There is a story told of a man who was captured behind enemy lines during war. To his horror, he was then sentenced to death by firing squad. However, the captain gave the man another option. He told him, “You can go to the firing squad tomorrow morning at 6 o’clock, or, you can choose to walk through this door.” The man asked: “What’s on the other side of that door?” The captain answered: “No one knows. All I can tell you is that there is some unknown power behind that door.”
The man thought it over, and the next morning, when it came time to choose his fate, he selected the firing squad. After the shots rang out, the captain’s secretary asked the captain: “This has happened before, and every time they choose the firing squad. What’s beyond that door?” With a look of dismay on his face, the captain answered: “Freedom! But no one has ever selected that door because of the unknown that lies waiting behind it. People would rather face a known hell than journey into the unknown.”
Walking Into the UnknownWhen Avraham is told to leave his home and embark on his journey, he is told “lech licha – go for yourself.” Any thinking person would notice how nonsensical this directive seems. After all, Avraham is told to leave, but he isn’t given a destination. What kind of journey is a journey without a destination? Generally, we care much more about the destination than the starting point. For example, imagine you were invited to a wedding, but instead of being told where the wedding will take place, you were only told where you should leave from. Such a thing is unheard of. So why wasn’t Avraham given a destination? The answer lies within the words lech licha themselves. Licha can also be read to mean “to yourself.” Avraham is being commanded to embark on a journey to “himself.” In a genuine journey to the self, we don’t know the destination, we don’t know where it will take us. All we know is where we’re leaving from, where we are right now. Only once you arrive can you retroactively see where the journey was destined to take you. What you’ll find at the end of the road is a greater version of yourself; this is what the journey itself was building. But a journey to the self is also a journey into the unknown, and so many people fear that step outside their comfort zone. We must therefore be courageous enough to journey to ourselves.
Finding your Unique SelfWhen we truly embark on the journey to ourselves, into the unknown, we must be willing to find our unique self that lies in wait. Each one of us has a unique purpose and mission in this world. This is perhaps why life is compared to a journey at sea. Unlike dry land, where paths and roads can be paved, water has no pathways; the journey is a journey into the unknown. While traveling on dry land, you can follow the path that others have paved. While traveling at sea, you must create your own path. Oceans do not even have a single landmark, just endless sameness. You can use the sky and constellations as guides, but the water itself gives no hint of direction, remaining uselessly formless. This is why the word for ani, the self, takes its root from the word for ship, aniyah; each of us is a ship in the middle of the ocean. There is no looking around to see which path others are taking; you can only forge your own path in the journey towards becoming you.
The Process of Human GrowthWith this principle in mind, let us explore the process of human growth. Many people grow from the outside in. They look around at society, their friends, the people around them, and then shape themselves to reflect those surroundings. The clothes they wear, the food they eat, and the things they talk about all become a mirror of their external surroundings. In this model, a person is a slab of clay, and the goal of life is to fit as neatly as possible into the molds that society creates for you.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Each one of us is created with our own unique potential, waiting to be actualized. Our job in life is to discover who we really are, to express our dormant perfection. Growth isn’t about becoming great, it’s about becoming you; learning isn’t about discovery, it’s about self-discovery. You are born as a masterpiece masked by confusion; your job in this world is to uncover yourself. To do so requires a “lech licha” journey.
Instead of becoming a mirror, who reflects everything outside himself, we can become projectors. We can build something majestic and beautiful within ourselves, and then express that out into the world. This is also the difference between thermometers and thermostats. A thermometer reflects its environment; the temperature outside determines its internal state. A thermostat, however, is unaffected by the external state of things. It first builds the reality within itself, and then expresses that outside into the external environment. A true model of growth is where we first develop ourselves internally, and then express that out into the world.
Of course, it’s important to state that this model only works when you’re also being guided by the Torah. The only way to find yourself is to see yourself within a greater self, Hashem, the source of everything. The key is to realize that the greatest ideal is to find your uniqueness within a greater whole. Perhaps this is why a ship is called aniyah, because the only way to journey to yourself (ani) is when you are journeying to [and with] Hashem (yud keh). The journey to the self is also the journey to Hashem, the root of all self. May we all be inspired follow in the footsteps of Avraham and have the courage to embark on our own lech licha journeys, on our unique ships at sea, and discover who we truly are.
Shmuel Reichman is an inspirational speaker, writer, and coach who has lectured internationally at shuls, conferences, and Jewish communities on topics of Jewish Thought and Jewish Medical Ethics. He is the founder and CEO of Self-Mastery Academy (ShmuelReichman.com), the transformative online course that is revolutionizing how we engage in self-development. He is also the founder of “Think. Feel. Grow.”, a platform from which he shares inspirational Torah videos that have reached over one hundred thousand people. You can find more inspirational lectures, videos, and articles from Shmuel on his website: www.Shmuelreichman.com
Are You Willing To Take The Leap Of Faith?
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