In the beginning of this week’s parsha Hashem commands Avram to leave the land of his birth to an undisclosed destination (Bereishit 12:1).
This was Avraham’s first trial, according to the Rambam. The Ba’al HaTurim says that Hashem guided Avraham with a cloud. All Avraham had to do was follow the cloud, a kind of a GPS navigational system (lehavdil) showing him where to go. How long did Avraham follow this cloud (that was constantly moving and never rested in one place), until he finally arrived? Sixty-two years! Avraham went back and forth, up and down, Be’er Sheva, Eilonei Mamre, Chevron, Bet El, Kiryat Ono, back to Be’er Sheva, and repeat, etc.
After a long, arduous journey Avraham finally arrives in the land of Canaan and soon after he gets there, there is a famine (the second trial). Until then the concept of a famine was unheard of. Toldot Yitzchak says that the inhabitants immediately blamed Avraham for the famine. Avraham is forced to flee and follow the cloud south to Egypt.
As Avraham approaches Egypt, the land of promiscuity, he suddenly “notices” that Sarah is beautiful. They have been married for how many years and only now he notices? The Mefarshim say that this was the effect of the impurity of Egypt, even on Avraham – that until then it was not something he particularly paid attention to, but now the impurity of Egypt amplified the aspect of external beauty.
As they notice Sarah, the Egyptians deliver her to the palace of Pharaoh (the third trial) and Hashem smites Pharaoh and the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues until finally Pharaoh discovers that she is actually Avraham’s wife. Meanwhile Hashem rewards Avraham with enormous material wealth and eventually when Pharaoh releases Sarah, they leave Egypt and both Avraham and Lot are laden with camels, donkeys, tents, silver and gold. To boot, Pharaoh gives his daughter Hagar to Sarah as a maidservant.
Following the cloud back to Eretz Yisrael, Avraham retraces his path and Rashi says that he purposely revisits every motel that he stayed in on his way down to Egypt. The Chatam Sofer explains that this is so the inhabitants of Canaan can now see the vast wealth he has accumulated and understand why Hashem sent Avraham down to Egypt in the first place. It is a slap in the face for all those who ridiculed him a short time prior to that.
Lot, now puffed up with his own self-importance after his sudden accumulation of wealth due to Avraham’s merit, strays from the path and this eventually leads to him and Avraham parting ways. Lot chooses to settle in the evil city of Sodom.
Following this is the episode of the war between the four kings vs. the five kings – the first war in history (Avraham’s fourth trial). A refugee from this war – Og the king of Bashan, the same Og who was a stowaway in last week’s parsha in Noah’s ark – comes to inform Avraham that Lot has been taken captive (hoping that Avraham will go fight the four kings, be killed and then he, Og, will be able to marry Sarah). When does Og arrive? In the middle of Pesach. Avraham could wait a few more days until the end of Pesach, but no – he immediately recruits a force of 318 men and sets off, following the cloud, to wage war with over 800,000 soldiers. With Hashem’s help they manage to overpower Amrafel (Nimrod) and the other kings’ armies and free Lot, who returns safely to Sodom.
Sarah cannot have children, so she tells Avraham to take her maidservant Hagar as a wife to bear a child. Avraham listens to Sarah and Yishmael is born (the fifth trial). Thirteen years after Yishmael was born Hashem commands Avraham to perform a brit milah (the sixth trial). Hashem changes Avram’s name to Avraham and Sarai’s to Sarah.
Continuing his endless travels, following the cloud, Avraham moves down south to Grar. Avimelech the king of Grar kidnaps Sarah (Avraham’s seventh trial). Hashem punishes Avimelech and his household and eventually Avimelech releases Sarah.
Yitzchak is born and Sarah then tells Avraham to cast out Hagar and Yishmael from his house, something that is totally counter to Avraham’s attribute of kindness, but Hashem commands him to listen to Sarah. The expelling of Hagar is Avraham’s eighth trial and expelling Yishmael is the ninth.
Avraham’s tenth and final trial is the Akeidah. Avraham’s story begins with Lech Lecha and ends with Lech Lecha – to Har HaMoriah. Avraham diligently wakes up early that morning and again, he diligently follows the same cloud he had been following since Hashem commanded him in his first Lech Lecha. The cloud leads him to Har HaMoriah, the location of the Akeidah. As they approach, Avraham’s face is beaming with joy. Yitzchak cannot understand this – he is about to be sacrificed and Avraham is smiling? Avraham answers – “I have been wandering around for 62 years following the cloud Hashem gave to guide me, a cloud that never rested in one place and was constantly on the move. Now I have reached Har HaMoriah, the cloud is at rest and not moving” (Chatam Sofer).
Avraham reaches his final destination at Har HaMoriah, the location of the Beit HaMikdash. This is where the cloud of the Shechina settled to rest and has not moved since.
The Midrash asks which was the hardest test, the first Lech Lecha or the last? Undoubtedly being told to sacrifice Yitzchak was Avraham’s toughest trial and this is the reason we mention it multiple times in our daily tefillot. This, out of all the ten trials, stands out prominently as Avraham’s ultimate test of faith in Hashem.
Other Mefarshim qualify this. They say that Avraham could never have passed this tenth test unless he had first undergone the prior nine. Each time passing another test, another and another… gave him additional strength to be able to confront the following one.
When Hashem tells Avraham his first Lech Lecha, it is a beginning and beginnings are always the hardest. Hashem tells Avraham to start walking! Take the first step, then another and another. Follow the cloud as it guides him, until he finally reaches his ultimate destination and purpose.
Avraham’s life is a model for our lives. The most challenging trial is taking the first step, to start walking. We never know exactly where we are going to end up. We must trust the Guide and follow the “cloud,” the instinct of our Neshama.
Parshat HaShavua Trivia Question: In which country today is the biblical Charan located?
Answer to Last Shiur’s Trivia Question: How many inches is a “cubit?” An amah (cubit) is, according to the different opinions – 18″ (Rambam), 19″ (Haim Naeh), 23″ (Chazon Ish).
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