Parshas Chayei Sarah: Nisayon
A central theme throughout the life of Avraham is that of nisayon — tests or trials. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avos[1] tells us that Avraham was subjected to ten trials and passed them all. The Mishnah does not specify what the trials were, and this is the subject of some discussion among the commentators. A very interesting question is: which was the final test? Although many are of the opinion that it was the binding of Yitzchak, Rabbeinu Yonah[2] maintains that that was in fact the penultimate test. The final test, he says, was the burial of Sarah.
This position is somewhat difficult to understand. We assume that the tests got progressively more difficult as they went along, for it seems unreasonable that Avraham would be tested with something easier after already having accomplished something harder. Are we to understand, then, that the burial of Sarah was harder than the binding of Yitzchak? Without taking anything away from the difficulty which must have accompanied burying Sarah, surely they were surpassed by the notion of Avraham having to slaughter his son with his own hands!
Addressing this question will lead us to a fundamental discussion as to what may constitute a difficult test.
Often, when one is in an especially difficult situation, it is possible that the difficulty itself can serve to help the person get through it; there can be a sense of rising to the occasion. This does not take anything away from the decision to act correctly, but there may be a feeling of “if I will ever do the right thing, it will be at a time like this” which buoys the person and gives him strength and courage. Epic situations often speak to – and bring out – the epic in us.
By contrast, when faced with what is essentially a non-event, there is no sense of occasion, no drama, no external adrenaline or historic choice to be made. There is only the person himself and the right thing to do. Looked at in this way, there is something about a small act specifically which can make it a greater test, and which can better serve to define the moral level of the person.
A Half Penny for your Thoughts
In a similar vein, the Gemara[3] discusses the verse which describes Iyov as being “a God-fearing man,”[4] and explains that his stature may be demonstrated by a certain business practice which he had. The smallest coin in the vernacular of the Gemara is a prutah. In any situation where the value of a commodity included a fraction of a prutah, Iyov would be sure to round it off in the favor of the one with whom he was doing business. If he was purchasing, he would round the price up to the next prutah; and if he was selling, he would round it down. This was done in order to ensure that he did not take even a fraction of a prutah which did not belong to him, even though such an amount is typically waived by the other party.
Why is this the most telling way to illustrate the God-fearing nature of Iyov? This business practice was hardly likely to put him too much out of pocket; even a hundred such transactions a year would still amount to only fifty pennies! Many people would be prepared to part with that amount in the interest of avoiding taking money illegally.
The answer is as per the above. When there is discrepancy of half a prutah, an amount so small there isn’t even a coin for it, the true person will be seen. Even someone who would be prepared to forgo a large amount of money that he is not entitled to may find himself routinely rounding off the half prutah in his own favor. After all, it seems like such a “small” question. There is a certain aspect of a person’s God-fearing nature which may only come out in a “half-prutah situation.” Where there is no “event,” there you will find the person.[5]
With this is mind, we can now understand why Rabbeinu Yonah lists the burial of Sarah as the final test. We asked: Could that have been a greater test than the Akeidah, which Avraham had already passed? The answer is, indeed, the burial of Sarah was not as challenging as the Akeidah in terms of sacrifice or heroism, and that is exactly what made it the final test.
Upon returning from the stunning success of passing the test of the Akeidah, Avraham finds his beloved wife, Sarah, dead. In a state of grief and deflation, he now needs to procure a burial plot from a swindler who is surrounded by small-minded people. It is noteworthy that the Torah devotes a good number of verses to describing the purchase of the burial place for Sarah. Most of the verses involve either Avraham or the people bowing down to each other, or him and Efron saying, “Hear me, my master, etc.” to one another. These interactions represent the protocols of courtesy and consideration that are to be accorded to the other party on such occasions. This was the anticlimax of the Akeidah, the ultimate non-event, and it was here that Avraham underwent his final test. His absolute moral worth came through not in the moment of an extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime test, but as he exercised endless patience and extended gracious courtesy at his time of depression, pain and grief, toward people who, arguably, did not deserve it.
Contemplating this idea, a crucial message emerges. Ultimately, our tests bring out the best in us and make for our spiritual and moral growth. Sometimes, we can overlook the tests that exist within everyday situations while we are dreaming about how we would fare in a “real” test, forgetting that it is the “small things” that may be the greater test of who we are: a blessing recited properly, a listening ear, an encouraging word. Learning from the final test of Avraham can help us appreciate our everyday situations for what they really are — the ongoing building blocks of our spiritual growth.
[1] 5:3.
[2] Commentary to Pirkei Avos, ibid.
[3] Bava Basra 15b.
[4] Iyov 1:1.
[5] Michtav Me’Eliyahu, vol. 4, p. 245.