The Test of Life, Introduction: Learning from the Avos’ Nisyonos

Transcript

This Torah class is brought to you by TorahAnytime.com. Parshas Lech Lecha. We begin to read and learn Avraham Avinu's life. Avraham Avinu's life could be summed up with one word: nisyonot, nisyonot, nisyonot. Tests, tests, and in Yiddish we say, weiter, and again tests. Or if you want to say it, test mit test. That's how they say it in Yiddish. One test after another test after another test. A life of difficulty. The Mishnah tells us, Asarah nisyonot nisnaseh Avraham Avinu. Ten, ten tests, major tests. That's just what we call today, Ah, I had a difficult day. Real, real, real difficulties, real tests. And the Mishnah in Perek Hei in Avot tells us. נִשְׁתַּגֵּם וְעָמַד בְּכוּלָן. He passed all the tests. He passed them. Avraham Avinu's life is a life of nisyonot. I'd like to discuss life and the test of life, because this is the Torah is telling us, מעשה אבות סימן לבנים. Chazal tell us that the whole Bereishis is meant to teach us. It's meant to be a mora derech on what a Jew is supposed to behave and what a Jew is supposed to live his life. So what are we supposed to learn from Avraham Avinu, starting from Lech Lecha, Vayera, Chayei Sarah, the life of tests, and how to pass those tests? The Gemara tells us, אין לך אדם שאין לו ייסורים. There's no such a thing as a person that does not have yisurim. There's no such thing. Every person has his chayim v'nisayon shel hachayim shelo. That's it. You've just experienced another Torah class brought to you by TorahAnytime.com.