This week's Torah portion is Parshat Lech Lecha. It is in this Parsha, that G-d chooses Abraham to be the father of the Jewish people and asks him to leave his family and travel to the land of Canaan. Abraham listened to G-d without any questions. He left his home, and his family to start a new life. He starts his journey alongside his wife Sarah and his nephew Lot. There is a devastating famine in the land of Canaan, so they are forced to seek refuge in the land of Egypt. After achieving financial success in Egypt, Abraham and his entourage continue on their way to the promised land. After arriving in the land Abraham has two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. After which G-d asks him to circumcise himself and all the males in his household to create a covenant between themselves and G-d.

 This story of our forefathers is probably one you have heard many times, but have you ever thought about why Abraham blindly followed G-d in a seemingly strange plan? After all, it must have been quite difficult for Abraham to leave behind his family and leave the country he knew. Additionally, he was never even told the exact destination, he was simply directed by G-d to travel the land that “I will show you.” How was he able to blindly follow G-d’s directive?

 Belief in G-d was certainly not the predominant way of thinking in Abraham’s generation. However, Abraham lived his life with complete trust and faith in his creator. He may have been the only person in his generation who believed in G-d, and he believed that G-d had his best interest in mind. Therefore, he moved away from his comfortable life at home to start a new one in Canaan. He understood that even if it made no sense to him, that was ultimately his destiny.

 As high school students our lives are quite literally a roller coaster. We are constantly trying new things and meeting new people. This all can be very overwhelming at times. Within our stressful lives, we each seek moments of calm that form our very own promise land. Those are the moments that we are truly happy and can forget all the stress, which makes it all worth it. Hopefully, our time at BBYO experiences is filled with fun and exciting new opportunities, so that we can all be like Abraham and take that leap of faith to our personal promised land.  

Shabbat Shalom,

NTO Regional Shlicha, Shayna Rubinstein

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