A teaching of the Rebbe on the parsha adapted for children
The Rebbe Raiatz (Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak) used to say in the name of his father the Rebbe RaShaB (Rabbi Shalom DovBer) that Parshah Lech Lecha is a joyous Parshah! Where is more joy expressed in this parshah than in the previous Parashot, Noah and Bereshit? And what can we learn from it for our daily service to HaShem?
Parshah Bereshit tells us of the wonderful creation of the world in six days, describes the wonder and greatness of His works, but does not record in any meaningful way the actions of men in the world that He created. In parshah Noah mainly describes the activities of men, but they strayed from the will of the Creator and caused the destruction of the world. In Parshah Lech Lecha we find for the first time the active connection between the Creator of the world and the work of his hands, a connection expressed through the fulfillment of G-d's will in this lower world. Until that moment, the upper spiritual world and the lower material world were disconnected and without any relationship.
Then comes Abraham Avinu, who proclaims with mesirut nefesh, that there is a Ruler and Creator of this world: "And there he proclaimed the name of HaShem G-d of the world." He was the first Jew who dedicated himself to spreading the Divinity. Therefore, Parshah Lech Lecha is a really joyful parshah, because in it the real bond between the people of Israel and G-d begins.
This substantial connection that began in Parshah Lech Lecha intensifies and strengthens with each mitzvah we perform. The mitzvot are called in the Zohar "organs of the King, HaShem" and are an extension of the Divinity of G-d. The Jew, by fulfilling a mitzvah, really connects to the Creator. With each mitzvah we do we unite ourselves to what Abraham Avinu proclaimed: “HaShem G-d of the world." This is the meaning of "Making the world a dwelling place for HaShem", the place where a person lives and on which his name is
