5785/2024
In this week’s Parashah, we read about Avraham’s journey to Eretz Canaan. When Hashem commands Avraham to leave Charan, he uses rather unusual language, “Lech Lecha,” —“go for yourself.” Why did the Torah have to use such strange language? Why couldn’t the Torah simply have said lech meartzecha, go from your land?
According to a simple explanation, Hashem told Avraham to go for himself because he wanted Avraham to know that he should leave Charan for his own benefit.
However, Avraham knew that he would benefit from his journey. After all, when Hashem commanded Avraham to leave Charan he promised him that he would be a great nation. Clearly there must be another reason.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l offers a fascinating insight. He says that Lech Lecha can also mean go to yourself. Hashem is telling Avraham that his journey is not just for his benefit but for him to discover who he truly is, which is to be the father of Am Yisrael.
Hashem's command to Avraham was a wake up call. He was telling Avraham that he does not belong in a house of idol worshipers but that he and his descendants belong in Eretz Yisrael.
From here we can learn a very important lesson. Everytime we are forced to go out of our comfort zone it is for us to discover who we truly are. Although Avraham's life would probably be easier in Charan, he ended up learning a lot about his true self and attained a spiritual level than he never would have been able to reach in Charan.
Many of our Gedolim would have never reached their high level had not gone out of their comfort zone.
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zt”l initially wanted to stay in Berlin. He Davened that Hashem should allow him to stay in Berlin. In 1932, he was forced to leave Berlin and move to the United States. Eventually, he became the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University and then thanked Hashem for not answering his Tefilah because had he not left Berlin he would have been in danger of being killed among the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust and would have never been able to share his wisdom with Klal Yisrael.
May we all discover who we truly are and reach our full potential.