Midreshet Amit

• LIVE TORAH:
• Academic Program
• Yimei Iyun
• FAQ
• Recent Shiurim
• View by Parsha
• View By Chag
• Search Database
• Ask the Rav

״ויאמר ה׳ אל אברם, לך-לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך אל הארץ אשר אראך״

"And God said to Avram, Go for yourself from your land, from your birthplace, from your father's home to the land that I will show you" (Bereishit 12:1).

A question that we have regarding the first pasuk of this week's parasha relates to the words "lech lecha." What does God mean when he says to Avram go "for yourself"? To Avram, it seems as though God is sending him away from everything he knows - his home, his family, and his life. From the beginning of the journey, Avram and Sarai are faced with many challenges, including the incident in Egypt and the mere fact that Sarai is barren. It looks as though the journey of "lech lecha" was not really for their own benefit at all.

In order to gain understanding, we have to take a step back and look at things as a whole. Avram and Sarai needed the challenges they faced to push their own faith and relationship with God to levels they never would have achieved had they remained in the comfort zone of their birthplace their entire lives. Their journey, though filled with challenges, enabled them to grow as people, to grow closer with God, and to become the parents to a great nation. Though the challenges along the way were daunting and difficult to undergo, ultimately their journey really was "lecha" - for their own benefit.

Just as Avram and Sarai left their home to embark on a new journey, so did we. We all left our homes, our families, communities, and friends to come to Israel. For the first few weeks, we were struggling, not knowing what to do. After a while we started to think, we are all here for ourselves to grow spiritually. We will work out all the little things that we are uncomfortable with, such as going to the grocery store, finding the right bus to take, or just being in a new place without our family; it is all a whole new experience for us. From this week's parasha, we learn from both Avram and Sarai that it's ok to leave the comforts of our own homes. As Avram progressed with his life, he grew spiritually through his struggles. Here in Midreshet AMIT, we strive to grow spiritually - from the learning, the chessed, and the challenges that we face along the way. Just like Avram, we know that we can push through it all and become the people that we came here to be.