“The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me. The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them.” — George Bernard Shaw
The opening lines of Parashat Lech Lecha represent a “nisayon”, one of the ten tests of Abraham, although commentaries differ as to how it is numbered among them (see Avot 5:3, with Rashi, Maimonides, and Rabbenu Yonah). What is particularly surprising is a comment in the midrash that suggests that this test may have even more challenging than the other one that included the words “Lech Lecha”, i.e. the akeidah, the binding and near-sacrifice of Isaac. This seems baffling; the very nature of this instruction as a test is already difficult to understand, as Rashi fills in the words “l’hanat’cha u’l’tovat’cha”, the journey will be for Abraham’s benefit. If so, it seems this was barely a “test” at all. Certainly, the notion that it could be challenging on a level to rival the near-sacrifice of Abraham’s beloved son is very difficult to understand.
To some commentaries, the challenge lay in the very fact of the personal benefit it contained; the test was to see if Abraham could carry out the instruction for the sake of God’s message, rather than any ulterior motive. Similarly, others felt that the mundane nature of this challenge raises it above the more dramatic akeidah; the true test of faith is in day-to-day challenges, more than isolated moments of extreme performance (it is, for this reason, the Maharal explains, the Torah does not include the extraordinary story of Abraham‘s rescue from the fiery furnace).
One approach to understanding this particular nisayon may come from a possible perspective on the akeidah itself. As some understand (see Darash Moshe, Meorot Yitzchak), the purpose of the nisyonot were not to test Abraham, as certainly God needed no extra information; rather they were to elevate Abraham to new levels of faith. In the case of the akeidah, Abraham had been promised a large nation would come from him, specifically through Isaac. Now, that seemed impossible, as he was apparently destined to be sacrificed before having any children. Can God’s promise still possibly be true in any way?
In such a sense, the challenge of Lech Lecha can be framed as well. Often, we have preconceived notions of what success looks like and what the path to happiness entails. If we are promised that we will be granted great blessings, but we are told that requires uprooting ourselves from our “land, birthplace, home of our fathers” and to pursue a vision completely different from that we had always expected, it takes great faith to believe that success actually can assume a different form. The investment we have made in the path we have taken this far is one that is very difficult to abandon, and to accept that happiness can be very found in a very different fashion requires great faith indeed.
R. Eliezer Geldzehler (Sichot R. Eliezer) notes that much can be discerned from the language that gives the parshah its name. Lech– go – “Lecha”, to yourself; the purpose of a nisayon is make the potential actual; it is only thus that one’s abilities can actually be claimed as their own (a theme often emphasized as well by R. Chaim Yaakov Goldvicht). “Lecha”, to yourself, because every individual has unique challenges and abilities; to be jealous of another’s resources is folly, once it is realized that one’s personal challenges can only be addressed with their unique toolset, and what seems like the superior assets of another may actually be inadequate to the task. “Lech”, go, because it is a constant journey, as that is the purpose of life, to continuously develop one’s potential.
MeArtzecha, from your homeland, as often doing so requires creating the proper conducive environment, even if that requires a difficult process of relocation. In his book "Talking to Strangers," Malcolm Gladwell discusses the concept of coupling, which is the idea that some behaviors are determined not necessarily by one's personality but rather are linked to circumstances or environments. Recognizing this crucial reality is often the first step of our personal journey.
Returning to the commentary of Rashi, taking his comments together on the opening verses, one may sense somewhat of a tension. At first, his original comment indicated that the trip is the source of blessing. His subsequent comments, however, imply that the journey itself is a challenge, and blessings will be needed to offset its effects.
Indeed, both can be true at once. A “nisayon” is a journey of elevation, development, and personal evolution. It is not necessarily simple or pleasant. It can often bring with it moments of intense self-doubt and second-guessing. Nonetheless, it is ultimately a blessing; a process through which one walks into his potential, makes it actual, and emerges the person he was meant to become.
Rabbi Feldman
