HOW JEWS TRAVEL
The seventh day of Cheshvan always comes in conjunction with the Torah portion of Lech Lecha when God first commands Abraham to “Go out (lech lecha) from your land and the place of your birth, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”
A close examination of the words, lech lecha reveals a profound double meaning: on the one hand, God is telling Abraham to go on a physical journey; but, on the other hand, He is also instructing Abraham to go on an inner journey, for the words lech lecha can also be interpreted as “go to yourself.” Abraham’s archetypal journey would prove to be both a physical journey conducted by traveling towards the Promised Land, and a spiritual journey that would require him to reach his inner soul.
In keeping with the important principle that “the actions of the fathers are a sign to the children.” Chasidut explains that each thought and action of the patriarchs (and matriarchs) paved the way for each Jew in every generation. Thus, announcing that “Jacob went on his way” in the portion of Lech Lecha is highly significant.
The dynamic dual motion of the words lech lecha points to a very important concept in Torah referred to as “running and returning,” a phrase taken from the vibrant movement of the angels in Ezekiel’s vision.
The dynamic pulsation of running and returning manifests in countless ways throughout creation: from the contraction and expansion at the very origins of the universe, to the beating of our hearts and the pulse of the blood running through our arteries and veins; from the exhalation and inhalation of breath, to the highs and lows of human emotions; from the cycles of the seasons, to the ebb and flow of the tides.
It is explained in Chasidut that the movement of the angels are actually static compared to human beings. In a powerful vision recorded in Zechariah, it is revealed that, “You will be a mover among those who stand.” The angels are called “standers”—meaning that relatively speaking, they remain in fixed positions despite their energetic movement. But a tzaddik like Abraham is called a mover. He is always in motion, always seeking, always rising. This is the essence of what it means to be human: to ascend, to return, and to ascend again.
The angels in Ezekiel’s vision were running upward to catch a glimpse of God’s Presence which had the likeness of a heaven above their heads, only to be overwhelmed by its intensity making them fall back quickly. Then they try again. They ascend and retreat, again and again, in a perpetual dance of yearning and awe. Yet in relative terms the angels do not progress, only human free will can produce real movement, real progress and spiritual growth.
