עֲשָׂרָה נִסְיוֹנוֹת נִתְנַסָּה אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם וְעָמַד בְּכֻלָּם, לְהוֹדִיעַ כַּמָּה חִבָּתוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם:
Abraham, nasz ojciec, został poddany dziesięciu próbom: [jeden —Ur Kasdim, gdzie Nimrod wrzucił go do ognistego pieca; dwa—„Idź ze swojej ziemi”; trzy—„I był głód”; cztery—„I kobieta została zabrana do domu faraona”; pięć—wojna królów; sześć—przymierze między częściami, w którym pokazano mu podporządkowanie (Izraela) przez narody; siedem—obrzezanie; osiem—„A Avimelech posłał i wziął Sarę”; dziewięć—„Wypędź tę służącą i jej syna”; dziesięć— związanie Izaaka] i sprzeciwił się im wszystkim, aby oznajmić (ludziom) wielką miłość naszego ojca Abrahama, niech pokój będzie z nim.
Gur Aryeh
"For if they will say..." Now, you may argue that the verse is still problematic; for how does the issue of the giving of the land connect to Torah's mitzvot? This is clear, since most of the Torah's mitzvot are performed in conjunction with (the Jewish people's sovereignty or dwelling in) the land. Donations, tithes, and the construction of a temple must be done in the land. When Jewish people do not have the land, they cannot fulfill these mitzvot at all.
Redeeming Relevance; Genesis
It is within this context of natural human existence that we need to study the various tests encountered by Avraham in the Torah. In our attempt to grasp the relevance of his tests for us, we must remember that Avraham was a spiritual giant. Yet it is critical that we also note that he was not born that way. In other words, Avraham was not a static individual. He is not the exact same person when he is first told to move to Eretz Yisrael as he is much later, when God asks him to kill his son Yitzchak. He has developed in a way that is natural and, therefore, instructive. Indeed, from the point of view of natural human development, the well-known rabbinic tradition that Avraham encountered ten different trials (Avot 5:3) takes on a significance that may otherwise be overlooked. Rather than seeing these tests as independent of one another, as would be the case with ten distinct missions given to ten different people, we can understand the ten trials as one singular path outlining Avraham’s moral and spiritual development.
Redeeming Relevance; Genesis
In order to understand the need for Avraham’s first nine tests, it is worthwhile to focus our attention on what may be the most revealing of these earlier tests – the expulsion of Avraham’s first son, Yishmael. Rambam enumerates this as the penultimate test.6Commentary on the Mishna – Avot 5:3, possibly based on Yalkut Shimoni, Parashat Vayera 94, which also identifies this as the ninth trial. This test almost immediately precedes and somehow sets the stage for Avraham’s final ordeal with his other son, Yitzchak.