Genesis 12:1–17:27
Parshat Lech Lecha
G-d tells Abram to leave his land, his birthplace and his father's house for the land He will show him, promising to make him a great nation. Abram travels to Canaan and down to Egypt in a famine, parts ways with Lot, rescues him in the war of the four kings against the five, and enters the Covenant between the Parts. Hagar bears Ishmael, and the portion closes with the covenant of circumcision and the new names Abraham and Sarah.
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Essays
Parsha Lech Lecha – Israel the People and Israel the Land The Jewish nation is presently in a state of war. It is not only the Jews living in Israel that have been attacked and are… Parsha Lech Lecha – A Pure Mitzvah Doing good, for any reason, is preferable to inaction. We, nevertheless, must strive for perfection. The goal must be to serve G-d with purity of heart, without ulterior motives. The paradigm for this purity is the Mitzvah of circumcision. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – A Light to the Nations Sensitivity to others is a virtue. Judaism, while directed to the Jewish people, also requires of us to be a light to the nations. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – Abraham My Lover Contrary to the identification of Abraham with love; he also possessed other traits when necessary. We cannot be monolithic beings. Mono-dimensional behavior is good for angels and animals. It is neither human or G-dly. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – Abraham’s First Test Dying for a noble cause is not the highest form of sacrifice. Living with and for a higher purpose is the most noble sacrifice. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – Driving Two Ways on a One Way Street Life seems to be taking us in so many, and often opposite directions. This can lead to confusion and despair. In truth, all directions that we travel revolve around and lead us to one overarching goal: We travel to Jerusalem to bring back its inspiration to our homes; to transform our lives into Jer Parsha Lech Lecha – Generation Gap Going against the grain and breaking out of one’s own cocoon is what made Abraham worthy of being the first Jew. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – Go for Yourself There are two brands of reward. The first is given s motivation. The second is a consequence of one’s actions. Reward demonstrates that good, naturally, begets good. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – Holy Shoe Laces Shoes are a protection from the earth. Shoelaces keep our shoes on. Some places are so corrupt that even the shoelaces are tainted and afford no protection. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – Lech Lecha and Bar/bas Mitzvah The underlying joy of a Bar or Bas Mitzvah is he or she has graduated from volunteering Judaism to accepting full responsibility. There is a world of difference between these two thrusts, with assuming responsibility to be superior. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – How to Be W.e.a.l.t.h.y and Happy Wealth, like poverty, is neither a virtue nor a vice. Although, like poverty, it can be either. Wealth can make a person happy only if its possessor conforms to six rules. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – Let Your Guard Down Entering into a space means more than a casual connection to it. When a child enters into the covenant it is life’s most powerful interaction with G-d. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – Looking for the Light in the Darkness Life can be an adventure with its many twists and turns. The sense of excitement is magnified when one realizes that the detours are part of a Master Plan that will, in the end, be appreciated. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – Pharoah Yes, Sodom No!? How do we know what is important? Frequently, it is measured by the degree of internal opposition we have to it. The more pressure we have to do something the more we have to consider whether it is positive. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – Star and Dust There are people of great achievement who are likened to the stars. And there are lowly people likened to the dust of the earth. Both are flawed. The stars are whole and a source of blessing when they behave with the humility of the dust. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – Staying in One Place Our lives require building solid foundations and then building magnificent structures on them. When we focus on the construction of the foundation, there is little movement; just singular concentration and focus. When we embark on erecting the edifice, we need to be creative, fluid and multifaceted, Parsha Lech Lecha – The First Jew Abraham = Self-Transcendence Jew must live a transcendent life in an ordinary and often corrupt world. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – The Inexorable Journey One of the tragedies of life is giving up on our life’s goals. Sometimes we give up right before realizing these goals. Abraham taught us to persevere. We are on the cusp of the Final Redemption. This is not a time to give up. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – The Last Laugh and the Laugh That Lasts The Messianic Age is an age of joy. Joy is serious business; it does not happen when we are passive. We must proactively engage in joy now as a way of preparing ourselves for the future. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – The Separation of Good and Evil “There is no evil without a little good in it.” This is true only until the Final Redemption, when evil will be totally separated from good, and eventually fade away. Our efforts at doing good since Adam and Eve have made that separation process occur. LECHA LECHA Parsha Lech Lecha – Two Levels of Change The most dramatic changes in our lives are the evolutionary, not the revolutionary changes. Revolutionary changes can be unsettling. The evolutionary changes are seamless and enable us to fully internalize them. LECHA LECHA