<b>And God did prove Abraham (Gen. 22:1).</b> Observe this difference between the earlier generations and the later generations: The earlier generations were tested by the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said: <i>And God did prove Abraham</i>. And Scripture elsewhere states regarding the generation of the desert: <i>That He might afflict thee to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart</i> (Deut. 8:2). But later generations were tested by the nations of the world, for it is said: <i>Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to prove Israel by them</i> (Judg. 3:1).

Similarly, you find that though the Holy One, blessed be He, decreed that Daniel and his companions should eat unclean bread, as it is said: <i>And the Lord said: “Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the nations whither I will drive them”</i> (Ezek. 4:13), nevertheless when Nebuchadnezzar commanded them to eat his food, as is said: <i>And the king appointed for them a daily portion of the king’s food and of the wine which he drank</i> (Dan. 1:5), Daniel would not obey. He declared: Even though the Holy One, blessed be He, has decreed that we should eat unclean food, He did so only to test us. We will do our part, let Him do His part. Then he said to the chief of the officers: <i>Try thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the youths that eat of the king’s food; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants</i> (Dan. 1:12–13). The officers retorted: “Are you descended from nobility that you are able to withstand the test of ten days without food or wine?” “Yes, indeed,” they replied, “for we are the descendants of that righteous man who was tried ten times. Perhaps his merit will assist us. After all, has not the king found us to be ten times as wise as all his magicians and sorcerers?” Forthwith, the Holy One, blessed be He, made the officer feel well disposed toward Daniel: <i>So he hearkened unto them in this matter, and tried them for ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer, and they were fatter in flesh, than all the youth that did eat of the king’s food</i> (ibid., vv. 14–15).