Studying Torah
| Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha’olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu la’asok b’divrei torah. Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has sanctified us with commandments, and commanded us to study words of Torah. |
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶך–הָעולָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָנוּ בְּמִצְותָיו וְצִוָּנוּלַעֲסק בְּדִבְרֵי-תורָה. |
(א) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃ (ב) וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔ וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וֶהְיֵ֖ה בְּרָכָֽה׃ (ג) וַאֲבָֽרֲכָה֙ מְבָ֣רְכֶ֔יךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ֖ אָאֹ֑ר וְנִבְרְכ֣וּ בְךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָאֲדָמָֽה׃ (ד) וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ אַבְרָ֗ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר אֵלָיו֙ יְהוָ֔ה וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ אִתּ֖וֹ ל֑וֹט וְאַבְרָ֗ם בֶּן־חָמֵ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ וְשִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה בְּצֵאת֖וֹ מֵחָרָֽן׃ (ה) וַיִּקַּ֣ח אַבְרָם֩ אֶת־שָׂרַ֨י אִשְׁתּ֜וֹ וְאֶת־ל֣וֹט בֶּן־אָחִ֗יו וְאֶת־כָּל־רְכוּשָׁם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר רָכָ֔שׁוּ וְאֶת־הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂ֣וּ בְחָרָ֑ן וַיֵּצְא֗וּ לָלֶ֙כֶת֙ אַ֣רְצָה כְּנַ֔עַן וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אַ֥רְצָה כְּנָֽעַן׃
(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. (3) I will bless those who bless you And curse him that curses you; And all the families of the earth Shall bless themselves by you.” (4) Abram went forth as the LORD had commanded him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. (5) Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the wealth that they had amassed, and the persons that they had acquired in Haran; and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in the land of Canaan,
(א) לך לך לַהֲנָאָתְךָ וּלְטוֹבָתְךָ, שָׁם אֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָדוֹל, כָּאן אִי אַתָּה זוֹכֶה לְבָנִים וְעוֹד שֶׁאוֹדִיעַ טִבְעֲךָ בָּעוֹלָם:
(1) לך לך GET THEE OUT (literally, go for thyself) — for your own benefit, for your own good: there I will make of you a great nation whilst here you will not merit the privilege of having children (Rosh Hashanah 16b). Furthermore, I shall make known your character throughout the world (Midrash Tanchuma 1:3:3)
THE DIFFICULTY OF LEAVING
God’s command is worded in a rather strange manner. God specifies that he must go: “From your land, from your birthplace and from your father’s house”. RAMBAN comments on the ordering of this verse. It seems wrong. When one is departing from one’s home, first one leaves home itself, then one’s birthplace and later, at the border crossing, one leaves one’s country. Why is the order reversed in our text?
The Ramban explains that verse is written in this way to stress the difficulty and pain of leaving one’s home. The order is not ordered geographically. Rather, it is an ascending scale of heart wrenching departure :
“ Because it is difficult for a person to leave the country in which one has lived, one’s social group, the familiar environment. But it is even harder to leave the place where one was born. The hardest thing is to leave parents”
Indeed, leaving is a painful process. Anyone who has made Aliya and left family and familiar surroundings behind knows that there is some pain, some hardship involved - And this is with telephones, Email and cheap international travel. Avraham leaves an aging father and his entire life behind him in Charan. He will never return. And he himself is not so young. He embarks upon this endeavor at the age of 75!
God’s command is worded in a rather strange manner. God specifies that he must go: “From your land, from your birthplace and from your father’s house”. RAMBAN comments on the ordering of this verse. It seems wrong. When one is departing from one’s home, first one leaves home itself, then one’s birthplace and later, at the border crossing, one leaves one’s country. Why is the order reversed in our text?
The Ramban explains that verse is written in this way to stress the difficulty and pain of leaving one’s home. The order is not ordered geographically. Rather, it is an ascending scale of heart wrenching departure :
“ Because it is difficult for a person to leave the country in which one has lived, one’s social group, the familiar environment. But it is even harder to leave the place where one was born. The hardest thing is to leave parents”
Indeed, leaving is a painful process. Anyone who has made Aliya and left family and familiar surroundings behind knows that there is some pain, some hardship involved - And this is with telephones, Email and cheap international travel. Avraham leaves an aging father and his entire life behind him in Charan. He will never return. And he himself is not so young. He embarks upon this endeavor at the age of 75!
The S'fat Emet (1847-1905 Rebbe Yehudah Leib Alter, the second Rebbe of the Gerer Chassidim) asks the questions: who was Avraham that God should call him? How is that he comes in out of the blue, with no record of past deeds? Referring to the explanation of the Zohar (classic text of Jewish mysticism), he answers that Avraham's merit is "Lech Lecha" itself. God is always calling out "Lech Lecha" to every person at every time, but only Avraham chose to hear it.
Questions for Reflection
1.God and Abraham take risks in forming a relationship with one another.
Who have you known in your life who has taken great risks?
2. What is important about the journey of our time together today? What steps would you like to see us share on the journey ahead?
1.God and Abraham take risks in forming a relationship with one another.
Who have you known in your life who has taken great risks?
2. What is important about the journey of our time together today? What steps would you like to see us share on the journey ahead?