While watching the excitement of the baseball playoffs and the chilling news story about the Washington Post journalist who was murdered in the Saudi Embassy in Turkey and the President’s attempt to cover for the Saudi Royal Family, our son came downstairs with his computer in hand and made a stunning statement. The statement was so important he picked up the remote, turned down the volume and began speaking. He explained that now that he was in High School and the high school as an “Honors List” and a “Dean’s List” he was committing himself to the goal of making the Honors list each semester. I was so shocked, I turned off the television and I asked him if he was sure that was willing to put in all the work, all the sacrifice necessary for the reward at the end of this journey. Until now, he would do only enough work, put forth only enough effort to get by with a decent grade; but he never did the extra little bit more required for the missing 3-5 points on each and every test. I wouldn’t call it lazy, just satisfied with mediocrity. Now instead of his mother and me hocking him and reminding him to study; he wanted to do it himself. He was entirely self-motivated.
This week's Parsha is Lech Lecha. In it, God commands Abram to leave his father, his homeland and everything he has ever known and go to a place where God will show him later. Abram does. He heads down towards Egypt because of a famine. Eventually, Abram leaves Egypt with money, flocks, servants, and wealth. Lot, Abram's nephew, and Abram decide to part ways since each their respective flocks not only become intermingled but their hired hands fight among each other. Abram then fights against several kings in an attempt to protect Lot. Then his wife Sarai, who is barren, tells Abram to make Hagar (the maidservant) the surrogate mother. Abram listens and Hagar has a son named Ishmael. She runs away and then returns. God tells Abram a prophecy. Abram will become the father of a great nation, and that nation will become enslaved for several centuries and then will return to the land that God promised Abram. Then God instructs Abram to circumcise himself, his son Ishmael and all the males of his household. All these events are linked together by the theme of "Lech Lecha" of going, of traveling, of a journey both of a physical and spiritual nature.
The Zohar, the rabbinic book of mysticism, comments upon the first verse "Lech Lecha Mei'Artzecha uMimoladtcha, U'mibeit Avicha El Ha'Aretz Acher Areka- Go for yourself from your land, from your relatives, and from your father's house to the land that I will show you (Gen 12:1). Instead of a physical journey, the Zohar explains that Abram was commanded to embark upon a spiritual journey. The soul, while residing in the World to Come, exists in close proximity to God. Because of the spiritual clarity and intensity revealed there, no free will and no chance for spiritual growth and advancement can occur. Like the angels, the soul in the World to Come is called an Omaid, a standee. In this World, however, we know that a person has Free Will. This means that we all have the opportunity to advance spiritually as long as we remain in this World. The soul in this world is called a Holiach, a walker, someone who goes, and much like Abram went.
Like Abram, we are all commanded to Lech Lecha. We are all commanded to journey. Sometimes we are very aware of the journey. We, or our children, leave home and travel, or go off to school, or move to a new place because of a job. Sometimes we are aware that we are about to begin a new phase or a new chapter of our respective lives, our respective journey. It seems that we often forget that we journey for our own sake, for our own self- improvement, for our own destiny. Of our four children, it is the youngest one, the only son, who made it explicitly clear that was willing to do everything he could to make the Honors Roll or the Dean’s List. He wanted to do this for himself. His self-motivation is evident in his effort and efficiency in which he studies. His self-motivation is evident in his courage and tenaciousness to ask for help and do the work until it is done well. Maybe he is really growing up and understands that he has a journey that is only for his steps alone.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
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