In this week’s parshah, Hashem tells Avraham Avinu to leave his father’s house and go “to the land that I will show you.” At first, Avraham had no idea where his journey would end, and as Rashi explains, Hashem deliberately withheld this information from Avraham. Part of the test was to see whether he would head out without even knowing where he was being asked to go.
The Rebbe R’ Yerachmiel of Parshischa explains this based on what Chazal teach us, that “all beginnings are difficult.” This was certainly true for Avraham; it’s also true for each of us, in our individual pathways of avodas Hashem. At first, when a person resolves to serve Hashem, the task seems so monumental, as far away as Shamayim. However, when he overcomes his hesitation, his fears, and his natural laziness, and starts out on this path, Hashem shows him that really, what he thought was Shamayim is Eretz, and totally attainable. Later, when it’s time for a new challenge, a new Shamayim opens up before him, presenting new opportunities for growth.
Whenever we feel challenged in life, it’s important to remember that we don’t need to know exactly where we’re going. The only thing we need to know is the direction, and then we simply take one step after another. Often, the path seems to lead us through harsh terrain, taking us to places where we’re certain we’ll flounder. We feel tempted to give up and excuse ourselves from the task ahead — “I’m not the kind of person who can do that,” or, “That’s for people greater than me; I can’t reach such a level.” Sometimes, we opt out and prefer that someone else does the hard work of plodding forward, and never realize that we could have reached the goal ourselves if only we had persevered.
Our relationships — primarily with a spouse, but also with children, parents, and colleagues — frequently challenge us to overcome the perceived limitations of our “father’s house,” all the behavior patterns we’re accustomed to and comfortable with. For example, a person who consoles himself with the thought that, “I just have a short fuse,” may find after getting married that he needs to choose between overcoming his anger and ruining his marriage. It’s then that “I can’t” has to become, “I’ll do my best” — and it’s also then that, “I’ll do my best” becomes, “I never imagined I could do that,” with Hashem’s help, and with constant tefillos.
