Every child knows the story of Abraham - how he discovered G-d as a lad, broke his father’s idols, was thrown into the furnace by Nimrod and saved by G-d.
None of these details, however, can be found in the Written Torah. The Torah mentions Abraham only briefly at the close of the Torah reading of Noach, telling us that he was born, that he married, and that he accompanied his father on his journey from Ur towards Canaan.
But the focus of these verses is on Terach, not on Abraham. It is only in this week’s Torah reading, Lech Lecha, with the command, “Go out of your land, your native country, and your father’s house,” that the Torah begins unfolding the history of the founder of our people.
A Deeper Relationship
Why this emphasis? Before receiving this command to leave his father’s house, Abraham had already attained a high level of Divine service.
He had “recognized his Creator” at three, and from that age onward continued to grow in faith. He had been willing to sacrifice his life for G-d, and a miracle was performed to save him.
All this, however, represented merely his own striving to approach G-d. The command Lech Lecha, “Go out of your land,” began a new and deeper relationship with his Maker.
For as our Sages state: “A person who observes a mitzvah because he is commanded to do so is greater than one who observes it without having been so commanded.”
No Limits To Growth
The word mitzvah and the word tzavta, meaning “together,” share the same root. When a person fulfills a Divine command because he has been commanded to do so, the act connects him to G-d in all His infinity.
Were, by contrast, the person to perform the same deed without having been commanded to do so, the act, however worthy, would remain merely a good deed.
Lech means “proceed,” referring to the beginning of a journey. This concept is alluded to in the Torah’s description of Abraham, “continuing on his way, steadily progressing southward,” i.e., in the direction of Jerusalem, the place where G-d’s presence is most manifest.
Real spiritual progress requires that one leave one’s current state behind. Yet as long as an individual’s growth depends entirely on his own power, his progress will be limited; nobody can exceed the bounds of his own understanding.
When, by contrast, one’s progress is guided by G-d, there are no limits to the potential for growth. The Torah and its mitzvot can take a person far beyond his natural horizons.
Revealing You To You
To accentuate this point, G-d tells Abraham to proceed “to the land which I will show you,” without specifying a destination.
The expression “I will show you,” arecka in Hebrew, can also be rendered “I will reveal you,” i.e., through the journey to Eretz Yisrael, Abraham’s true self was revealed to him.
This is also indicated by the expression Lech Lecha, which literally means “go to yourself,” i.e., “to your essence.”
As we proceed through life, each of us is given the chance to discover who he is, what G-d is, and that the two are one.
Based on the teachings of the Rebbe from Keeping in Touch; From our Sages adapted from Vedibarta Bam; reprinted with permission from Sichos in English.
From our Sages
“And I will bless those who bless you and those who curse you, I will curse.” (12:3)
Why doesn’t the Torah write both in the same order, i.e., “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you?”
When a person blesses or curses, he first thinks about it and then expresses verbally what he has in mind. Therefore, Hashem is saying to Avram, “I will bless those who bless you as soon as they plan to bless you, even if they have not yet blessed you. However, those who curse you will be cursed only after they actually curse you, but not merely for thinking about the curse.”
(Kli Yakar)
“And Avram went according to G-d’s instructions, and Lot went along; and Avram was 75 years old when he left Charan.” (12:4)
Why is Avram’s age mentioned? Avram lived a comfortable life in Charan. Picking himself up at the age of 75 and moving to a new country was indeed difficult. However, Avram was very much attached to Hashem and did anything that Hashem told him, even if it appeared difficult or he did not know its reason or significance. On the other hand, Lot accompanied Avram only because he calculated that he was an old man who would soon die childless, leaving Lot as his sole heir.
(Eshkol Anavim)
“And he went on his journeys from the South to Beth-El, to the place where his tent had been in the beginning..” (13:3-4)
Why does the Torah discuss Avram’s return journey at such length? Upward mobility often leads people to change communities. Often the new neighborhood is less compatible with Torah values than the old one.
Avram started his travels as a poor man and established his residence in the vicinity of Beth-El, an area which was spiritually in accordance with Hashem’s desires for humanity. The Torah emphasizes that on his return, after being blessed with an abundance of material wealth, he did not change his style of living. He returned to the area of Beth-El, where he originally lived when he possessed modest means. Despite his affluence, he remained in the “old” Jewish neighborhood.
(Matei Aharon)
