Every night in Maariv, we say, “v’haseir satan milfaneinu u’mei’achareinu.” This can be understood as follows. When we desire to perform a mitzvah and are stopped, this is the direct action of the satan standing upright before us.
In this week’s parshah, Avraham Avinu was tested with ten nisyonos, challenges, and each one was harder than the next. Rabbeinu Yonah explains that the petirah of his beloved wife Sarah Imeinu and arranging for her a burial was the final test.
The question posed: Why was this such a hard test?
Avraham was just coming back from Akeidas Yitzchak, also one of the nisyonos. Once he returned, he shockingly learned of his wife’s passing.
Most people, on returning from a trip and receiving such news, would regret going on their trip in the first place. But for Avraham there was a different train of thought. Avraham cried, but he didn’t over-cry and say that the Akeidah was the reason Sarah was nifteres. It would have happened either way, because all that happens is already decided by Hashem. We see from here that in his final test, Avraham remained strong. When you accomplish something marvelous and afterwards there is a harsh development, we should never regret our great achievement.
Rabbi Yaniv Meirov is the rav of Congregation Charm Circle in Kew Gardens Hills, and CEO at the Chazaq Organization, where he advocates on behalf of klal Yisrael. Locally, Rabbi Meirov serves on the Community Board 8 and is Vice President at the Queens Jewish Community Council. Parshah Power follows the vision of Yechiel Kupferstein, Yeshiva Ketana of Queens alumnus and founder of Siyum Yomi.
