November 7, 2003 D'var TorahDear BSO Congregant, Lech Lecha begins with Chapter 12 in the Book of Genesis. Verse 1 of Chapter 12 clearly is one of the most important verses in the entire Torah. In this verse God first “calls out” to Avram (and Sarai) and commands him, “lech lecha – go forth to the land that I will show you.” The New Jewish Publication Society (NJPS) translation of the Torah, which is the translation used in the Conservative Movement’s Etz Hayim Humash, translates Genesis 12:1 as follows: “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.’” There is something about this translation, which disturbs me. It is not literal enough. While it is not always helpful or necessary to translate a verse of the Torah literally, in this case, I think a more literal translation is crucial. In this verse God tells Abram to “lech lecha - go forth,” but what immediately follows the words “lech lecha – go forth” is not the destination, but rather the points of departure. I emphasize the word points (plural) to indicate that in this verse there are three separate points of departure listed. They are very specific, very clearly indicated and they are all mentioned prior to the destination, which is referenced in very general language. God tells Abram to go to “the land that I will show you.” Yet, God first tells Abram that he must leave and depart “may-artzecha – from your land, u’mi-moledetecha – and from your birthplace, u’mi-bayt avicha – and from the house of your father.” I believe the text is specifically delineating each of these three points of departure to teach us that when we are ready to make a move in life, even if we have a general idea of our destination, we usually have a clearer idea of what we are leaving behind. We know what we have experienced up till now, and we can only imagine what awaits us in the future. The land to which Abram and Sarai are directed is at best a vision in their minds based upon what they hear from the voice of God. It is not yet part of their present reality. That’s why I think Genesis 12:1 mentions in repetitive language, that Abram and Sarai are leaving a geographical locality which happens to be their land, their birthplace and where they grew up. The NJPS translation in Etz Hayim mentions the word “from” only twice, while its corresponding Hebrew prefix “mi" or "may” is found in the verse three times. I think the Hertz Humash (old JPS) translation of Genesis 12:1 is more instructive – “Now the Lord said unto Abram: ‘Get thee out of thy country (first point of departure), and from thy kindred (second point of departure), and from thy father’s house (third point of departure), unto the land that I will show thee.” Simply put, the Torah teaches us a truth we all probably know – it’s
much easier to know what we’re leaving behind, than to truly know
toward what we may be moving in life. Abram and Sarai were wise in listening
to God’s call. They remained wise by continuing to turn to God
for the guidance that eventually will allow their destination to become
at least as clear and as precious as everything they had left behind. Our service on Sunday morning, November 9 will begin at 8:45 AM. Our service on Tuesday morning, November 11 (Veterans' Day) will begin
at 9:00 AM. BSO's own Youth Committee Chair, Rob Goldberg, serves as Hillel's Vice President for Campus Strategic Services. In that capacity, Rob leads a team of professionals at Hillel who proactively serve and advance the agenda of campus Hillel Foundations. Rob travels extensively and is in daily contact with Jewish college students and Hillels throughout North America. We have invited BSO's college students, high school juniors and seniors to join Rob at services (just get here by 10:30 AM). He will share with us changes in the campus community and issues confronting Jewish students as well as invite our students to share their own stories of Jewish life on campus. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Philip Pohl
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