Overview
- The opening verse of Lech Lecha directs Abraham to leave his country, birthplace and father’s house and to travel “to the land that I will show you,” which frames the story as a journey into the unknown.
- Classical readings such as Rashi say the phrase includes a divine assurance that the move will be for Abraham’s good, and interpret later hardships like the famine and descent to Egypt as tests of his faith.
- Mystical commentators like the Sefat Emet present the command as a universal summons, arguing that what made Abraham unique was that he heard and acted on the call.
- A first-person essay in Israel National News recounts a 1984 turning point when hearing Lech Lecha confirmed a decision to keep Shabbat, and a Jewish Journal commentary extends the theme to personal moral growth.
- Both modern pieces stress that the Torah’s follow-up promise, “And you shall be a blessing,” recasts the journey as a mission to serve others and casts Abraham’s path as a template for Jewish history and individual development.