Tag Archives: journeys

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?