Lech Lecha
Genesis 12:1 -17:27
Précis: This parasha, “get you up” or “go yourself” (lech lecha) begins with “the call” of Abram to leave his home and depart for a new land. At God’s command, Abram and Sarai journey to Canaan. When famine strikes, they travel to Egypt, where Sarai is taken into Pharaoh’s harem after Abram calls her his “sister,” but she escapes without harm. They then leave Egypt, with Abram now a rich man. To avoid family squabbles, Abram separates himself from his nephew Lot (who moves to Sodom), but Abram is forced to rescue Lot and reaches a negotiated settlement with the locals. God promises him an heir. Because Sarai is barren, she offers Abram her servant (Hagar), and Hagar gives birth to a son, Ishmael. Abram is then promised a son through Sarai, to be his true heir. Abram’s name is changed to Abraham, and Sarai’s to Sarah, in recognition of the new Covenant with God, which is then symbolized by circumcision.
Genesis 17:5 "No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.”
Names are very significant in this parasha, and show how important they were to text of the entire Bible. Near the end of the weekly reading, the cited verse recounts a change of Abram’s name to Abraham. Similarly, Sarai becomes Sarah. The name changes denote a status change. They also set the table for other name changes in our text (perhaps most significant is Jacob’s re-naming as Israel).
But it is more than a status change in each situation. It is a mark of the end of a significant part of a journey. We are all engaged in our own “Jewish journeys” on a (hopefully) daily basis. Abraham is of course the prime example of the journey: from his father’s house, from his clan, and from his country, to a land of which he didn’t even know the identity. His physical journey, and that of Sarah, was accompanied by a deepening spiritual journey, bringing him closer to a comprehension of the Divine. He does not encounter God and remain passive, but has the encounter and takes action, without even questioning the Divine directive. Also in this parasha (14:13), he is referred to as "Ha-Ivri" ("the Hebrew") which derives from the word "l'avor" (to cross over). It seems that in addition to being a father of nations, he is also the One who Crossed Over to a new relationship with God; he is the one who responds "I am here" when God asks him "Where are You?" His is a life worth living, with all of its failures and disappointments along the way.
Each of us has the ability to hear the Voice and His challenge if we open ourselves to it. How can we be more considerate and caring towards those we work for and with, and with our friends and families? Our tradition holds us capable of much improvement, through prayer, acts of loving-kindness, and through the pursuit of justice. Perhaps if we follow the example of Abram becoming Abraham, we can change our own “name” in our own little circle of humanity.
