"Lech lcha" - Go to yourself
Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: Get out of your
country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land
that I will show you. The rendering of this passage in Hebrew reads:
"Lech l'cha mei'artz'cho umi molad't'cho"
What
it reveals is that this process of the conversion of Abraham from a
pagan idol worshipper to the Father of the Faith is a process . . a
journey that replicates our own journey, and becomes a sort of
road-map for us, revealing that this is a process that we must take,
realizing that it is, like Abrahams journey, one to be taken a step
at a time.
The opening verses of the parsha when read in
Hebrew display this very explicitly.
Lech Lecha carries the
literal meaning of go to yourself. That is, go to who
you really are, who you were created to be (a light to the nations)
and away from your-SELF, that is your selfish desires, your errant
ways, and your false gods. The opening verse, when read in Hebrew,
reveals to us the process of this journey.
"l'cha" implies that it would be for Abraham's benefit to leave Ur. It also reveals that he was to "go from pursuing his [our] personal interests.
"artz'cho," means to go away from your earthy coarseness and vulgarity
"molad't'cho," go away from your negative traits with which you were born
Meiartzcho umi moladtcho completes the circle, that everyone who goes there (to these places listed in 1-3) comes back to himself [his true self].
The journey in Torah begins by taking us out of our country,
lcha, or that place where we dwell, the place (Heb. makom)
that houses our soul, our flesh. We can no longer dwell in the
flesh.
It is here is where our desires and personal interests
feed that which keeps us far away from the promised land of serving
GOD. This journey involves taking us away from our inclination
toward our religious traditions (the example is Avrams previous
religion of idolatry) since this message of Avrams is one that
primarily discusses a mans life who, though steeped in idolatry found
the Truth of the ONE God, and was willing to abandon all of his
previous practices and thought processes in order to serve Him. It
reveals a religious journey and the creation of a people of GOD shown
by one who was willing to leave his country his place.
Next we
see that Abraham realized artzcho . . . that he must also
abandon his coarse mannerisms, his vulgarity incorporated within his
soul from his past life. In his case, these were the things that he
picked up in his involvement with paganism through his kindred
meaning his family members, relatives and closest friends all
involved in the family business of making and selling idols.
The
kindred are those who are usually the most against our Torah
lifestyle, while they find relief in the non-demanding Torah-less
styles. It is perhaps the most difficult of the steps we must take
that is, pulling away from the drawstrings of these, the comfort zone
of acceptance so to speak, and searching by faith for a land we do
not know. It is a necessary step to take in order that we might seed
the path of righteousness found in the keeping of the mitzvot,
allowing the fruit to sprout and grow in the eyes of our kindred . .
. all the while hoping and desiring them to be partakers of it with
us. And he believed in the LORD and He accounted it to him for
righteousness. Genesis 15:6. For I have known him, in order that he
may command his children and his household after him, that they keep
the way of the LORD to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD
may bring to Abraham what he has spoken to him. Genesis
18:19.
Abraham saw the way of Torah while in the place of
paganism, even though the commandments were not corporately revealed
until Sinai, Hashem revealed them to Abraham, creating a desire
within, a desire that caused Abraham to believe see Genesis 26:5
Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my
decrees and my laws.".
On our journey we can next
expect molad tcho . . . that is leaving behind the negative traits
with which we were born and raised in . . . or, as the pshat reveals,
our fathers house, meaning that place that had the most
influence on our psyche, principles, and mental development early on.
To leave behind the wrong concepts that we learned there (i.e., the
idolatry that Avram learned from his father, Terah).
Once we
accomplish these transformations, we have made a complete circle as
GOD takes us to a land that I will show you. This is a new place, a
sort of re-birth of ideologies, mindsets, values. Here we find the
circle of our spiritual evolution, the meiartzcho umi moladtcho,
that is, the finding of ourselves, the supernal
man revealed within. We can now be who GOD created us to be back . .
.the soul with potential, that which was created to have relationship
with GOD from the beginning, Go to yourself, Avram, find who you are,
what I want you to be, and discover the potential that I have placed
within you.
We too are like the father(s) of many nations, as
the seed of righteousness that comes forth from us develops righteous
fruit from those that proceed from us (children) and those whom we
can influence in our lives our fathers house, our kindred and our
country. A nation is born from each man.
Silence
A
reading of Genesis 11:10 to 12:4 reveals the fact that GOD was silent
for the 10 generations between Noach and Abraham. Why would this be?
To find the answer we must go back to Ur in Mesopotamia, that place
where Avram and his brother Haran found the revelation of YHVH. The
Midrash states that it was here, when they refused to continue
serving the gods of Nimrod that they were put into a fiery furnace,
and it was here that Haran died (see Genesis 11:28) It was this
monstrous deed perpetuated on his sons that created the desire within
Terah to take his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran .
. . from Ur to go to the land of Canaan . . . (Genesis 11:31) in
order to escape the tyranny of Nimrod.
GOD saw the heart of
Avram [for he does not look on the outward appearance, but looks on
the heart I Samuel 16:7], there in UR, when he made the decision to
leave the false gods of Nimrod and find YHVH. So GOD chose him
meaning, He placed within him the revelation of Himself, creating a
desire for Avram to abandon all to find him.
Avram, get the
from this place. I was with thee (immeka) when you did
willingly offer for My names sake to enter the fiery furnace. In the
day of thy warfare, when thou didst bring Me all those bands
(Abrahams faith in the hour of trial won many converts those who went
forth with he and Sarah . . Genesis 12:5). In the mountains of
holiness, from the ancient mountain of Haran did I sanctify you. From
the womb of the dawn, from the womb of the world have I sought
thee . . one who would stand in complete righteousness before Me. Thus,
I speak to you, and to you alone in this generation, and I will
call you forth from this place to a new place . . a land of
promise.
There is a commentary in Ecclesiastes 7:15-19 which
can be applied to Abrahams calling. I have seen everything in the
days of my vanity (my emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility):
there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there
is a wicked man who prolongs his life in [spite of] his evildoing. Be
not exacting and externally righteous over much, neither strive to
make yourself to appear over-wise--why should you get puffed up and
destroy yourself with presumptuous self-sufficiency? Although all
have sinned be not wicked over-much , neither be foolish--why should
you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of
this and from that withdraw not your hand; for he who reverently
fears and worships God will come forth from them all. True wisdom
is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers or valiant
generals who are in the city. This refers to Abraham whom
wisdom made stronger than the 10 generations of rulers from Noach to
Abraham. - - - For, out of them all, I spoke to thee alone . . . as
it is written, Now the LORD spoke to Abraham.
Why did he not
speak to the 10 generations before (though they carried the seed of
righteousness)?
They were captive to their fears and traditions YHVH saw in their hearts that they would not be moved from the comfort (confusion in reality) found within themselves
They were unwilling to step out of their comfort zone.
They had within themselves righteous potential. They were the seed of righteousness from Adam, Seth, Noach, Shem . . . but never found the courage to abandon themselves exposing the light of Hashem within they were captivated by the world that they perceived in the shallows of their minds
In Lech Lecha we find one on a journey one on a narrow path that
is hard to find. One who has decided to listen and to move on, one
who is willing to make the way of the path trodden by the ancient One
. Hear his hearts cry, there in Ur uttered generations later by
David and ever today by those of us who are seeking Truth, yet torn
by the pressures of the Babylon around us.
Listen to my
prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My
thoughts trouble me and I am distraught at the voice of the enemy, at
the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and
revile me in their anger. My heart is in anguish within me; the
terrors of death assail me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror
has overwhelmed me. I said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest- I would flee far away and stay in
the desert. (Psalm 55:1-7)
Abraham surely felt the guilt
of his past the idolatry surrounding his life [that which also
burdens many]. He felt guilt before YHVH, and questioned his
calling. He was afraid and said to himself, perhaps I bear guilt for
having worshipped idols all these years, and GOD reassured him, Thine
is the dew of thy youth and even as dew evaporates, so have thy sins
evaporated and disappeared, as dew is a sign of blessing to the
world, so art thou a sign of blessing to the world.
Oh that I
had wings like a dove! Then I would fly away and be at rest. Why
like a dove? Because all other birds, when tired, rest on a rock or a
tree, but when a dove is tired, she draws in one of her wings and
continues to fly with the other. Never giving up, Abraham found
release as he abandoned all . . . pushing on from Ur to Haran, and
then into Caanan.
There is a time and a season for all things. Times to move on . .
times to reflect . . times to take action, to engage, encounter, and
receive the courage to move out of your comfort into a place that you
do not know.
Terah
Abrahams father, Terah
at first had the courage to flee Ur, and headed toward Caanan. He
found himself, however, at ease in the hills of Haran. Perhaps it
had something to do with his name, as in Hebrew, Terah means
mountaineer. He found comfort in a place that was familiar to him. He
gave up. He refused to continue. And he died there. He carried
the seed of righteousness which was passed on to his son Abraham. He
was called out of Ur with his son he took his son out (vs. 31) he was
called to greatness but did not find the courage to continue to a
place he did not know. Though he was running from Nimrod he was not
necessarily running to God . . . that is a trait found in many,
running from something, not necessarily toward something else.
Terach died in Haran PRECEDES the command to Abram to GET
THEE OUT. From the point of view of chronology, there are 65 years
missing. Terach died 65 years after this command, yet it is narrated
before. Hence, Terah, in his lifetime, is already called dead . . for
the wicked, in his lifetime is dead.
To bring the narrative
to the death of Terah . . he was 70 years old at the birth of Abraham
(11:26). Abraham departed from Haran at 75 (12:4); hence, Terah,
whose age at death was two hundred and five (11:32) died 65 years
after the command found in 12:1, yet it is narrated before. GOD
recorded his death before Abraham departed. WHY? A fundamental and
important teaching in all of Torah . . that is a wrongful deed
dishonors ones faith and ones God. Would Abraham (who kept the
commandments of God-26:5) have abandoned his father in old age so as
to bring dishonor to him and God? Of course not, God declared Terah
dead 65 years earlier in order to free Abraham from this
mitzvot.
Another time
The parsha are so deep and
revealing that we can hardly scratch the surface each year as we make
this journey. There remains much to be discovered.
The
parsha summarized. Abram and his wife Sarai,
accompanied by his nephew Lot,
journey to the Land of Canaan, where Abram builds an altar and
continues to spread the message of a One
GOD.
A famine forces the first Jew to depart for
Egypt,
where beautiful Sarai is taken to Pharaoh's palace; Abram escapes
death because they present themselves as brother
and sister. A plague prevents the Egyptian king from touching
her and convinces him to return her to Abram and compensate the
brother-revealed-as-husband with gold, silver and cattle.
Back
in the Land of Canaan, Lot separates from Abram and settles in the
evil city of Sodom,
where he falls captive when the mighty armies of Chedorlaomer
and his three allies conquer the five cities of the Sodom Valley.
Abram sets out with a small band to rescue his nephew, defeats the
four kings, and is blessed by Melekh-Zedek
the king of Salem (Jerusalem).
GOD seals the Covenant
Between the Parts with Abram, in which the exile and
persecution (Galut)
of the people of Israel is foretold and the Holy
Land is bequeathed to them as their eternal heritage
Still
childless ten years after their arrival in the Land, Sarai tells
Abram to marry her maidservant Hagar.
Hagar conceives, becomes insolent toward her mistress, and then flees
when Sarai treats her harshly; an angel convinces her to return and
tells her that her son will father a populous nation. Ishmael
is born in Abram's 86th year.
Thirteen years later, GOD
changes Abram's name to Abraham
("father of multitudes") and Sarai's to Sarah
("princess"), and promises that a son will be born to them;
from this child, whom they should call Isaac
("will laugh"), will stem the great nation with which GOD
will establish His special bond.
Abraham is commanded to
circumcise
himself and his descendents as a "sign of the covenant between
Me and you."
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