Challenges

"a nisayon is the capacity to rise above one’s nature — to be supernatural within one’s own self."

Nov 04, 2022

The story of Avraham Avinu is a story that can be dissected down to its smallest details and its commentary can fill volumes. I would like to zoom out and focus on the essence of Avraham.

When one thinks about who Avraham Avinu was, many ideas come up. He was the founder of monotheism and the father of the Jewish people. What is most striking though is that he was a ‘Baal Nisayon’, he owned the challenges given to him by Hashem. The Mishnah1 tells us that in fact he went through ten different challenges in his lifetime.

I have found it interesting that while we do find the idea of nisyonos by others, such as Yosef, the Dor HaMidbar and Iyov. The term nisayon was not used as widely as one would suspect. It is not used regarding Adam and Chava when eating from the Etz HaDaas. Nor is it a term used regarding Noach during the Dor haMabul. If we go further in history, it is not used regarding Yitzchak, being that the Akeida is considered amongst the nisyonos of Avraham.

Why is Avraham put through so many nisyonos and why are his challenges called nisyonos more than Adam or Yitzchak?

Let us try to understand what a nisayon is and what its purpose is. Perhaps that will shed some light on the essence of Avraham as a ‘Baal Nisayon’.

Ramban2 explains that since a man has bechira chofshis, free will, and can technically do whatever he wants, Hashem provides man with nisyonos for our benefit to give us a reward for our good deeds. Therefore, when Hashem sees a person’s latent potential for spiritual growth, He supplies that person with a challenge in order to actualize this potential. For that reason, writes Ramban, Hashem only provides a nisayon that He knows the individual can succeed in overcoming.

Rav Moshe Shapiro3 teaches that a nisayon is the capacity to rise above one’s nature — to be supernatural within one’s own self.

The Ramchal writes throughout Mesilas Yesharim that man is placed in the midst of a raging battlefield. For all matters of this world, whether for the good or for the bad, nisyonos are for a man... According to the extent that he conquered his inclination and lusts, and distanced from the factors which distance him from the good, and exerted himself to cling to Hashem, to that extent will he attain Olam Haba and rejoice in it.... The primary purpose of man's existence in this world is solely to fulfill the commandments, serve Hashem and stand up to trials.

נמצינו למדים, כי עיקר מציאות האדם בעולם הזה הוא רק לקיים מצוות ולעבוד ולעמוד בנסיון

The Ramchal writes elsewhere4, that one who has really internalized this idea — that the nisayon is really his friend and is there to elevate him — will face most difficulties in a matter-of- fact manner, as this is exactly the reality he anticipates in this world. He doesn’t think, “This is so unfair,” and “why me?” He simply focuses on facing the challenge itself. He sees suffering for what it is — as a means, not as an end. He understands that this world (in its entirety) is a means, and that the ultimate state of man in the World to Come is to be in a state of spiritual happiness without any pain or suffering.

The Maharal5 teaches that without nisyonos, we would naturally grow where we are strongest, which would leave us with vast gaps in our personality.

A nisayon is not an evaluative test that Hashem gives to see if we will pass. Rather, a nisayon helps us to actualize our potential through the experience itself. One who passes a nisayon will be more elevated than beforehand.

Based on all the above and a plethora of other sources, we see that the nisayon is the essence of what makes us people, a level above animals. Nisyonos are a primary component of our purpose here in this life.

If this is so, why is it that we daven every day in Birchos HaShachar that we should not have a nisayon? Furthermore, the Gemara6 says that one should not seek out a nisayon:

Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: A person should never bring himself to undergo an ordeal, as David, king of Israel, brought himself to undergo an ordeal and failed.

If the nisayon is so essential to our development, why are we davening not to have it?

Rav Chaim Shmulevitz writes7 that when Hashem gives a nisayon to a person, in addition to the nisayon itself, He [also] gives him the strength to stand up to it. In a situation where Hashem is not initiating the nisayon for the person, however, He will also not be giving him the special strength to stand up to it.

Let’s get back to the original question, why is Avraham known for his nisyonos?

In his sefer, Lev Avos, my father quotes from Rav Chaim Volozhin that the nisyonos of Avraham and his ability to get through them, gave strength to all the generations that came after him, for them to be able to withstand the nisyonos that come up. This is why Avraham is called Avinu as he gave us, his children, the strength to withstand these nisyonos. Each of the tests he passed became part of the nature of the Jewish People. As an example, the desire that may arise suddenly within a person to go to Eretz Yisrael is a product of the nisayon of “Lech Lecha.”

I would like to posit that Avraham Avinu took ownership of the concept of a nisayon and he was able to work with it to become more resilient and more Kadosh. As such, he is called a ‘Baal Nisayon’. This idea of embracing a challenge and using it as a catalyst for further growth is what Avraham embedded into his descendants and it is what differentiated Avraham from those before him.

We daven to not even come close to a nisayon because we do not know if we would be able to withstand it. However, we do know that in the merit of Avraham, any challenge that does come our way is a gift from Hashem, which Hashem knows we can prevail over and use it to foster more growth.

Like the Avos, we will constantly be challenged and we need to remember that challenges are opportunities in disguise. Let us use these opportunities to rise to greatness.

Much of this essay is based on different ideas found in Pain is a Reality, Suffering is a Choice by Rabbi Asher Resnick and The Human Challenge by Rabbi Avraham Edelstein.