וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל אַבְרָ ם לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְ צְךָ וגו' (יב, א)
And Hashem said to Avram, “Go for yourself from your land...” (12:1)
Parshas Lech Lecha’s Connection to Sukkos:
The Bais Avrohom of Slonim zy”a quotes his grandfather, the Yesod Ha’avodah of Slonim zy”a as saying: Shabbos Bereishis is representative of Rosh Hashanah. Shabbos Noach is representative of Yom Kippur. Shabbos Lecha Lecha is representative of Sukkos. Avrohom’s act of leaving his homeland is representative of our leaving our permanent homes to dwell in temporary sukkos.
וְאֶעֶשְ ׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וַאֲבָרֶ כְךָ וַאֲגַדְ ּלָה שְ ׁמֶךָ וגו' (יב, ב)
And I will make you into a great nation. And I will bless and I will make your name great. (12:2)
In The Future, There Will Only be Middas Hachesed:
Rashi states: “’And I will make you into a great nation.’ This is the basis of saying (in Shemonah Esrei) ‘the G-d of Avrohom.’ ‘And I will bless you.’ This is the basis of saying ‘the G-d of Yitzchok.’ ‘And I will make your name great.’ This is the basis of saying “the G-d of Yaakov.’ You might think that (the first bracha in Shemonah Esrei) should be concluded by mentioning them all. Therefore, the verse states: ‘And you shall be a blessing.’ With you they will conclude, and not with them.”
Rav Berish of Oshpitzin zy”a (Sefer Divrei Tzadikim) explains that this is a hint to three attributes of tzadikim.
Some tzadikim have the middah of chesed of Avrohom. Some have the middah of Yitzchok, which is the middah of gevurah. Others have Yaakov’s middah of emes, which he says is the middle level of the three. Rashi states that one might think that we should conclude with all three, meaning that just like there are tzadikim now who possess each of these three middos, one might think that is also how it will be in the conclusion of time, after Moshiach comes. However, we learn from the pasuk that only the middah of chesed, which is personified by Avrohom, will survive.
In this vein, the Baal Hatanya zy”a writes in his Igros Kodesh (Perek 9): “The main focus of our avodas Hashem in these times, the times of the ikvesa d’meshicha, is the avodah of tzedakah, as Chazal say: ‘Yisroel will only be redeemed because of tzedakah.’ And Chazal only said (Peah 1:1) that learning Torah is greater than all else in regards to their times, as learning Torah was the main avodah for them, which is why the Tannaim and Amoraim were great chochomim. In the times right before the advent of Moshiach, however, we have fallen to a lowly level and the only way to genuinely connect to Him is through acts of tzedakah.”
