this is for your own good OR the role of roadblocks

BySimcha Halpert-Hanson

בראשית כ״ב:א׳

(א) וַיְהִ֗י אַחַר֙ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה וְהָ֣אֱלֹקִ֔ים נִסָּ֖ה אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֑ם

Genesis 22:1

(1) Some time afterward, God put Abraham to the test.

Think about: in what ways do you feel tested in your life? Are there repeating tests in your life or are they different? How have these tests made you feel/how do they make you feel?

ספורנו על בראשית כ״ב:א׳

(א) נסה את אברהם כיון שיהיה בפעל אוהב וירא כמו שהיה בכח ובזה ידמה יותר לבוראו שהוא טוב לעולם בפועל כי אמנם הכונה במציא' האדם היתה שידמה לבוראו כפי האפשר כאשר העיד באמרו נעשה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו:

Sforno on Genesis 22:1

(1) נסה את אברהם, to demonstrate that Avraham’s love for G’d as well as his fear of G’d was not merely potential but actual, much as G’d goodness is not merely potential but actual. The purpose of man’s existence is to emulate the virtues of G’d, and by means of this “test” Avraham had an opportunity to demonstrate this. When G’d created man He had set Himself the objective of “let us make man in Our image etc.,” i.e. as much like Divine beings as is it possible for a creature to be . (Genesis 1,26)

Think about your personal trials- Sforno asserts our role is to emulate the middos of Hashem.

How is Avraham's trial an emulation of G!d's middos?

In what ways could your personal tests be seen in this light of emulating Divine middos? Does this make you feel closer to G-d? Why or why not...

בראשית רבה נ״ה:א׳

(א) וַיְהִי אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וְהָאֱלֹקִים נִסָּה אֶת אַבְרָהָם (בראשית כב, א), כְּתִיב (תהלים ס, ו): נָתַתָּה לִּירֵאֶיךָ נֵס לְהִתְנוֹסֵס מִפְּנֵי קשֶׁט סֶלָּה, נִסָּיוֹן אַחַר נִסָּיוֹן, וְגִדּוּלִין אַחַר גִּדּוּלִין, בִּשְׁבִיל לְנַסּוֹתָן בָּעוֹלָם, בִּשְׁבִיל לְגַדְּלָן בָּעוֹלָם, כַּנֵּס הַזֶּה שֶׁל סְפִינָה. וְכָל כָּךְ לָמָּה, מִפְּנֵי קשֶׁט, בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁתִּתְקַשֵּׁט מִדַּת הַדִּין בָּעוֹלָם, שֶׁאִם יֹאמַר לְךָ אָדָם לְמִי שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה לְהַעֲשִׁיר מַעֲשִׁיר, לְמִי שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה מַעֲנִי, וּלְמִי שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה הוּא עוֹשֶׂה מֶלֶךְ, אַבְרָהָם כְּשֶׁרָצָה עֲשָׂאוֹ מֶלֶךְ, כְּשֶׁרָצָה עֲשָׂאוֹ עָשִׁיר, יָכוֹל אַתְּ לַהֲשִׁיבוֹ וְלוֹמַר לוֹ יָכוֹל אַתְּ לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּמוֹ שֶׁעָשָׂה אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ, וְהוּא אוֹמֵר מֶה עָשָׂה, וְאַתְּ אוֹמֵר לוֹ (בראשית כא, ה): וְאַבְרָהָם בֶּן מְאַת שָׁנָה בְּהִוָּלֶד לוֹ, וְאַחַר כָּל הַצַּעַר הַזֶּה נֶאֱמַר לוֹ (בראשית כב, ב): קַח נָא אֶת בִּנְךָ אֶת יְחִידְךָ וְלֹא עִכֵּב, הֲרֵי נָתַתָּה לִּירֵאֶיךָ נֵס לְהִתְנוֹסֵס.

Bereshit Rabbah 55:1

(1) And it came to pass after these things, that God tested [nisah] Avraham (Gen. 21:1). It is written, “You have given a nes (flag, banner) to those who fear You, that it may be displayed [lehithnoses] because of truth [koshet], selah” (Ps. 60:6): this means, trial after trial, greatness after greatness, in order to test them in the world and exalt them in the world like a ship’s flag. And why all this? ‘Because of truth, selah’: so that the attribute of justice [din] may be verified [titkashet] in the world. Thus, if one says: ‘Whom God wishes to enrich, God enriches; to impoverish, God impoverishes; whom God desires God makes into a king; when God wished, God made Avraham wealthy, and when God wished God made him a king!’ Then you can answer that person and say, ‘Can you do what Avraham did?’ And the person would ask: 'What did he do?' and you say: "Avraham was a hundred years old, when his son Itzchak was born to him" (Gen. 21:5); yet after all this pain it was said to him: "Take, please, your son, your only son" (22:2), yet he did not refuse. This is ‘You have given a flag to those who fear You, that it may be displayed’.

"So that the attribute of din may be verified [titkashet] in the world." The text suggests that a test serves the role of authenticating din.

Why does the midah of din need to be authenticated?

How do you see a corollary between how you've been personally tested and din being proven/verified/authenticated?

"You have given a flag to those who fear You, that it may be displayed": does testing increase human consciousness? Macro view- are we learning anything? Micro view: are you learning anything? How else would you read this pasuk from Tehillim?