieve greatness, every one of us needs to experience, in one form or another, these ten challenges. If you study your life and the life and history of your family, you will find glimpses of the ten different trials and tribulations, what we call “nisyonos.” (They may or may not be in the same order as they occurred in the live of Avrohom).

  1. The challenge of childhood
  2. The challenge of commitment
  3. The challenge of change
  4. The challenge of deprivation
  5. The challenge of intimacy
  6. The challenge of confrontation
  7. The challenge of suffering
  8. The challenge of transformation
  9. The challenge of discipline
  10. The challenge of becoming Divine

These are the ten general challenges that we will all face in our lifetimes. How we will rise to these ten challenges will define our lives.

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Parsha Pages | November 15, 2024