Lech Lecha
Abraham’s Journey from Ur to Canaan, by József Molnár, 1850 (Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest)
And G-d said to Avram, “Go forth from your land, from your birth place, from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you”. (Breishit 12:1). What a difficult challenging request. What a powerful, life-changing thing to do. It’s not easy not knowing where you are going! Fear of the unknown can challenge your entire belief system. Why was Avram not told immediately where he was going? Did G-d want to intensify the test of his leaving? … to place a test within a test?
The test
There is a Mishnah in Pirkei Avot which teaches us that Avraham underwent ten tests. Several of them can be found in this week’s parashah. The question is, what is the purpose of G-d testing anyone? He certainly already knows what the results will be, so why put anyone through the trouble? The question is really based on a false assumption. The assumption is that a test is merely an evaluation. We’re used to school, and grades, and being evaluated by means of a test. In today’s society, this is the sole purpose of a test; judgement.
A test as a miracle
Rembrandt Abraham Serving the Three Angels
In Hebrew, the word for test is “nesayon”. It is related to the word “nes” which translates as banner, and also miracle. By understanding this relationship, one can derive a better understanding of the purpose of a test. A miracle is very often a public manifestation of divine power. A banner is held high for all to see. A “NESayon” is designed as a prescription for a person to elevate him / herself. It is meant to cause one to flex his/her spiritual muscles and raise him / herself up. When G-d tested Avraham the purpose was to raise him up to a higher level; to attain levels of accomplishment which he had not done previously. Each of the ten tests brought him to a higher level, and in a way, made him a different person with a greater closeness to G-d.
Home is where your heart is
Abraham’s Counsel to Sarai, watercolor by James Tissot, c. 1900 (Jewish Museum, New York)
Is there a person that goes and really knows where he is going? Are we going “anywhere”? or we simply go away from our finite self, to come to the you that only G-d can show you, the you that is one with Him. Is your home a physical place only or is it also where your heart is?
From my experience, in retrospect, a home is not only a physical place. I was born and raised in Israel, as an immigrant, the Lech Lecha expression, hold special meaning in my heart. Leaving my homeland, my family and friends was and is challenging at times.
It is like you’re carefully removing a fruitful, lavish tree, transporting it to a different land, re-planting that tree, in a foreign soil, and hoping it will have the strength survive, to grow roots and to bear fruits. This is how it feels like. There is risk, fear, and no one can assure the results. Faith and trust in G-d, that I was looked after and cared for, helped me through some rough times. In spite of the fact I was able to create a great home for my family and myself in a foreign land, with the help of angles (in the form of humans) I always carry with me the feeling of an outsider. There’s always an element of vulnerability, interlaced with the humbling knowing, that there is always basic, cultural elements I don’t know, and there is always things to learn, even after 24 years.
Hearing versus seeing
Why was Avram not told where he was going? Why was he not given a specific address? Why was it left open-ended, ‘to the land I will show you’? The Talmud says, “Hearing cannot be compared to seeing!” A witness hearing about an incident is not comparable to a witness seeing it. Seeing is a greater quality of clarity. Try explaining to a blind person what rainbow looks like, or any color at all. There are not enough words or a rich enough vocabulary to bridge that gap.
When G-d introduces the idea of Avram starting his journey of leaving familiar ties with land, birthplace, and family, G-d is speaking to Avram. Later after he arrives in the Holy Land God appears to him. The quality of the revelation and relationship is greatly improved. He is guided to “the Land that I will SHOW you”. It will be a visual cue.
God’s promise
“Go forth from your land, from your birth place, from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you” And in return for following G-d’s command, G-d promises him: Ve’e’escha Legoy Gadol Ve’avarech’cha Ve’a’gadela Shimecha Ve’heye Bracha, I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and I will make your name great and you shall be a blessing
I will make you a great nation
Avraham was childless, when G-d promised that his children would be as numerous as the stars in the sky: “G-d took him outside and said, ‘Look at the sky, and count the stars if you can! So will be your descendants.’” (Gen. 15:5). On another occasion, G-d promised Avraham that his children would be like “the sand on the seashore” (Gen. 22:17). Why are the Jewish people compared to both stars and grains of sand?.
Naming stars
The psalmist wrote that G-d gave each star a name (Psalms 147:4). Why do stars need names? What is in a name? A name reflects an entity’s inner essence. It defines the nature of its existence and indicates its fundamental purpose. Stars are wonderful, powerful creations. Each star has a unique function for which it was created, and each star has a unique name corresponding to its special purpose.
The comparison of Avraham’s descendants to stars indicates the importance and greatness of every individual member of the Jewish people. Every soul is a universe unto itself, as the Sages wrote: “One who saves a single soul of Israel, it is as if he has saved an entire world” (Sanhedrin 37a).
The Jewish people
But the Jewish people also have a collective mission, as indicated by their comparison to sand. A single grain of sand is of no particular consequence; but together, these grains of sand form a border against the ocean, establishing dry land and enabling life to exist. Israel’s collective purpose is to bring about the world’s spiritual advance, as it says, “This people I have created for Me (so that) they will proclaim My praise” (Isaiah 43:21).
“Life only begins when you leave your comfort zone.” Avram was being told in essence, “Leave your comfort zone! Be open to experiencing more! You will then be able to perceive what is beyond words.
Like Avraham
We are all Avrahams in our own way. We all find ourselves in numerous tests each day. Each time, we have an opportunity to elevate ourselves, and make spiritual acquisitions which manifest themselves in our personalities. Home is not necessarily where you were born and raised, home is where your heart is. Kol Tuv.
Check out YedidYah “Let There Be Light” a song about The Story of Creation. Music and Lyrics by Rabbi Yakira Yedidia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0GEYQYwDI0
Shabbat Shalom