10 Oct BIREISHIS: THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE

Chumash Bereishis
is also known as Sefer
HaYashar – the Book
of the Upright. This is
because one of the primary
aims of studying it is to
learn from the ways of the
Yesharim, the Righteous
Ones that we learn about within it. Thus, we
are challenged to emulate the sterling behavior
of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, Sorah,
Rivka, Rochel, and Leah, and many others.
There are many nisyonos, tests, in Chumash
Bereishis and they are model lessons for
mankind on how to correctly navigate the
trials and challenges that Hashem places
before us during the course of our lifetime.
I would like to pose a fascinating question to
my dear readership. This query has given me
a chance for delightful Torah speculation and I
hope it will do so for you and your families as
well. What was the biggest nisayon that was
faced by a Torah giant in Chumash Bereishis?
Wait, you say, that’s a ‘no brainer!’ The
Akeidas Yitzchak! Avraham Avinu was being
asked to sacrifice – after waiting 100 years to
have him – his only child from Sorah! This
was the child upon whom all of Klal Yisroel’s
fate rested. Avraham Avinu was also being
asked to become the ultimate hypocrite,
after preaching a lifetime about kindness and

human rights – to slaughter his son would be
the undoing of a lifetime campaign. It would
also be putting at risk his wife’s health and,
indeed, she did not survive the shock of the
Akeida.
But, are you sure this is the biggest test?
What about Chava? Faced by the wily
serpent, tempted with the most forbidden of
knowledge? What about Rochel Imeinu who
met the challenge to give over secret codes
to her sister Leah so that she shouldn’t be
embarrassed on her wedding night? In the
process, Rochel risked losing her husband, the
love of her life, perhaps forfeiting becoming
a Mother of Yisroel, and maybe even falling
into the lot of Eisav.
What about Yoseif HaTzadik, who, in the
position of Viceroy could have wreaked
vengeance against the brothers who lowered
him naked into a pit of snakes and scorpions
and forced him to lose twenty-two years of
happy home life with his beloved family?
Or, maybe it was Yoseif who was repeatedly
tempted by the so beautiful temptress, the
wife of Potifar? Or, could it be the fact that
Yoseif had the strength not to send a message
to Yaakov that he was still alive even though
he must have desperately wanted to spare his
saintly father anguish? But he passed this test
too, loyally waiting to fulfill the prophecy of
his dreams.

Maybe it was the challenge of “Lech
Lecha,” when Avraham Avinu was asked to
give up all that was familiar, his land, his
parents, his surroundings; the challenge of
total change? Indeed, this is one of life’s
most gut-wrenching challenges! Maybe,
surprisingly, it was Lot, who, after spending
an entire night with Hashem’s angels trying
to save hundreds of thousands of people in
S’dom, and who was willing to give his own
daughters (perhaps with their consent) to
the wild mob, rather than have them attack
the angels and doom five cities to “nuclear
destruction”?
This query is not merely Biblical “Trivial
Pursuit.” Rather, the study of the multiple tests
in Chumash Bereishis is a vital educational
course in guiding us on how to succeed in
life as a Torah Jew. The Gemora teaches us
in Masechtas Berachos, “L’olam yargiz adom
yeitzer tov al yeitzer hara – A person should
always incite his good inclination against his
evil one.” In other words: There is a constant
tension and battle in one’s life between the
tests put before us by the yeitzer hara and our
spiritual strength to overcome these numerous
temptations.
Furthermore, we are taught in Pirkei Avos,
“Al taamin b’aztzm’cha ad yom mosecha –
Do not trust yourself until the day that you
die.” This is because as soon as we prevail
successfully over one scheme of the
yeitzer hara, he promptly presents another
challenge to us. For this is the continuous
duty of the Torah Jew – to live by the
credo of “HaChaim v’hamoves nasati
lefonecha – u’vacharta b’chaim – Life and
death I have put before you – make sure
that you choose life.”
It is the study of Bereishis that gives
us the spiritual wisdom to recognize the
many tests of life and guide us on how to
successfully pass them. Thus, Yaakov’s
blessing to Reuven educates us on not
acting in haste, for, “Pachaz kamayim al
tosar – If you are hasty like water, you
will not excel.” His comments to Shimon
and Levi warn us to cultivate a strong
avoidance of anger for, “Orur apom ki az
v’evrosom ki koshosah – Cursed in anger
for it is strong and wrath, for it is fierce.”
The story of S’dom teaches us about the
ugliness of being miserly and selfish.
And, the list goes on!
My humble opinion as to which is the
biggest test in Chumash Bereishis is that
it concerns the Torah personality Tamar.
We must understand that Tamar already
had suffered the loss of two husbands
because of the deaths of Er and Onan.
She desperately wanted to have children
but Yehudah held back Sheilah from
marrying her. Then Tamar manufactured
a deceptive tryst with Yehudah in order
to fulfill the ancient biblical mitzvah of
geula, familial redemption. When she
subsequently became pregnant, being a
daughter of a Kohein, Yehudah, the leader
of the tribes, and unaware that she was
pregnant legally from him, condemned

her to be executed by burning: The painful
death specifically ordered for a daughter of a
Kohein who brings dishonor on the priesthood.
Having protected herself by keeping
Yehudah’s staff and signet ring, she could
have easily saved her life. She had all the
more reason to do so since she was pregnant
with two healthy twins. Yet she kept her
silence preferring to horrifically die with her
unborn babes, rather than publicly embarrass
Yehudah.
This challenge is unimaginable. She was
willing to die in disgrace in a most horrifying
way, together with her unborn twins who
she had desperately waited for – all to save
Yehudah from some shame?! I believe this
lesson – which serves throughout the ages
as the biblical role model for the Talmudic
dictum, “Moach lo l’adam sheyatzil leatzmo
l’kivshon ha-eish mil lihaldin es chaveiro
b’rabim – It should be easier for a person to
cast himself into a furnace of fire rather that
to embarrass someone publicly,” is the single
biggest test in all of Chumash Bereishis.
I would like to conclude this discussion with
one more fundamental thought about tests. As
we said, life is a series of tests. Yet, every day
we ask Hashem in our morning blessings, “Al
tivi’einu lo lidei nisayon – Do not bring us into
any situation of challenge.” What kind of a
request is this? Isn’t that defeating the purpose
of life? The answer is that we are requesting
from Hashem to allow us to make our own
challenges. We will constantly strive to daven
with more concentration; to be more sweet
and attentive to our spouses, to spend more
time learning; to be more charitable, in that
way we are prospering in our spiritual growth
without needing the Divine intervention of
external challenges.
May Hashem help us in this pursuit and in
that merit, may we be blessed with long life,
good health, and everything wonderful.