Lech Lecha 5764
G-d tells Avraham "Lech Lecha Me’artzecha Umimoladetecha UmiBet Avicha El Haretz Asher Arecha". Avraham is commanded by G-d to leave his land, to leave his birthplace, to leave his father’s home. Our Rabbis explain that this commandment that G-d told Avraham to leave his father’s birthplace did not only have ramifications to Avraham Aveenu, but it actually has ramifications, and great ones, to the nation of Israel, to all his descendants including us.
Rav Hersh points out that it’s miraculous that the Jews were a minority of a minority, and were able to maintain themselves with their customs, and their laws, and remain loyal to the Torah even though we have been surrounded by foreign cultures. This is the nature of a predominant culture, to influence and swallow up all the minor cultures around it. So it’s really against all odds that the Jew was able to remain a separatist nation amongst all the nations of the world.
He says that concept, that strength of being able to separate from the prevailing society was created when G-d told Avraham ‘Lech Licha.’ When G-d told Avraham you must separate yourself, that was almost as if he created a spiritual gene in our people that the Jews will have the ability to leave. They will have the ability to walk away, even though our religion places a great emphasis on being with the Tzibur (many), and not separating yourself from the people. But when it comes to serving Bore Olam, sometimes one has to step away from society and pull himself away and remain loyal to the Torah.
So the commandment of ‘Lech Licha’ is not only an individual commandment, but ‘Lech Licha’ is actually a calling to our people, and Bore Olam is telling the Jew, that sometimes you have to go. Sometimes you have to separate, sometimes you have to leave, and that is the test of the Jew. And that’s exactly why the Jew has endured until today.
So Avraham Aveenu was not acting for himself when he left his birthplace. He gave the Jews the strength in the future to also have the ability to separate and isolate themselves from the prevailing society.
