The first Jew in the Torah, Avram, is introduced in Parshat Lech Lecha. Hashem comes and says to Avraham, "Leave this land, from the place you were born, from your fathers house to land that I will show you".
יֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ:
Ramban says in his perush on Berashit 12:1 that it is difficult for a man to leave his homeland, harder to leave the place you were born and hardest to leave your fathers house.
וטעם להזכיר "ארצך ומולדתך ובית אביך" כי יקשה על האדם לעזוב ארצו אשר הוא יושב בה ושם אוהביו ורעיו וכל שכן כשהוא ארץ מולדתו ששם נולד וכל שכן כשיש שם כל בית אביו ולכך הוצרך לומר לו שיעזוב הכל לאהבתו של הקב"ה
Question: Why would Avram want to leave the place where he has always lived? Why would he follow without knowing his destination? If it was so hard for him to leave, why wouldn't Hashem tell him where he is going?
Rashi says Hashem did not reveal the land to Avraham immediately, in order for it to be good in Avrahamas eyes and to give him reward for every command (he followed).
ReplyDeleteI think when Rashi says "good in his eyes" he thinks that if Hashem had told Avraham where he was going he may not have wanted to go, and therefore, Hashem does not tell him. This gives Avraham an opportunity to be excited and see it as a good thing. Plus, he gets reward for the commandments!
Why would Avraham leave without knowing his destination?
ReplyDeleteThe Rambam says that Avraham discovered the existence of G-d at the age of forty. After this discovery, he traveled up and down his land, trying to persuade people to convert and believe in this invisible God. Now, when Hashem tells Avraham "lech licha" he is 75. Finally, after 35 years, Hashem speaks to Avraham. Avraham has been believing in this "invisible" G-d for 35 years without hearing from him. Avraham had been waiting for this moment, to hear from Hashem. Therefore, now, when Hashem tells him to leave with no indication of where hes going, Avraham believes it completely and goes with eagerness to fulfill the task of the G-d he still believes in, even after 35 years.
Why didn't Hashem tell Avraham where he was going?
ReplyDeleteHashem did not specify where Avraham was to go. He simply told him to uproot himself and leave. Why is this? Rabbi Leibowitz explains that Hashem wanted Avraham to reap reward for every single step of his long journey. If Hashem had told Avraham where he was going at the beginning of his journey, the entire journey would be a means to an end with one purpose and identity. Therefore Avraham would only receive one reward. Hashem, however, did not reveal the destination so every stage of the journey and every step Avraham took was the fulfillment of the commandment. The Steipler Gaon adds another answer. He suggests that when a person has a long journey they boost their morale by thinking about the destination. The journey would have been less difficult if Hashem revealed to Avraham where he was going and Avraham would have received less reward. G-od ensured by not telling avraham the destination that Avraham’s motives were pure.
Shabbat Shalom!