Category Archives: Bereshit_12:1-9

Lech L’cha (Bereshit 12:1-5) בְּרֵאשִׁית

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Bereshit 12:1-5   בְּרֵאשִׁית יב :א-ה
1. God said to Avram, “Go, take yourself
from your land
and from where you were born,
and from your father’s house
to the land that I will let you see:		 א  וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָם, לֶךְ-לְךָ
מֵאַרְצְךָ
וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ
,וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ 
.אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ 
 2.   I will make you a great nation
And I will bless you,
I will make your name great.
And be a blessing.		  ,ב  וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ, לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל
,וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ
וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ
וֶהְיֵה, בְּרָכָה
3. I will bless those people who bless you
And those that curse you, I will curse;
And all the families of the earth shall find
blessing through you [by way of you.”		 ,ג  וַאֲבָרְכָה, מְבָרְכֶיךָ
;וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ, אָאֹר
.וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ, כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה
4. Avram went, as God had told him,
and Lot went with him.
And Avram was seventy-five years old
when he went out of Haran.		 ,ד  וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָם, כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו יְהוָה
;וַיֵּלֶךְ אִתּוֹ, לוֹט
,וְאַבְרָם, בֶּן-חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה
.בְּצֵאתוֹ, מֵחָרָן
5. Avram took Sarai, his wife,
and Lot, his brother’s son,
and all their belongings that they had gained,
and the people they had made their own in Haran;
and they went to go to the land of Canaan.		 ה וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָם אֶת-שָׂרַי אִשְׁתּוֹ
,וְאֶת-לוֹט בֶּן-אָחִיו
,וְאֶת-כָּל-רְכוּשָׁם אֲשֶׁר רָכָשׁוּ
,וְאֶת-הַנֶּפֶשׁ, אֲשֶׁר-עָשׂוּ בְחָרָן; וַיֵּצְאוּ
.לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן, וַיָּבֹאוּ, אַרְצָה כְּנָעַן 
Lech-Lcha-map

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise: The Multiple Meanings of “Lech L’cha”

Exercise: The Multiple Meanings of “Lech L’cha”

Read the sentence on the left – which kind of “Go Forth!” do you think is invoked here? You can mark more than one, but make sure you can explain what you mean in each case. If you mark more than one, show which one you think might be more central than the others (if this is the case).

 

Go forth – leave where you are (for another place) Go for yourself!  (your own benefit) Go to your yourself (to greater self-understanding) Go  – to the person you will become
Sam: “The camping trip will be good for you – you should go!”
Kate: “I’m going to miss you when you leave, but I know the job in Boston pays a higher salary.”
Eli: “I went on this retreat to get in touch with the ‘real me’ – it was very cool. I learned lots about myself.
Zaitlan: “Going to summer camp last year was really important – I really became more self-confident and independent.
Esti: “We are moving to Israel– I don’t want to go, but my parents say it is the only place we can truly be ourselves. But I am my best self right here.
Ronie: “In my head I am such a different person than people around me see – I think the only way I can make that person come out is to start over somewhere else.”
David: “Getting up on Sunday morning for Synagogue School is not fun, but I know that I’ll appreciate the fact that I made this effort when I get older.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go back to the Biblical text – for each of these different forms of “Lech l’cha” – how does that change your reading of Avram’s journey?

Leading Idea: The meaning of ‘Lech L’cha’

Leading Idea:  The Multiple Meanings of Lech L’cha

‘Lech l’cha’ is generally taken as an expression meaning “Go forth”. But this isn’t the only way of reading it. While Lech l’cha on its own is a command (like sit! or stop!), lech on its own means ‘go’ and l’cha’ on its own generally means ‘to you’. What might these mean when put together?

In this unit we explore the following different readings of the phrase ‘Lechl’cha’.

 1. Go forth (move forward, leave where you are)

2. Go for yourself (for your own benefit, for your own good)

3. Go to yourself (as an inner journey)

4. Go to yourself (towards the person you will become)

Each of these offers a different understanding of Avram’s journey.

 

Discussion Plan: Journeys and Journeying

Discussion Plan:  Journeys and Journeying

  1. Does a journey need to have a place of departure? Explain
  2. Does a journey need to have a set destination? Explain
  3. Are there different kinds of journeys? What makes them different?
  4. If I start walking but end up back where I started from, have I taken a journey
  5. Can I end up in a different place without taking a journey?
  6.  Can I take a journey without moving at all?
  7. Can I take a journey while sleeping?
  8. What is the difference between going on a vacation and going on a journey?
  9. Can a journey be both exciting and scary at the same time?
  10. Can a journey be both boring and worthwhile?
  11. Can journeys be good or bad, or is it the things that happen on them that are good or bad?
  12. Could a trip to the end of the street become a journey?
  13. Is there a difference between a journey I take on my own and a journey I take with others? If so, what are some of the differences?
  14. In what ways might a journey change you?
  15. In what ways might a journey surprise you?
  16. Is there a difference between a journey someone instructs you to take, and a journey you choose to take? If so, what are some of the differences?