(א) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃
Adonai said to Abram, “Go forth (לֶךְ־לְךָ֛) from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
Rabbi Yitzchak said: this may be compared to a man who was traveling from place to place when he saw a castle on fire. He said, "Is it possible that this castle lacks a person to look after it?" The owner of the building looked at him and said to him, 'I am the master of the castle.'" What happened with Abraham our father was similar. He said, “Is it possible that this universe lacks a person to look after it?," the Holy Blessed One looked at him and said to him, 'I am the Master of the Universe'... Hence, God said to Avraham, 'Lech Lecha.'
Abraham's bewilderment is clear. This sensitive human being gazes at a brilliantly structured universe, a splendid piece of art. He is overwhelmed by the grandeur of a sunset and by the miracle of childbirth; he marvels at the roaring ocean waves and at the silent, steady beat of the human heart. The world is indeed a palace.
But the palace is in flames. The world is full of bloodshed, injustice and strife... What happened to the owner of the palace? Abraham cries. Why does God allow man to destroy His world? Why does He permit such a beautiful palace to go up in flames? Could God have made a world only to abandon it? Would anyone build a palace and then desert it?
Note that the owner of the palace does not make an attempt to get out of the burning building or to extinguish the flames. He is merely stating that He is the owner of the palace that is going up in smoke. It is as if, instead of racing out, the owner were calling for help. God made the palace, man set it on fire, and only man can put out the flames.
It appears that this [call to Avraham] is praise in itself, in that Avraham heard the Divine call of Lech Lecha – God’s perpetual call to all people – but was the only one who acted upon it.
Looking up, he saw three figures standing near him. Perceiving this, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them and, bowing to the ground,
Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quick, three seahs of choice flour! Knead and make cakes!”
Then Abraham ran to the herd, took a calf, tender and choice, and gave it to a servant-boy, who hastened to prepare it.
Next morning, Abraham hurried to the place where he had stood before Adonai.
1963 Address "On Religion and Race"
Human self-interest is often our Nemesis! It is the audacity of faith that redeems us. To have faith is to be ahead of one’s normal thoughts, to transcend confused motivations… Mere knowledge or belief is too feeble to be a cure of man’s hostility to man…The only remedy is personal sacrifice: to abandon, to reject what seems dear and even plausible for the sake of the greater truth; to do more than one is ready to understand for the sake of God. Required is a breakthrough, a leap of action. It is the deed that will purify the heart…The deed is the test, the trial and the risk.
Faith is when you know in your heart that you must do something, that you must go somewhere even if it does not seem logical, and you don’t know how things will turn out. I know that many of us are uncomfortable with the word faith; we can also call it that inner voice.
Faith is about courage: the courage to live with uncertainty and to trust in your gut that you are on the right path. It’s the courage to do something new, to take a risk, to begin a journey to a distant destination knowing that there will be hazards and bumps along the way. Faith is all of those things and also knowing that God is with you along the way, giving you the strength to carry on.
This Shabbat, like Avraham, let’s ask big questions. Who is the caretaker of this palace aglow? How might we partner with God in taking care of this great earth and the souls who inhabit it? How might we come close to the Source? How can we make our lives a blessing for ourselves, for our creator and for all beings everywhere? In our asking these questions, may we find ourselves met by the Holy One in search of our presence.
I will make of you a great nation,
And I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
And you shall be a blessing.