hello dear readers and torah lovers lets see what wisdom this weeks parasha infuses into us !
Mei HaShiloach, Volume I, Genesis, Lech Lecha 1
“And God said to Avram, get yourself from your country ….” (Bereshit, 12:1)
Concerning this God said to him, “Lech L’cha,” move yourself forward, meaning to yourself, to your true source, for truly all the matters of this world cannot be termed “life,” and the main point of life you shall find in yourself.
Imagine leaving your whole life behind, going to an unknown place and against what everyone (literally all of society) believes ! Isn’t that horrifying. I don’t know if I would be able to do that. Avraham, the first man introducing the idea of one monotheistic G-d into the world did exactly that. He fought against idolatry, his own father and then proceeded to leave Haran, his land, for Caanan, because G-d instructed him. Rather than suffering and fear this brought immense blessing (children) to his life and the entire jewish people (inheritance of land). What is there to learn from the story of אברהם אבינו? What is this journey he went on and how did he manage to take on these challenge?
The first aspect is clearly that going your own path is what will enlighten and bless your life, you should never think that the majority’s belief or society is right. If you do, you might feel comfort and calm but it will not enable you to rise higher. I feel this to be very true in my own life. Not rarely was I the person to have a different opinion, a different style, a different belief, a different mentality or mindset and it was never comfortable. But by staying true to my path I was able to find my people and enjoy it so much more than if I just adapted to the mainstream. That way we will find fulfillment and true reward. Hashem has a plan for every being he creates – just as he had for Avraham – and it is our work to recognize our core to fulfill Hashems plan. We must remember: just as Avraham was alone with his belief in the beginning and now so many people believe in one G-d, regardless of their religion, so will we be able to spread our message and be successful if we are not scared to be different.
How do we achieve this? The parasha gives us an answer to this. Hashem sends Avraham to Canaan but this journey isn’t just physical, it is a journey within Avraham himself that Hashem sends him on, representing the search for life and truth within himself. Being different and giving in to where your inner essence pulls you towards, combined with what G-d wants from us will make us come closer to the meaning of our lives, the true source.
Where do we get the strength from to embark on this journey within ourselves which can sometimes be against what our environment tells us is right for us? How do we not feel afraid when doing what G-d wants from us when it seems like it will bring loss and confusion? It is faith; emuna. Abraham is the embodiment of faith. Interestingly, the haftorah for this parasha (Isaiah Chapter 40) mentions the expression “Don’t worry” 11 times! Even though Avraham went into the unknown he was not afraid! His daring to retreat to a higher level of reality, that of the rule of the all-knowing G-d which we can not intellectually and fully understand but which is complete is what gave him the trust in his deeds being right. Our human perception is an incomplete part of reality – a fool is the one who believes he can grasp all of it. By giving into our trust in G-d, we can face any challenge, understanding that there is more to our limited perception of life – that being Hashems guidance and reign which is the one and eternal truth.
This is why the hayom yom (wisdom compiled by the lubavitcher rebbe) says that this parasha is a truly happy parasha – even though there is a famine, nothing seems to work out for abraham and lots of tragedies happen – he clings to hashem by living with ceaseless faith.
Abrahams story is our story. If we live with the parasha, live with Abraham and his emuna, nothing can take away our happiness.
May we see hashems revelation in our lives and live with emuna in every situation, as challenging as it may be.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!! shabbat shalom !!!!!!!!! :))))