Opinion & Comment
The Ten Tests of Avrohom Ovinu

Part III

As far as Avrohom's ten tests, all opinions agree about seven trials: 1) "Go you out of your country," 2) famine in Eretz Yisroel, 3) Soroh's being taken by Pharaoh, 4) the War of the Four Kings, 5) Hogor and Yishmoel's being sent away, 6) Bris Milah, and 7) Akeidas Yitzchok. Opinions differ whether the following five are included: 1) Ur Kasdim (not enumerated by the Rambam), 2) Bris Bein HaBesorim (both the Rambam and Rabbenu Yonah do not reckon it), 3) running away from Nimrod (listed among the ten only according to Rashi), 4) Soroh's being taken by Avimelech (according to the Rambam and Rabbenu Yonah), and 5) Hogor's marrying Avrohom (a trial only according to the Rambam).

In the first part, HaRav Stenitzky discussed the kiddush Hashem of Avrohom in the furnace of Ur Kasdim, and the fact that afterwards Avrohom Ovinu went around disseminating consciousness of Hashem -- and that this was a truly heroic act.

In the second part, HaRav Stenitzky discussed the trials of "Lech Lecho" and of the famine in Eretz Yisroel.

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The Trial of the Four Kings

The five kings (Sedom, Amoroh, Admoh, Tzevo'im, Bela) that fought against the four all lived in Eretz Yisroel. In this small land one king was not enough. It seems that the people of each city could not live with the other. Their wealth was great and each city built its own kingdom. The common denominator that joined them together was their wickedness.

The Creator caused four kings from outside Eretz Yisroel: Amrofel the King of Shinar that was Bovel, Aryoch the King of Elasar that was Persia and Modai, Eilom that was Greece, and Tid'al the King of Goyim (various nations that made up the kingdom of Edom), to attack the five kings of Eretz Yisroel. The Ramban writes that this happened to Avrohom to teach us that four kingdoms will rule over the world but at the end the children of Avrohom will overcome them and be victorious over them. The events in the lives of our Ovos are indicative of what will befall their descendants.

We learn many things from this. Eretz Yisroel is the center of the world, an area that all nations want to take control of. In addition, we see that the Holy Land cannot tolerate wickedness. Although the five kings were strong, they were defeated because of their wickedness. Avrohom the tzaddik who defeated them showed that the only way to live in Eretz Yisroel is through observing the Torah.

Since those inhabitants of Sedom and Amorah did not pay attention to this principle and continued in their wickedness, their land became a desert of salt. It is the only place in Eretz Yisroel where it is totally impossible to grow things from the earth. This reminds us that if we do not observe the way of the Torah we have no right to continue living.

According to the Midrash, and Rashi explains similarly, Amrofel was Nimrod who threw Avrohom Ovinu into the blazing oven at Ur Kasdim. When Amrofel came to fight against the five kings in Eretz Yisroel he had two intentions: First he wanted to conquer them since they had rebelled against him. Second, he wanted to kill Avrohom.

Amrofel planned to capture Lot and then Avrohom would come to save Lot and he would kill him. Actually Avrohom was not obligated to sacrifice himself for Lot after Lot had separated himself from him. Nonetheless, Avrohom thought that people would say: "This is what happened to Lot who went with Avrohom from Choron and who also went in the way of Avrohom." He was afraid of a chilul Hashem. Although he feared risking his life, he trusted in HaKodosh Boruch Hu to help him save Lot.

Hashem did spectacular miracles for Avrohom, and he defeated Amrofel and the other kings. Afterwards he returned all the slaves and possessions to the five kings and swore not to benefit from them, since he did not want to benefit from reshoim.

The people who lived under the five kings continued acting wickedly despite their seeing the salvation of Hashem for Avrohom the tzaddik against the four mighty kings. The result was that Hashem wiped them out. This indicated to Avrohom's offspring that HaKodosh Boruch Hu will bring on the golus of Bovel and then return the people to Eretz Yisroel. Then He will bring on the golus of Persia and Modai and return them, then the golus of Greece, after which He will bring them back through the Chashmonaim, and afterward will come the golus of Rome that is Edom, in which we will be exiled and He will later bring us back. We are tested to see whether we can remain in Eretz Yisroel, the inheritance of the Ovos, the place where the Shechinah dwells.

The Bris Bein HaBesorim

"After these things the word of Hashem came to Avrom in a vision saying, `Fear not, Avrom, I am your shield; your reward will be very great'" (Bereishis 15:1). It seems that the posuk contradicts itself. The posuk starts by saying that "the word," meaning one word, came to Avrom, but later the posuk ends with "saying," meaning many words. Moreover we have to understand what Avrohom feared so that Hashem needed to tell him, "Fear not."

Chazal explain to us that there are twelve ways of expressing nevu'oh. The harshest expressions are those of machazeh (a vision) and dibur (saying). During the Bris Bein Habesorim Hashem spoke to Avrohom with these two harsh expressions. Rashi explains "after these things" to mean that after the kings were killed, Avrohom was afraid that the miracles done for him would perhaps deduct from his zechuyos. Hashem therefore placated Avrohom and told him, "Fear not, Avrom; I am your shield," meaning that he would not lose any zechuyos from the miracles and would not be punished for killing all those people. Moreover, "your reward will be very great," meaning that Avrohom would also be rewarded for what he did.

It is also possible to explain that since Avrohom Ovinu heard the word of Hashem said in a machazeh, a harsh prophetic vision, he feared he was missing elevation in avodas Hashem, and Hashem consoled him about that, "your reward will be very great."

Another way to explain Avrohom's fear is that when Avrohom heard that HaKodosh Boruch Hu was revealed to him through a dibur and a machazeh he understood that Hashem wanted to tell him something harsh. Avrohom immediately examined himself to see whether there was something he needed to rectify. This was Avrohom's concern. He feared that perhaps he had already received his reward, as we find with Yaakov who was afraid that perhaps a sin would cause his downfall.

HaKodosh Boruch Hu answered him that he should not be afraid and that those harsh words of nevu'oh were not because of him but because of his children. Avrohom then asked Hashem, "What will you give me, seeing as I go childless and the steward of my house is Eliezer of Damesek?" (ibid., v. 2) Since he did not have any children, that surely indicated that the harshness of the nevu'oh referred to him personally. About that HaKodosh Boruch Hu answered him: "This shall not be your heir, but he that shall come forth out of your own bowels shall be your heir" (ibid., v. 3).

The Kli Yokor's comment is related to this. He cites the Midrash to the effect that when a person dies without anyone to inherit him he must go through Gehennom. That was Avrohom's concern. How could his reward be very great, meaning reward in Olom Habo, if he did not have any children and must go through Gehennom?

HaKodosh Boruch Hu therefore told him that he would have children. Although Avrohom saw, through the wisdom of astrology, that Avrom and Sorai would not have children, Avrohom and Soroh would have children. "And he believed in Hashem and he counted it to him for righteousness" (ibid., v. 6) -- he did not ask for a Divine sign.

About inheriting Eretz Yisroel Avrohom did, however, ask, "By what shall I know that I shall inherit it?" (ibid., v. 8) It seems that about the promise of descendants he believed Hashem but about inheriting Eretz Yisroel, something dependent upon observing the mitzvos, he was afraid that Klal Yisroel would not be able to do so, as we actually see in the two churbonos.

Because of this doubt HaKodosh Boruch Hu promised him that at the end of golus Edom (which is the last golus) Bnei Yisroel will return to Eretz Yisroel, their inheritance. According to Rashi, "He believed in Hashem and he counted it to him for righteousness" means that Avrohom believed in Hashem and Hashem reckoned this belief to be righteousness. The Ramban, however, explains that Avrohom believed in Hashem and trusted that these promises would be fulfilled not because of his own righteousness but rather that of HaKodosh Boruch Hu.

What is emunoh in Hashem? Some say that emunoh is believing that Hashem created the world, but this is not enough. It is well-known what people repeat in the name of the Brisker Rov, that where intelligence ends emunoh begins. This point is explicitly mentioned in the commentary of HaRav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch in parshas Lech Lecho and parshas Yisro.

The emunoh that Hashem demands from us is that even if the mazolos of the world show man his favored way and his essence, a person should not say that he is acting the way he does because this is the way he was made and he cannot change it. Hashem tells us to step out of our world of astrology, for such a concept does not exist with HaKodosh Boruch Hu. All of the mazolos and powers of nature themselves come from Hashem, and through His will and might He can change the existing mazal and nature, when we fulfill the Torah and mitzvos.

"Tzedokoh delivers from death" (Mishlei 10:2) and "He who keeps a mitzvah shall experience no evil" (Koheles 8:5). Although we sometimes see that a tzaddik suffers in this world, that is a general reckoning with man as he lives in this world, and it takes into consideration his condition in a previous gilgul.

Elihu said to Iyov (Iyov 33:29): "Lo, Hashem does all these things twice or three times with a man." When a person feels a lack of something, he should believe in Hashem and know that if he obeys Hashem's will he will not lose out.

When a person does not fulfill the mitzvos or study Torah, his thoughts are only about what happens naturally in the world. This is because he only sees his animalistic will and fills his thoughts with the natural physical world that he sees. He and an animal are equal. What advantage does he have over an animal?

When a person exerts himself in Torah he achieves more Torah knowledge, is more elevated, and tangibly feels Hashem's Presence. Just as we do not know today what inventions will appear tomorrow, and yesterday's inventions look old today, so it is with emunoh. It is constantly developing and yielding new aspects.

We must believe in Hashem and yield ourselves to HaKodosh Boruch Hu under all conditions, no matter whether we feel good or bad, since surely everything Hashem does is for our benefit.

This is a small summary of emunoh in Hashem; and a person's emunoh constantly becomes clearer as he studies Torah.

HaRav Yoel Stenitzky is the menahel ruchani of Yeshivas Amal HaTorah. The article is based on a discourse published in Bikkurim, a collection of Torah essays.

To read Part I, click here.

To read Part II, click here.

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