Lech-Lecha 2022

This week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, begins, “God said to Avrom, 'Go for yourself from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make you a great nation and bless you, and make your name great and you will be a blessing… And all the families of the world will be blessed through you.'”

According to the Ramban, God did not take Abraham directly to Canaan but made him travel for a long time from land to land. Why? Rashi comments, “In order to make your nature known in the world”. Apparently the purpose of this nomadism was for the families of the earth, for whom Abraham was to be a blessing, to learn from his nature.   

But what does Rashi mean by “Abraham’s nature”? Why not say to learn from Abraham about monotheism or kindness, the things he was known for?   

Perhaps the answer is that kindness and monotheism are intellectual and moral choices which anyone makes, but Avrohom’s nature — his personality — is his independence, his searching personality, and his iconoclasm.  

The Midrash depicts Abraham as someone who is perplexed by the universe, tries constantly to find the truth about its cause, and does not take things for granted. Abraham is, according to the Midrash, “mishotet b’daato,” or "roaming in his mind" — exploring and examining the world. Abraham’s actions were kindness, his theology was monotheism, but his nature and personality were to look for truth even if it meant taking 40 years, as the Rambam says, to search the world to find the true meaning in it.  

This Shabbat let us reflect upon our own nature, how we can bring our own personalities to our Jewish observance and to the world to help the Jewish people continue Abraham’s legacy of being a blessing to all the peoples of the world.   

Shabbat Shalom