When God told Abraham to depart from Haran and go to the land of Canaan, Abraham was already seventy-five years old. The Torah relates almost nothing about his earlier life; the Sages elaborate on it, and the following passage tells of Abraham’s attitude vis-à-vis the idolaters that were in his family and in his surroundings, and about the challenging test of faith that he withstood when he was cast into the fiery furnace.

Rabbi Hiyya, grandson of Rav Adda of Yafo, said: Terah was an idol worshipper. One day, he went somewhere and designated Abraham his son as storekeeper in his stead. A person would come wanting to make a purchase. Abraham would say to him: How old are you? The customer would reply: Fifty or sixty years old. Abraham would say to him: Woe unto that person who is sixty years old and wants to worship an idol that is one day old. The customer would be ashamed and leave. Once, a woman came bearing a bowl of finely sifted flour in her hand. She said to Abraham: Here it is for you; offer it before the idols. He stood and took a stick in his hand, broke all the idols, and placed the stick in the hand of the largest idol among them. When his father returned, he said to Abraham: Who did this to them? Abraham responded: Why would I conceal it from you? A woman came carrying a bowl of finely sifted flour in her hand, and said to me: Here it is for you; offer it before the idols. I offered it before them; this one said: I will eat first, and this one said: I will eat first. The largest idol among them took a stick and broke the rest of them. Terah said to him: Why are you mocking me; do the idols know anything? Abraham responded: Do your ears not hear what your mouth is saying?(Bereshit Rabba 38)