Lech Lecha and Beyond

Last Shabbos I felt like I was in the ark with snow swirling and the wind howling as I sat safe and warm inside with my animals and the Word of G*D. With the days growing shorter time seems to fly by so fast. What is our life really but time, days, hours, minutes, all of which are limited. But when we use our time as Abraham and Sarah did, connecting to the Creator through acts of chesed or kindness toward His creation, we become limitless in the good we can do. When G*D commanded Abram to "go out from your land, from your birthplace, and from your fathers house to a land I will show you," G*D was asking him to leave his family, all his earthly connections and personal circumstances,to look beyond his limitations and establish an unlimited connection with Him.

Chazel teaches that in this verse, land refers to our desires, birthplace refers to our habits and fathers house refers to our intellect. G*d is asking Abraham to serve Him not with his own understanding, but to serve Him the way He wants to be served. Chassidic thought teaches that this verse is actually a commandment issued by G*D to each of us. "Go on a journey of self discovery. Leave behind anything that might hold you back. And then I will show you the landscape of your Divine soul-the true you."

Lech means to proceed, Lech Lecha means, go out, as Rashi explains, it means, go out for your own benefit, become something more. It is as if G*D is saying to Abraham, "Go out, leave everything behind and do My mitzvot, connect with Me, go to that land that "areka", meaning, I will show you. Areka can also mean I will reveal to you, or I will reveal you, the real you. Following G*Ds mitzvot can lead to self-revelation. As we gain self-knowledge we come closer to our true essence and to G*D. In a teaching by Rabbi Akiva Tatz on Prayer he says if you really want to know who you are, look at what you want, and the only way to truly change is to change what you want. What is it that we want beloved, is it a closer relationship with our creator? In the end it is the only thing that will bring us true happiness. It is what Abraham wanted.

The Talmud speaks of the world in terms of six thousand years, according to Rabbi Manis Friedman the first two thousand years were years of chaos, the second two thousand years were years of Torah, and the last two thousand years will be the years of Moshiach. The years of chaos brought among other events, the Fall, the Flood and the Tower of Babel. Although there were great men of righteousness during this period of time, they could not bring Heaven down to earth. It was not until Abraham that we see that transition. Abraham was the bridge between Heaven and earth. We see him standing in the gap with a servants heart for his family, for Lot and for the cities of Sodom and Gemmora. In this weeks parsha Vayeira, "and G*D appeared to him", we see a change, through the process of circumcision Abraham is able to transcend his human limitations and he is able to receive a direct revelation from G*D. In Lech Lecha Abraham slowly ascends the spiritual ladder on his own, in Vayeira, G*D elevates him to a spiritual level not attainable by human effort. Let us Lech Lecha beloved, and in doing so may we all experience G*D"s appearing, and may we all be a bridge for Love to cross over.

THE BRIDGE
The world brings us trouble beloved
It tries to divide us, but take heart
G*D’s Love has pierced the darkness
To close the gap that lies between us
Be a bridge for Love to cross over
With a kind word, a healing touch
To a desperate world
That needs G*D so much
As we remain in the Fathers will
And throw off everything that hinders us
The sin that so easily entangles us
We close the gap that lies between us
So we can be a bridge for Love to cross over
With a kind word, a healing touch
To a desperate world
That needs G*D so much
Indeed for this very purpose
G*D says I have raised you up
That I may show My power in you
That My name may be declared in all the earth
Let’s close the gap that lies between us
And be a bridge for Love to cross over
With a kind word, a healing touch
To a desperate world
That needs G*D so much
Elisheva
Shabbat Shalom

For teachings by Dr. Rabbi Akiva Tatz and others
http://www.simpletoremember.com/author/a/rabbi-akiva-tatz/