Parashat Lech Lecha:  Avraham’s Journey Is Ours

I was born into a world of idols — and into a family that sold them.

But I looked up at the heavens, I watched the sunrise, the wind, the bees, the beauty of nature, and I knew — this didn’t just happen. There must be a Creator. Not many gods, but One.

I told people, but they didn’t want to listen. I smashed my father's idols to prove a point. When King Nimrod had me thrown into a fiery furnace, G-d saved me. That was the first of ten tests. But it was just the beginning.

Then came the hardest one. “Lech lecha — Go, for yourself.” Leave your land. Leave your father’s house. Go to the place I will show you. No destination. No details. Only faith.

And I went.

That’s what it means to be a Jew — to move forward, not because it’s easy, but because Hashem said go. My journey took me through the Land of Israel — from Shechem to Ai, to Beit El, and finally Jerusalem. Wherever I walked, G-d said: “To your children, I will give this land.”

And you — you are my children.

G-d made an eternal covenant with me: “Your seed will be like the stars, like the sand, like the dust.” At times, we would shine like stars. At others, be trampled like dust. But the promise remains. This land is ours — not just in spirit, but forever. Even if exiled, even if oppressed — we are His people, and He is our G-d.

And so today, after 2,000 years, we return. Not just to land, but to faith. To bris milah, to Shabbos, to Torah. Because the covenant lives on — in every generation that chooses to walk as I walked. With trust. With sacrifice. With love.

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By Rabbi Yitzchok Zilber, zt”l, Founder, LaMaalot Foundation
Rabbi Yitzchok Zilber, zt”l, founded the LaMaalot Foundation and dedicated his life to teaching Torah. His writings continue to inspire Jews worldwide. © 2023 The LaMaalot Foundation. “Conversations on the Torah,” by Rabbi Yitzchak Zilber is catalogued at the Library of Congress. All rights reserved. www.LaMaalot.org.