The land I will show you – Lech L’cha
The Torah reading opens (Gen. 12:1) with God’s call to Avraham to leave his home behind and “take yourself to the land I shall show you”.
There is a metaphorical sense in which this call comes to every Jew. It says, “Give yourself a purpose; make your life into a task, and live in God’s way”.
What this means is to feel permeated and pulsated by God and Jewish identity.
It also says, “Make your life into a mission: spread the love and knowledge of God wherever you go”.
What this means is to raise the quality of society and make the world more messianic.
It’s not that everything in the less Godly parts of existence are evil and must be totally discarded, but they must be refined and enlisted in the service of God.
One of the great Jewish thinkers said a person must utilise their legs to carry them to the doing of good deeds, use their hands to fashion a nicer world, train their heart to love and care for other people, and school their mind to think noble thoughts and keep away from crass vulgarity.
