THE JOURNEY BEGINS
By Rabbi Moishe New
This week, we are introduced to one of the greatest figures in all of history — Avraham Avinu, the father of our people and indeed, the spiritual father of all humanity.
And yet, when the Torah introduces him, it tells us... nothing.
No great biography. No backstory. Not even a hint of his prior accomplishments. Simply — “And G-d said to Avram: Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.”
Who is this man, that G-d should reveal Himself to him and forge an eternal covenant with him and his descendants?! Why does the Torah not tell us what made him so worthy?
AVRAHAM’S DISCOVERY — THE TRUTH BEYOND SELF
The Rambam describes Avraham as one who served G-d with truth — not for reward, not for spiritual bliss, not even to live a life of purpose and meaning.
Because, says the Rambam, when one serves G-d for reward, it is still about me.
Avraham, on the other hand, transcended self. He dissolved the ego. His goal was not to make himself bigger, but smaller. To live not for self-gratification, but to reveal the Divine reality.
And therein lies the essence of “truth.” Truth is not about feeding the self — it’s about freeing the self.
HOW THE WORLD LOST SIGHT OF G-D
The Midrash tells us that ten generations after Noah, the world had fallen into total idolatry. How did this happen? After all, G-d had spoken to Adam and to Noah — not ancient history!
The Rambam explains: it began subtly. People reasoned that since G-d rules the world through the forces of nature — the sun, moon, stars — it would be disrespectful not to honor these intermediaries. Just like one aught acknowledge and thank a waiter, even though the food and drink is not his.
At first, they knew these forces were only G-d’s messengers. But slowly, the messengers became the focus. Temples arose. Priests took charge, exploiting their position of authority. And the One G-d was forgotten.
A small philosophical error at the foundation — attributing any measure of independence to nature — led, over time, to massive spiritual corruption. For nature is merely an instrument in the hand of G-d. Not an independent intermediary.
Like a sapling slightly bent — a tiny deviation becomes a twisted tree.
AVRAHAM’S REVOLUTION
Into this world of confusion was born Avraham. As a child, he questioned everything. At three years old, he began searching for the truth — and found it. There cannot be many competing forces; there must be One Source, one unifying Creator of all. Life is complex yet profoundly integrated and harmonious. Not fractured and in conflict. And this points to a Divine designer.
By forty, he had reasoned this fully. By forty-eight, he began teaching others. He challenged his father, destroyed idols, risked his life, was thrown into the fiery furnace — and emerged alive.
Avraham restored the truth of humanity — that there is One G-d and that life is purposeful.
THE GIFT OF THE JEWS
A historian named Thomas Cahill wrote a remarkable book, The Gift of the Jews. From a purely secular standpoint, he explains that every moral and ethical foundation of the Western world — the belief in human dignity, in progress, in purpose — began with Avraham.
Before Avraham, time was cyclical — an endless repetition of survival, power, and fear. Avraham introduced the radical notion that time is linear — that life is sacred and has a purpose, that history moves toward redemption, that we are here to bring the world to its utopian state.
That idea — the infinite value of each human life and the belief in the Messianic era — is the greatest gift the Jewish people gave to civilization.
THE RAMBAM’S ASTONISHING WORDS
And then, the Rambam says something astonishing — so controversial that it was deleted from most printed editions for centuries. He writes that though Christianity and Islam distorted Judaism, they too served a Divine purpose: they spread throughout the world the idea that there is One G-d, that human life has meaning, and that we are moving toward a messianic era.
They contribute significantly to make the world ready to receive Moshiach.
All of this began with Avraham — who taught that G-d is One, and that we are partners in His plan for creation.
THE TORAH’S SILENCE — A PROFOUND LESSON
And yet — the Torah tells us none of this. Why? Because the Torah wants to teach us the essence of being Jewish.
Avraham’s greatness was not in his genius, not in his courage, not in his discovery — but in his readiness to go.
“Lech Lecha” — Go forth. Leave behind comfort, identity, ego, and go where G-d will lead you.
Our relationship with G-d begins not with understanding, but with obedience. Not with philosophy, but with faith.
That is the foundation of Jewish life — action before comprehension, trust before reason.
BEYOND THE SPIRITUAL EGO
I have spent much time in ashrams — places of deep meditation and spiritual pursuit. Many of those present were young Jews, searching for meaning.
They were sincere. They meditated, fasted, and sought transcendence. But here is the question: As G-d is infinite - actually beyond even infinite - what can a limited human being possibly do to “reach” Him?
Between the finite and the Infinite, there is no bridge. Unless G-d Himself creates one.
And that is what a mitzvah is.
A mitzvah is G-d’s hand extended into our world, inviting us to connect. We cannot reach Him — but He can reach us.
When we do a mitzvah, we don’t become spiritual or religious — we become one with G-d.
Lech L’cha says G-d. I will show you how to be one with Me. Here in this world and forever.
