“G-d said to Abram, go ‘for yourself’ from your
birthplace, from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”
Bereshis (Genesis) 12:1
Rashi focused on the phrase “for yourself”. In Hebrew it is the word “Lecha.”
He wrote, “Go for yourself, for your pleasure,
and for your benefit. There, I will make you a great nation, whereas
here [where you are now] you do not merit having children. And
furthermore, I will make your name known in the world.”
This is one of the most well known comments of
Rashi in the Torah. His focus on the word “Lecha” (“for yourself”)
seems to be because it is superfluous. G-d simply could have said “Go
from your birthplace….” or in the modern vernacular,
“leave.” What Rashi suggested is that this move for Abram had an
agenda; one for him and a great impact on his progeny. As a result of
Abram’s leaving, the trajectory of mankind would forever change.
Rashi’s comment invites interpretation. What
strikes me is that moving from what’s familiar, indeed change in
general, can be incredibly stressful and cause anxiety. Change is
hard, and few enjoy leaving what’s familiar. Yet Rashi’s
suggestion that it was for Abram’s benefit may also suggest that change
can offer precisely what is necessary to grow, to see things anew, to
have greater impact, and realize one potential. In this way, it is not
hard to see how proper change can affect our
lineage after we are gone.
Abram’s advantage is that he was told to change
environment by G-d. For us, we must look to different voices and
signs, often not as clear and succinct. Are we open to those messages
of change, or are we stuck in our own version of “Who
moved my cheese?” day after day, year after year?
Guest-posting by
Jeffrey Korbman
Woodworker
Highland Park
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