Lech L’cha, this week’s Torah portion, is one of my favorites. For some reason it has always reminded me of ancestors who had to leave their homelands in search of religious freedom. I could sense the kind of faith it would take to leave a familiar home to set out for an unknown place. Of course my connection with and interpretation of Lech L’cha had always been based on the stories that my own grandparents had shared with me from the time of my childhood.
It wasn’t until my own son and daughter-in-law decided to make aliyah that I was able to understand the necessity of linking the importance of the story to the Land of Israel. Abraham wasn’t asked to leave his homeland just to end up in “any old place” outside of Ur. The place that was selected for him was the Land of Israel. It was selected because he had a purpose in life. He was to establish a people within that Land that would influence others to worship one G-d. In fact we are told in chapter 12 verse 5 of Bereishit that “Avram took Sarai, his wife; and Lot, his nephew; and the possessions that they had acquired; and the soul that they made in Charan. And they went to the Land of Canaan.” According to Rav Kook, “The sages ask: What is the meaning of the soul that they made in Charan- were all the people of the world to congregate, they would not be able to make even a mosquito, and you say that they made souls in Charan! The answer given is that it refers to the souls that they converted from idol worship to their new monotheistic religion.” Abraham was selected by G-d, he had a mission to inform those with whom he came in contact that G-d’s name needed to be recognized in the world, and he had a place in which to carry out that mission.
It was in the Land of Israel that he opened his tent to strangers, that he infused everyday living with holiness. It was in Israel that his message would serve as a light for other people.
From the point of view of Torah, Israel is part of G-d’s roadmap for the world. In Bereishit we find G-d entering history. He wants a nation that will work for Him. He picks Abraham and the nation that he will father, for bringing the concept of holiness to the world. G-d’s promise to Abraham was also a challenge. G-d wanted Abraham to use ethical behavior and to elevate the entire nation so it could bring holiness to others. The Land was a vehicle for insuring that the message would be heard.
Today we have a tendency to think of Israel as a mere political entity. We hear talk about the countries and the peoples that would like to destroy her. It is a political entity, but it is also a land in which the spiritual is connected to every facet of life. It is not a theocracy by any means, but it is a country that debates how it can continue to pursue justice and righteousness in the face of the overwhelming hatred of its neighbors. It still strives to be a fountain from which others can learn.
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