This week, Avraham hears a call. Perhaps the call was there all along and he only heard it now; perhaps the call came only at this particular moment. The call of Lech Lecha is about journeying, about moving forward to become a people, to become something greater than oneself in connection with others. Lech Lecha often entails wading through uncharted territory, yet it holds the promise of something better, good, blessed on the other side.
I find grounding in this parsha because it reminds me that there are ancestors at our back, and that there will be descendents that emerge from us. We can locate ourselves in Avraham’s story to remember where we come from, and to remember that there will be a future, even when it requires long journeying. Avraham and his story are a reminder that our people have purpose, that we bring something beautiful to this world.
Avraham is told - we as his descendents are told - that we will be a blessing. You will be a blessing. You will bring blessing to others. I pray that being a blessing means being a force for good, for justice, for truth in the world. I pray that when we remain steadfast and connected to truth and good, we will be blessed. We will bring blessing to all those around us.
One element of the story that I keep gravitating towards is that Avraham must have felt tremendously lonely. He went forward into the unknown with only his family, following the call that he knew in his heart was right, but he was on his own. In a world of polytheists, I imagine that many others thought Avraham was completely wrong and out of his mind. Yet somehow, Avraham didn’t give up. The loneliness did not impact his conviction; it didn’t run him down. It can feel lonely to adhere to one’s Truths, yet Avraham modeled for us an unwavering commitment to his path, to the journey forward to make it to that promised land.
I pray that our journey is a little less lonely, that we have others who walk that path with us. I pray that we continue to be a blessing, that we bring blessing to others, and that as we wander, even when we're alone, that we feel blessed.
