POWERUL SIMPLICITY
Dear Family,
I hope everyone is well.
Mazal Tov Mommy for her upcoming birthday. Wishing you many happy years and in good health till 120!
Mazal Tov Shmuly on your upcoming birthday next week. Wishing you much success in both your gashmius and ruchnius pursuits, with joy!
Mommy and I heard a very interesting talk this week from a Sicha of The Rebbe (Likutei Sichos vol 25) on this week's Parsha Lech Lecha.
The Parsha starts off, 'Hashem says to Avraham, go from your land ..... etc. and then goes on to say what rewards Avraham will get for this.
The Ramban asks a question 'What is the reward going to be for?' It doesn't seem to say what Avraham has to do to get the very big rewards that are mentioned, except to leave his land and go to Eretz Yisrael?
The Rebbe addresses this question by starting to ask another question ie
WHY DOES TORAH NOT TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT AVRAHAM BEFORE HASHEM COMES TO SPEAK TO HIM AND INSTRUCTS HIM TO LEAVE HIS LAND?
With Noach, it tells us something about him ie he was a tzadik etc?
The Rebbe answers this in a very interesting way as follows
Torah is not just telling us what Hashem said to Avraham.
The deeds of our Forefathers are a guide for us, how to live.
It is telling us how the whole of Klal Yisrael started and how we should act.
In life you get all types of people, all at different levels of achievement in many areas, both secular and religious.
Even though all these achievements are highly respected and encouraged, they are as nothing in relation to Hashem! (this is not mentioned in the sicha, but an example would be, that the number one and a billion, are equally irrelevant to infinity!)
And so this one verse is telling us:
1. I am choosing to speak to you Avraham out of all the people in the world - 'Hashem says to Avraham...
2. And this is also indicating that it is the start and basis of Klal Yisrael - Avraham is one of the Forefathers
3. Hashem now gives Avraham an instruction to do something which Hashem wants (a Mitzvah) - The Infinite is asking a tiny creature to do something for Him.
4. This instruction is independent of any quality or achievement of Avraham - Torah does not mention anything about Avraham's life or qualities (most of what we know is from Midrash). THIS MEANS THAT ANY JEW HAS THIS CAPABILITY OF CONNECTING TO THE INFINITE HASHEM THROUGH HIS MITZVOT.
5. The rewards are very great from this connection - ' ....I will make you into a great Nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing etc........'
6. Also the Alte Rebbe explains why in particular this Mitzvah was chosen to be the start of our Nation, in relation to the above points:
a. 'Leave your land (artzecha)' from the root ratzon - your will - ie go away from your wills and desires b. 'Leave your birthplace (moladetcha)' - leave your comfort zone and middos - emotions c. 'And leave the house of your father' - father refers to Chochma - ie leave your intellect.
IN SHORT THIS MEANS THAT ANY JEW HAS THE POTENTIAL TO RECEIVE GREAT REWARDS BY SIMPLY CARRYING OUT THE MITZVOS HASHEM WANTS US TO DO, AND THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT ANY UNDERSTANDING, ACHIEVEMENT OR SOPHISTICATION.
And this also answers the question of the Ramban as to why Hashem doesn't tell Avraham what he has to do to achieve this reward? Hashem just tells him to go to Eretz Yisrael. But what does he have to do there?
This is because the great reward is linked to just doing what Hashem has asked. The reward is there straight away, as soon as one starts the Mitzvah! The connection to Infinity has started.
The achievements of a non-Jew are also all good in improving the world etc, but their reach is limited to just what a human being can do.
Gut Shabbos to all. Ashrenu mah tov chelkenu - How happy are we, how great is our portion!