From the Teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Zt”l
In the opening lines of this week's Torah portion, Lech Lecha, G-d commands Abraham to "go out" from his land, from his place of birth, to a land that G-d will show him. What can we to learn from this very first commandment to Abraham that can be applied to our own lives as well?
The first and most fundamental requirement of every Jew is to "go out" - to be in a constant state of ascent, developing and elevating both one's inner potential and one's surroundings.
But the very next thing that happened to Abraham after heeding this command appears to be the exact opposite of development and elevation: "And there arose a famine in the land, and Abraham went down into Egypt." Thus, Abraham had to leave Canaan and journey to Egypt, during which time Sarah was forcefully taken to Pharaoh's palace. Although G-d protected her from harm while there, she nevertheless underwent the hardship of the whole incident.
How does this obvious descent fit into the aforementioned theme of ascent and our task of climbing ever higher?
On a superficial level, Abraham's and Sarah's hardship was a step down, but on a deeper level it was merely a part of their eventual elevation and triumphant return. The purpose of the descent was to achieve an even higher ascent than was possible before. When they returned to Canaan they were "very heavy with cattle, with silver, and with gold."
Just as Abraham's descent was part of the greater plan of ascent, so it was the Jewish people of all generations. The Jewish people have found themselves thrust into exile after exile, only to return to their Land and achieve even higher spiritual heights than before. Galut (exile), although appearing to us to be a negative phenomenon, actually carries the potential for the highest good. And now that we are in the last moments of the final exile, we approach an era of unprecedented spirituality and goodness. For although the First and Second Temples were destroyed, the Third Temple is to stand forever, and our coming Redemption will have no exile to follow.
We therefore draw encouragement from our ancestor Abraham's descent into Egypt and eventual return to Israel: We must remember that the darkness that seems to prevail is only external, and is part of G-d's greater plan for the ultimate prevailing of good over evil and the coming of Moshiach.
Reprinted from the Parashat Lech Lecha 5763/2002 edition of L’Chaim, a publication of the Lubavitch Youth Organization. Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
