These two words from the opening verse of the Torah portion of Lech Lecha are two of the most powerful words in the whole Torah. These words were not arbitrarily chosen as the title of this portion; they embody the essence of the entire story.
"Go forth," Abraham is instructed by G-d, "from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you."
"Lech lecha," means "You should go," but it can also mean, "Go for you," "Go to you," or "Go within yourself."
Beyond the direct command to Abraham, G-d gives this instruction to each and every one of us, too. We are charged to dig deep within ourselves to connect to G-d, maximize our potential, and accomplish the impossible.
Whenever I think of the portion of Lech Lecha, I think of my father, Rabbi Sholom B. Gordon, of blessed memory.
My father came to the U.S. from a shtetl in Eastern Europe at age 13. By the time he turned 18, he had already developed a Brooklyn accent. A few years later, in 1942, the Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, said to him, "I want you to become my emissary. I'm sending you to Newark, N.J., to establish a yeshiva and, as my representative, to reach out and bring people closer to their Yiddishkeit, to their Judaism."
At age 21 my father was told, "Lech lecha," "Go."
A few years later, after he married my mother, Rebbetzin Miriam Gordon, of blessed memory, they were sent by the Rebbe as a team to Springfield, Mass., to open a yeshiva there.
How did two young people pick themselves up and relocate to Springfield, Mass., and later to Newark, N.J., to begin the work of reconnecting people with their Jewish heritage in the 1940s, when everyone was running away from their Judaism?
Abraham and Sarah paved the way.
There were great Kabbalists and holy tzaddikim even before Abraham – Noah, Shem, Eber, Enoch, et al. Yet none of them managed to influence their surroundings on the scale that Abraham did. They lacked either the strength, the willpower, or the ability to accomplish that which Abraham and Sarah did, which was to get thousands of people to break away from idolatry and to embrace monotheism.
With self-sacrifice, Abraham and Sarah opened the channel of lech lecha, which allows us, their descendants, to follow suit.
From time to time, we feel the call of lech lecha – we are called upon to go and do, to give of ourselves. Often, this goes against our nature. We may feel that we can't do it, or that it's not for us, or we may simply not be interested.
We look into the teachings of Chassidus and find something fascinating: G-d said to Abraham, "Leave your homeland, and your birthplace, and your father's house."
The word translated as "your homeland," "artzecha," is linked to the word "ratzon," meaning "will," referring to our desires and predilections. Our "birthplace" refers to our intellectual capacity, which gives birth to our emotions. And finally, our "father's home" represents our emotional comfort.
Abraham in Biblical times, and all of us today, are told: Leave your self-will behind and surrender your own desires; abandon the conditioning and the traits of your birthplace, and leave your comfort zone. Break away from what you have decided is good for you, and from what you want, and go where you are needed.
But do I have to go? What will I lose by going? Is the loss worth the gain?
Rashi addresses this dilemma. Usually, when a person travels, three essential aspects of his life are diminished. The first is his reputation. To build a reputation (especially without the help of social media!) you have to be established in your community, and traveling challenges that. The second is family. It is exceedingly difficult to build a family while constantly traveling. The third is financial stability. It's challenging at best, and impossible at worst, to acquire and to hold onto wealth when you're always wandering around.
Rashi explains that G-d told Abraham: You think your reputation will be challenged? You think your family life will be challenged? You think your economic security will be challenged? I promise you just the opposite. You're going to develop an unparalleled reputation, a flourishing family, and financial success.
On the reputation front, how many Abrahams do we have? Who in our world is as well-known as Abraham? Who else holds the title of First Jew or Founder of the Jewish People? In terms of family, Abraham is the patriarch of every single Jew! And wealth-wise, we know that Abraham acquired massive wealth. Abraham was the Rothschild of his times! The Torah tells us, "Abraham was very heavy with livestock, silver, and gold." Despite all odds, G-d's promises all came to fruition!
Yehoshua B. Gordon
Rabbi Yehoshua Gordon directed Chabad of the Valley in Tarzana, CA until his passing in 2016. "Life Lessons from the Parshah" is a project of the Rabbi Joshua B. Gordon Living Legacy Fund, benefiting the 32 centers of Chabad of the Valley, published by Chabad of the Valley and Chabad.org.
