Lech-Lecha
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken
As we discussed last week, the first two Parshios (pl. of Parsha) in the
Torah are relevant to all humanity - and Noah emerges from the Ark having
taught us all a) not to abandon moral values, and b) that there are certain
specific Laws that all humans are commanded to obey (and obviously, this
is closely related to (a)).
"Lech-Lecha Me'Artzecha: Go, get out of your land" are the first words said
in the Torah to Jews. From now on, it is speaking specifically to Abraham
and his descendents. What does it say? Simply translated, Lech-Lecha is a
repetition - frequently used in Biblical Hebrew for emphasis. Rashi, our
most prominent commentator, notes that "Lecha" means "for you." His
explanation reads: "Lech-Lecha: For your pleasure and for your benefit."
So what are the first things said to a Jew? 1) Go, get out: separate
yourself from your surroundings; and 2) this is for YOUR happiness!
1) We have an obligation to separate ourselves, and to behave differently
when the situation demands it. Even if everyone around us is cheating,
WE must not. Even if everyone else is going out and getting drunk on
Friday nights, WE must not. Even if something is actually fine and moral,
but it will merely appear to others that we are doing wrong, we must not
do it.
Our obligation is to go - to go forward, to recognize proudly that we
are always wearing a badge. Keep it clean! Don't disgrace it! Don't
cause a "desecration of G-d's name" - "that's how Jews_behave." And...
2) ...all of this is for our own benefit. We are supposed to enjoy
being Jewish, and not treat it as a burden. Consider: what are we without
our spiritual roots? We see Jews investing themselves in all sorts of
charitable and spiritual endeavors. Some of them are of dubious value:
cults were very popular 20 years ago, and Jewish membership was far out
of proportion. Today, you see Jews on opposite sides of the fence on all
sorts of issues, and both will tell you that there position is morally
right! What is this innate Jewish "thing" with morals?
The answer is, of course, that such is our nature. We need to feel a
spiritual connection and value in what we do. Thus the "midlife crisis"
and the need to see psychologists is especially acute for Jews who lack
it. Note that this is also present for non-Jews - we all need
spirituality! But Jews have an additional push in this direction.
Recognizing it will make us happier. There are diamonds out there,
waiting for us to reach for them. King David found such spiritual joy in
the Torah, that he was able to declare that "they are more dear to me than
gold, to even the finest gold!" So go - for yourself - reach for it!
Text Copyright © 1994 Rabbi Yaakov Menken and Project Genesis, Inc.
The author is the Director of Project Genesis.
