Facing life’s tests: Lessons from Abraham

The portion of Chayei Sarah, the life of Sarah, begins with her death near the city of Hebron, which still stands today. We are told that she is 127 years old at the time of her death. Her husband, Abraham, cries at her death but is also faced with the duty of finding a burial place for his wife. For that he approaches the Hittites and requests a burial place. Among the Hittites, Abraham is honored and they are happy to comply. Abraham is very specific as to what he wants: land belonging to Ephron the Hittite, the Cave of Machpelah.

Ephron tells Abraham there is no need to purchase the land, he will give it to him. Abraham politely declines and insists on paying the full purchase price in the presence of witnesses. The Torah spends an extraordinary number of verses documenting the history of this transaction. Thus, the transaction can never be disputed.

Our tradition includes the Cave of Machpelah among the three holy locations whose ownership and claims of the Jewish people can never be disputed because they were purchased in valid documented transactions. The other two places are the Temple Mount and the Tomb of Joseph. But getting to the point of finalizing the purchase of Machpelah was one of great anxiety for Abraham. He admits as much while he is trying to get a burial place for his wife and bows low before the Hittites as he negotiates. He is desperate to find a place not just for his wife, but also for himself and the rest of his family. He is desperate to make sure that his wife has a place of honor, perhaps especially considering that he took his son to be sacrificed without informing Sarah.

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The Akedah, Abraham’s test by God, is one of the 10 trials that Rambam cites in his list of trials in his commentary on Pirkei Avot. It is the last of the trials, yet as Abraham negotiates the purchase of the gravesite, it seems that he is involved in yet another trial — one that Rambam did not list, but one that, if unsuccessful, could bring emotional trauma for him and dishonor to his wife and family. So even though he is offered a gift of the land, he knows he must purchase this property outright.

According to Nachmanides in his commentary on Genesis, a person who is tested has the absolute authority to decide which actions to do or not do. The rabbi cites a line from Psalms, “Hashem trieth the righteous” (Psalms 11:5). While God knows that a righteous person will act according to His will, God still wants the person to actually act with righteousness. Every test in the Torah is for the good of one being tested, according to Nachmanides. Every test is a learning experience for the one being tested. The experience of going through the test is a learning experience and, according to some, an example for others to follow.

It is through Abraham’s tests that he develops his sense of who he is in relationship to God, his people and his family. And like the other trials/tests, Abraham passes. And in the process of passing, Abraham teaches us something very important.

In this life, we are all tested, no matter how pious or holy we happen to be. But we can take comfort that God has given us a Torah, ethics and a way of life to help us pass our tests, and by doing so, bringing out the best in ourselves. The effects of passing each test in our lives informs our futures and creates habits of behavior and thought. Some of us run from tests, burying our heads in the sand and pretending like nothing is happening. That is a sure recipe for failure. The act of taking on the test is key to our development as individuals.

Sometimes the tests are not just of one person but an entire community or an entire nation. But when we learn what we can do, as individuals and together, and as we meet our challenges and tests, we are each better equipped to achieve our greatest potential and become the best version of ourselves. PJC

Rabbi Yaier Lehrer is the rabbi of Adat Shalom Synagogue.