Lecha Lecha 5786

If we could read Abram’s mind throughout this week’s Torah reading, we would gain a fascinating perspective on choices and outcomes.

Imagine how you might have responded to God’s opening words to Abram: “Lech lecha.” While our Etz Hayim Humash translates this as "Go forth," I prefer a more literal translation that unlocks a profound spiritual meaning: "Lech," "Go," "Lecha," "for yourself."

This same unique wording “lecha” reappears later when Moses is commanded to make the second set of Tablets for the Ten Commandments: “Pesal lecha,” “Carve for yourself.” In both instances, Hashem is offering not just an instruction, but a piece of counseling. The command is clear, but the deepest motivation must come from within: “Here is what I am requesting of you. Now, look inside your heart and your thoughts. Why is this important to you? Why do you choose to do it? What will the beneficial outcome be for you?”

Abram’s first great choice in this parashah has a world-changing outcome. By leaving his familiar world—"his father’s household, his birthplace"—and moving "to the land that I will show you," he brings God’s blessing upon himself and future generations, ultimately leading to Eretz Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael, the land and State of Israel.

A second defining choice occurs when the herdsmen of Abram and his nephew, Lot, quarrel over grazing land. In a remarkable act of selfless leadership, Abram intervenes, stating, “Let there be no strife between you and me.” He then gives his nephew the complete freedom to choose: “If you go north, I will go south. If you go south, I will go north.”

A colleague and friend, Rabbi Avram Kogen, recently posited a compelling question about this very moment: What if Lot’s choice had been different?

We are comfortable with the known outcome: Lot chose the attractive pasture-lands near Sodom. But, as Rabbi Kogen asks, what if he hadn't? What if Lot had chosen the opposite direction, making Abram a neighbor to the people of Sodom?

This "what if" scenario raises profound questions about destiny, human nature, and our ability to influence the world:

• Would the presence of Abram, a righteous man, have changed the sinful behavior of the people of Sodom?

• If Abram were later captured (as Lot was in the battle of the kings), would Lot have had the resourcefulness—or the will—to rescue him?

• And even if successful, would Lot have had Abram's moral integrity to reject the spoils of war?

The story's ultimate outcome suggests that Abram, in his wisdom, may have already recognized that Lot did not truly share his core values. The quarrel between the herdsmen was merely a symptom of a deeper, inevitable split. By giving Lot the choice, Abram not only demonstrated great insight and wisdom. Perhaps, it ensured a necessary separation.

The beautiful opening of “Lech lecha” provides us with the essential lesson: The most significant choices we make are ultimately for ourselves. They are a reflection of our values, a shaping of our character, and a determination of our personal spiritual destination. Our choices not only dictate the outcome but also reveal the person we have already chosen to be.

A Final Note

For the next few weeks, I will be taking a medical leave and will not be writing the weekly "Rabbinically Yours." As many of you have so kindly suggested, the outcome of my surgery and recuperation will bring me once again back to the lifestyle that I so cherish, both with my family and with you, my congregational family.

Until then,

Am Yisrael Chai! 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi K.