The weather was hard – Lech L’cha
Why did God want Abraham to leave home?
Malbim says that there were aspects of Abraham’s homeland which he had to escape.
It was not only the cultural influences in which the patriarch was living which were not good for him or his family. The physical characteristics of the country were also problematical.
The air was impure, the soil was poor quality, the trees and plants were unpleasant, the sun was too fierce and the rain was a problem. All in all, it was not a country where righteous people should live.
Malbim adds that God was like a vinekeeper who needed the brains to transplant his vines to another area where the air, soil and neighbouring plants would be purer and more fertile.
God assured Abraham that he should not be frightened about moving countries; if he migrated he would enjoy the blessing.
