Kommentar zu Pirkei Avot 5:3

OUR FATHER ABRAHAM. We merit and receive goodness in his merit, for he withstood all of the trials. This is why the tanna calls him “our father” here.

With ten tests Abraham, our father, was tested - and he withstood them all: The first was 'Ur (which besides being a place name can also mean fire) Kasdim' - that Nimrod dropped him down into the fiery furnace and he was saved. And this is not explicit in the Torah and it is from the words of tradition. But we have a hint about this thing from the Torah; that before Parshat Lech Lecha Meartsekha ouMemoladetekha, Ur Kasdim is mentioned twice above [it], to make known that it was because of that test that he withstood that God, may He be blessed, promised him and brought him to the land [of Israel. This is] like we find with Noah. As at the beginning it is written (Genesis 6:8), "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord," and afterwards in Parshat Eleh Toledot Noach that he was saved from the waters of the flood - [which indicates that it was] because he found favor in his eyes. And the second is that He commanded him to go out from his land and from his birthplace, and he did so. And the third is that is stated (Genesis 12:10), "And there was a famine in the land." And even though the Holy One, blessed be He, promised him and said to him (Genesis 12:3), "And all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you”; when He brought the famine, he did not question His traits. The fourth is the taking of Sarah to Pharaoh. The fifth is the war of the four kings when he deployed [only] three hundred and eighteen men and trusted in the Holy One, blessed be He; and a miracle was done for him that he was saved and he saved his brothers and all of the property of Sedom and Ammorah. And he endured the events [accepting that it was] for his good and for his merit. The sixth is that he was ninety-nine when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin [and] placed himself in danger due to his old age, and he was saved. The seventh is the taking of Sarah to Avimelekh. The eighth is when he sent Hagar and Yishmael away by the commandment of God. And [even] if 'the thing was bad in his eyes on account of his son,' he fulfilled the commandment. The ninth was the binding of Yitzchak his son, about which it is written (Genesis 22:12), "For now I know that you fear God.” And did He not know until now - and is not everything revealed and seen in front of Him? Rather when the thing is known to the creatures, the Holy One, blessed be He, calls it, "For now I know that you fear God." And it comes to inform us that [this showed] greater fear of Heaven than all of the other commandments in the Torah. Since with all the tests except for this, He did not say to him "that you fear God" - as this test was the greatest of all of them, since he took his son to bring him up as a sacrifice. The tenth was the burial of Sarah. As it was stated to him (Genesis 13:17), "Get up, walk about the land, through its length and its breadth, for I give it to you”; but when his wife died, he could not find a place to bury her until he bought it - and he did not question.

The ten tests with which Abraham, our father, was tested are all [in] the words of Scripture. The first is his emigration by His statement, may He be blessed - "Go forth from your land, etc." (Genesis 12:1). And the second one is the famine that was found in the Land of Canaan when he came there and it was [the land of] his destiny - "and I will make you into a great nation" (Genesis 12:2). And this was a great test, and it is its saying, "And there was a famine in the land" (Genesis 12:10). And the third was the injustice of the Egyptians towards him in the taking of Sarah to Pharaoh. The fourth is his fighting against the four kings. The fifth is his taking of Hagar as a wife after he despaired of giving birth through Sarah. The sixth is the circumcision that he was commanded about in the days of his old age. The seventh is the injustice of the king of Gerar towards him in his also taking Sarah. The eighth is the expulsion of Hagar after his being built (having a child) from her. The ninth is the distancing of his son, Yishmael, and that is His, may He be blessed, saying, "Let not it be bad in your eyes about the youth, etc." (Genesis 21:12). And Scripture already testified how this thing was difficult in his eyes, in its stating, "And the thing was very bad in the eyes of Abraham" (Genesis 21:11). Yet he observed the commandment of God, may He be blessed, and expelled him. And the tenth is the binding of Yitzchak.

Our father: Since we merit and receive good in the merit of this one who withstood all of his tests, therefore the teacher [of this mishnah] called him "our father" here. [So does it] appear to me.

Ten tests: One - Ur Kasdim, when Nimrod cast him into the fiery furnace; the second - "'Go out from your land'" (Genesis 12:1); the third - "and there was a famine" (Genesis 12:10); the fourth - "and the woman was taken to the house of Pharaoh" (Genesis 12:15); the fifth - the war of the kings; the sixth - the stand between the pieces, where he was shown the subjugation of [his descendants by] the nations; the seventh - the circumcision; the eighth - "and Avimelekh sent... and he took Sarah" (Genesis 20:2); the ninth - "'Expel this maidservant and her son'" (Genesis 21:10); the tenth - the binding [of Isaac].

With ten trials was Abraham, our father (may he rest in peace), tried, and he withstood them all; to make known how great was the love of Abraham, our father (peace be upon him). The ten trials which Abraham withstood can be counted in several different ways. One count is as follows: twice when ordered to move (Gen. 12:1 ff., 12:10), twice in connection with his two sons (21:10, 22:1 ff.), twice in connection with his two wives (12:11 ff., 21:10), once on the occasion of his war with the kings (14:13 ff.), once at the covenant between the pieces (14:13 ff.), once in Ur of the Chaldees, when he was thrown into a fire furnace by Nimrod (this one is not in the Bible but appears in a midrash), and once at the covenant of circumcision (17:9 ff.). Some commentators point out the connection between Abraham’s trials and the ten utterances with which the world was created. Abraham was tried with ten trials and withstood them all, thereby proving that he was worthy of sustaining the world which was created by ten utterances. A scholar of midrash and ancient Jewish literature named James Kugel (Harvard University) has shown in his book, The Bible as It Was, that the idea that Abraham was tested was an ancient idea, common to many ancient Biblical commentators. Indeed Abraham’s life does seem to have been full of trials; he is told to leave his homeland, he faces famine, war, troubles with his wives and son, Ishmael, and especially obvious, his command to sacrifice his son, Isaac. It is not surprising that many ancient commentators would assume that he was “tried” by God many times. As an aside, this fascinating book is highly recommended.

AND WITHSTOOD ALL OF THEM. Rashi: he never questioned G-d’s ways.

in order to show how great was the love of Abraham, our father: He tested him in order to reveal to the creatures that he feared God and was complete in all of his traits.

and he withstood, etc.: as he did not [question] His [actions] - Rashi.

TO MAKE KNOWN HOW MUCH LOVE ETC. For through this we certainly know how beloved he was, as Rashi writes in his commentary on the Torah (Genesis 22:12): “now I know”—what to answer the Satan and the nations who wonder what the cause of my love for you is.

in order to show, etc.: As with this, we certainly know how great his love was. And it is like Rashi wrote in his Commentary , "Now I will know [how] to answer the Satan and the nations that wonder what My love is towards you. I have, etc."