It’s About the Departure

G-d said to Avram, “Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.”

It’s About the Departure

Lech-Lecha begins with G‑d’s instruction to Avram, “Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.”

Aren’t the details about the place that Avram will be leaving superfluous? A journey to any new land automatically requires leaving your current location, and obviously your home and place of birth, so why mention them? Moreover, some details about where he would be relocating would surely have helped Avram plan and prepare for the journey, yet Avram was told only about his point of departure, but given no details at all about his destination!

With this command, however, G‑d mapped out the steps a Jew must take to reach his ultimate destination in his Divine service. It is a journey of many steps, requiring that one transcend all his personal constraints and motives, in order to make the fulfillment of G‑d’s will the defining feature of his life.

These steps are hinted at in G‑d’s command to Avram.

“Go forth from your land”: Land represents nature. This first command means: abandon your natural preferences.

“Your birthplace”: Your environment shapes your habits and lifestyle. This second step demands that you transcend the trends and influences of your surroundings.

“Your father’s house”: This alludes to your education, provided by the parents who raised you. This command tells you that in order to reach the “Promised Land,” your devotion to G‑d must supersede your academic sophistication and intellectual achievement.

“To the land that I will show you”: To a person who devotes himself unconditionally to G‑d, surrendering any personal preferences, calculations, or biases—the specific destination is irrelevant. His readiness to fulfill whatever G‑d wills is always the same, regardless of the particulars.

—Sefer Hasichos 5750, pp. 96–100