Ten generations have passed since Noah and the generation of the Flood, but mankind has hardly found its way back to G-d (Pirkei Abot 5:2). Idol worship has spread throughout the world, with only a handful of individuals recognizing G-d. Worse yet, independent thinking was discouraged, and everyone was required to fall in line with the national ideology. Anyone who chose to challenge it did so at serious personal risk. This is the world in which we meet Abraham Abinu (Rambam, Laws of Idol Worship 1:2-3).
Interestingly, the Torah itself tells us very little about Abraham’s early life or how he came to recognize G-d. The Rambam (Laws of Idol Worship 1:3) fills in some of the background, teaching that Abraham grew up surrounded by idol worship and even participated in it himself. Yet as he grew older, he began to question everything around him. Could the sun really be the ruler of the world if every night it disappeared? Perhaps it was the moon, which seemed to take the sun’s place. Yet the moon disappeared as well, replaced by the sun every morning. Abraham continued observing and questioning the different forces around him until he concluded that there must be one G-d, one Creator responsible for it all (Midrash HaGadol, Lech Lecha).
The Midrash (Beresheet Rabbah 38:13) teaches that Abraham’s beliefs would ultimately put his life at risk. After Abraham was brought before Nimrod for breaking the idols in his father’s store and challenging idol worship, he was given a choice either to bow down to an idol publicly or face death in a fiery furnace. Abraham, confident in his belief and trust in G-d, chose the furnace. His faith was rewarded and Abraham miraculously emerged unscathed. According to Bartenura, this was the first of ten tests Abraham would face throughout his life.
Pirkei Abot (5:3) teaches that Abraham was tested a total of ten times and finished with a perfect 10-0 record. Impressive! While there are different opinions about which events make up the ten, according to Bartenura, the list is: (1) the fiery furnace, (2) being commanded to leave his homeland without even being told where he was going, (3) finally arriving in Canaan, only to encounter a famine that forced him to leave for Egypt, (4) Sarah, his wife, being taken by Pharaoh, (5) the war of the kings, (6) Berit Ben HaBetarim, where Abraham was shown the future exile and suffering of his descendants, (7) being commanded to perform a circumcision at an old age, (8) Sarah being taken by Abimelech, (9) having to send away Hagar, his wife, and Yishmael, his son, and finally (10) being commanded to sacrifice his son, Yishaq.
That is quite a list. Yet we don’t find this same pattern with any of our other Abot. Yishaq certainly faced challenges, and Yaakob experienced plenty of hardship throughout his life, but Abraham was specifically singled out for ten tests. Why? After already being willing to give his life for G-d by entering a fiery furnace rather than bowing to an idol, why did Abraham still need to be tested again and again?
There is another obvious question. G-d knows everything. He already knew how Abraham would respond to each test. If the outcome was already known to G-d, why was Abraham tested? What did Abraham gain from each test?
The Ramban (Beresheet 22:1) explains that G-d did not need these tests to discover what Abraham would do. Rather, these tests were for Abraham’s benefit, allowing him to turn what only existed as “potential” into “actual.” This enabled Abraham to earn reward not only for what he believed internally, but for actually living by those beliefs. In other words, it can be easy to say we believe in something when we’re comfortable. The real test, however, comes when we are asked to act upon that belief, especially when doing so is difficult or comes at a cost. It is in those moments that faith becomes more than something we carry in our hearts; it becomes something we live with our entire being.
This may also help us understand why Abraham, specifically, faced so many tests. Abraham was our first leader and teacher. He was laying the foundation for what would eventually become the Jewish Nation. He challenged his own upbringing and the beliefs of the world around him, all while having no Jewish community or generations of tradition to fall back on. Abraham was creating a path that his son Yishaq would continue and Yaakob would build upon. Each test strengthened not only Abraham, but the foundation he was building for generations to come. Perhaps that is why one test was not enough. Abraham was establishing something much greater than himself. With each test he grew, but so did the foundation from which the Jewish Nation would eventually emerge.
How often do we face a challenge and ask, “Why is this happening, especially when I am trying to do something good?” Abraham teaches us that difficulty does not necessarily mean we’re on the wrong path. Maybe you started a new business, committed yourself to a new Torah learning schedule, or decided to repair a relationship, only to find that it was much harder than expected. It can be tempting to wonder whether the struggle itself is a sign that we should stop. Sometimes the very challenge we are facing helps awaken something within us that we have not yet had the opportunity to put into practice. Through these trials, we can develop patience, courage and trust that previously existed only as potential. Our challenges may look nothing like someone else’s, but that’s to be expected. Instead of only asking, “Why is this happening to me?” we can also ask, “How can I respond? What can I learn from this? Who can I become through it?”
We certainly don’t ask for tests like Abraham’s, but when challenges do come, whether at home, in business, in our friendships or simply in daily life, perhaps we can look at them a little differently. We may not understand why they are happening or where they will lead, but we can decide how we respond. Abraham faced ten tests, and each one helped turn more of his potential into action, strengthening not only himself but a foundation that would last for generations. Remember, we don’t need to be perfect. When the next challenge arrives, we simply need to take what is already inside of us and put it into action, one step and one challenge at a time.