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Lech Lecha

Finding Yourself

Many books have been written to help people find themselves. There are various methods suggested and different exercises offered all with the goal of assisting people with understanding who they are and they are here to accomplish.
If you are not the reading type you can try traveling to a distant land in search of yourself. During my years as a rabbinic intern, I had the privilege of traveling around the world to lead services and teach others. I can’t tell you how many times I met other travels who told me that they came to this remote location to find themselves. I sometimes wondered how yourself got to such a far away place without you knowing that it went there.
In the very beginning of this week’s Torah portion, G-d gives Abraham a simple directive and hidden within it is Torah’s view on how one can find themselves.
G-d tells Abraham to leave his land, leave his birthplace and the house of his father and travel to an unnamed land. Within this verse is the method prescribed by G-d for all seekers.
If we are able to leave our land, to leave the societal expectations that we somehow measure ourselves against and if we are able to leave our birthplace, if we can shed the local influence and flavor with which we see ourselves and finally, if we can leave the house of our parents, if we can grow up and out of the confines of our childhood THEN we can reach the unnamed land, the land of ourselves.
Happy travels,
Rabbi Mendy Hecht
October 27, 2017 | From the Board of Directors | 0

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