The title of today’s Sidra is Lech Lecha which means go for yourself. This interesting expression occurs only once more in the entire Bible, in the story of the Binding of Isaac. This means that it symbolises Abram’s unique mission to go and spread the knowledge of God everywhere. There are two explanations for the word Lecha in this expression. According to the Prince of Commentators, Rashi, it means: Go for your own benefit; namely, because from this journey you will derive contentment and a sense of achievement. According to another view, this and similar expressions denote a journey in which the traveller separates himself from his relatives and other people with whom he is living at present.
One of the most discussed questions regarding Abram’s emergence into prominence is the fact that nothing is mentioned about his life, before this command. Also, it is difficult to understand why God did not appear to him when he told him to leave his home. Abram’s first divine vision was when he arrived in the land of Canaan. We only have to compare it with the story of Noa’ch, in the previous Sidra. In the case of No’ach, we are given a full explanation as to why he was selected to be the survivor. The Torah tells us that he was a righteous and perfect man in his generations. By contrast, no information whatsoever is given about Abram. He appears on the scene suddenly without comment. The answer seems to be that Abram discovered God. It was his initiative to proclaim the concept of monotheism in a polytheistic world. We might say that he selected himself. Therefore, it is most appropriate that his mission should begin with the Almighty commanding him. In other words, God did not choose Abram, but Abram chose God. It follows, that we, the Jewish people, who are the children of Abraham, became the chosen people because our forefather, Abram, chose God.
We are told that Abram began his journey at the age of 75. This information is given to emphasise the great sacrifice that Abram made when he began to undertake his mission. The journey was not at all easy. It is to be noted that the Torah reports that Terach, Abram’s father, also left Ur. He also wanted to migrate to the land of Canaan, probably for economic reasons. He took his family and travelled from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran. In Haran, Terach died. He never reached his destination.
The distance between these two cities was 1300 km. for Abram it was only the first part of the journey. From there Abram, and his immediate family, travelled to the land of Canaan and then to Egypt. Altogether, he covered a distance of at least 3 ½ thousand kilometres. This is an extremely long and hard journey, when we consider that they had to cross a chain of a very high mountainous area in the Lebanon.
Given Abram’s age, and other chronological details in his life, it seems that God’s call to Abram to leave his home took place already in Ur of the Chaldees. In that case, his reason for leaving Ur was not the same as the reason why Terach, his father, left. Also, whereas Terach had a clear destination, Abram did not. God simply told him to go to the land that he would show him. This was also one of Abraham’s great challenges. To leave his home and the country, in which he had lived all your life, without knowing where he was going, required enormous faith in God.
Abram and Sarai did not travel on their own. In chapter 12 verse 5, we read that they took with them people whom they had bought. Some commentators presume that these were slaves and maidservants. According to another view, these people were converts to monotheism. Our rabbis say that Abram converted the men and Sarai converted the women. In other words, Abram’s great work to transform the religious beliefs of his contemporaries began in Ur of the Chaldees and continued in the land of Canaan.
After Abram settled in the land, tension arose between Lot’s shepherds and Abram’s shepherds. There wasn’t enough grass for their livestock. In chapter 13, verse 7, we read: “There was friction between Abram’s shepherds and lots shepherds, in the Canaanites and the Perizites were already living in the land at that time.” The question is asked: What is the connection between the first part of the verse and the second part of the verse? Why is it important to mention the Canaanites and Perizites in the context of Abram’s problems with Lot? To teach us that a quarrel between two brothers is condemnable everywhere and at all times. But, it is all the more serious, when the two brothers are surrounded by envious and hostile neighbours. The statement about the Canaanites tells us that they were happy to see the new family, living in their midst, involved in an internal feud. Moreover, it is interesting that the verse uses the singular form Yoshev, about both the Canaanites and the Perizites. The singular form emphasises that these two nations were united, which made Abram’s difficulties with Lot all the more dangerous. The Jewish people always have to take great care and avoid disunity and friction amongst themselves.
For Abram, the dispute with Lot was most distressing. Lot had been orphaned early in his life. At first, he was brought up by his grandfather, Terach. The task was then taken over by Abram who went on to treat his nephew with unfailing love and tenderness. Although Abram had the right to first choice, he ceded that right to his nephew. He dealt with Lot most generously. His words to him, before they parted, were gentle and kind. Lot chose to settle in the Jordan Plain, in the midst of the cities of the plain, pitching his tent near Sodom. In the last verse of the paragraph, the Torah formally criticises Lot for settling amongst very wicked sinners.
In Hebrew the Jordan plain was called Kikkar. This is a familiar word in modern Israel. It usually means a circle and this is why we find Kikkar Dizengoff, in the centre of Tel Aviv. The word is also used for a flap of bread, which is also round and flat. In our context, the word Kikkar is used in the sense that the Jordan Valley, where Lot settled, was flat. It was also most fertile because it had its own supply of water.
Abram’s and Lot’s sad separation was the first example in which we see Abram’s peace loving and kind nature.