Bava Bathra, fol. 10, col. 1.
With the utterance of ten words was the world created.
Avoth, chap. 5, mish. 1.
There were ten generations from Adam to Noah, to show how great is God's long-suffering, for each of these went on provoking Him more and more, till His forbearance relenting, He brought the flood upon them.
Ibid., mish. 2.
There were ten generations from Noah to Abraham, to show that God is long-suffering, since all those succeeding generations provoked Him, until Abraham came, and he received the reward that belonged to all of them.
Avoth, mish. 3.
The greatest sinner is uniformly presumed throughout the Talmud to have a certain amount of merit, and therefore a corresponding title to reward (see chap. 2, No. 10 = Ps. xxxvii. 35-37). Much of this last is enjoyed by the wicked themselves in the present world, and the surplus is often transferred to the credit of the righteous in the world to come (see "Genesis", page 482, No. 173 = Matt. xiii. 12).
Abraham our father was tested ten times; in every case he stood firm; which shows how great the love of our father Abraham was.
Ibid., mish. 4.