(א) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יהוה אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃ (ב) וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔ וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וֶהְיֵ֖ה בְּרָכָֽה׃
(1) The LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. (2) I will make of you a great nation,And I will bless you;I will make your name great,And you shall be a blessing.
Questions for discussion:
- Has there been a moment in your life that felt like you were being called to journey? How (if at all) does the idea of the journey resonate with your current experience?
- What (if anything) prompted your journey?
- What did/do you need to leave behind to go on the journey? What do you take with you?
- What did you discover / are you discovering?
- Which (if any) of the comments below resonate with your experience of the journey? How so?
- What does it mean to you that Judaism began with a call to journey?
Sefat Emet in Zornberg, The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis p 88
Go to the Land that I shall show you- where I shall make you visible, where your potential being will be realized in multiform and unpredictable ways