Lech Lecha's Journey

Lech Lecha tells the story of the rather unusual birth of the Jewish nation. In Bereishit/Genesis 12:1, God commands Avram (Abram, who will eventually be known as Avraham/Abraham): “Go for yourself (Lech Lecha) from your land, from your relatives, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” We read no theology, see no miracles and receive no proof of God’s existence. God simply tells Avram to go on a journey. The command itself is also unusual: Lech Lecha, “Go for yourself.” The Torah could have simply used the single word Lech, “Go,” and identify where Avram was coming from and where he was headed. It is unnecessary to add the word Lecha, “for yourself.” The word Lecha seems superfluous and somewhat awkward. It is more logical to say, simply, “Go.” Why Lech Lecha? Perhaps because the Torah teaches us that Avram’s journey is a journey of self, not simply of geography. God does not just tell Avram to go on a physical journey, but

We see it in the narratives of each generation of the patriarchs and matriarchs. Skipping Yitzchak (Isaac) for now lets examine Rivkah (Rebecca). Rivkah is comparable to Avraham. Her story can be found in Bereishit/Genesis 24-27. She journeys. Rivkah leaves her home and family to go to a new place. Due to Rivkah’s journey she is the one who speaks to God directly. She also engineers the journey of the next generation, which brings us to Yaacov (Jacob), Rachel and Leah. Yaacov’s story begins in Genesis Chapter 25 and goes through the end of the book of Genesis. Yaacov is the paradigm for journey in the Torah. He journeys when he runs away from his brother Esav (Esau) after stealing Esav’s birthright. He journeys again when he runs away from his father-in-law Lavan (Laban) who tricks him many, many times. He journeys to Egypt where he is re-united with his son Yoseph (Joseph). All of these journeys are physical journeys but can be allegorically seen as spiritual