Lech-Lecha
Sometimes, in order to arrive, one must first depart.
To reach the ultimate potential, one must leave everything one has known behind. The Creator tells Abraham that he and his offspring are destined to change the world. The first step is to change your own world. Abraham and his wife Sarah journey to the land of Canaan. The road leads them to a close call in Egypt, and a war in Sodom. G-d bonds an eternal pact with Abraham. Childless, Sarah encourages her husband to take another wife. Ishmael was born. At the tender age of 99, Abraham circumcises himself in the eternal bond of brit mila.
Lech Lecha: Are You a Conformist?
Only when one leaves their comfort zone are they able to discover who they truly are.
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Back To The Roots
Today our challenge is to rise above our finite mortality, our flaws and subjectivity, and embrace G-d on G-d’s terms.
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Lech Lecha: Transitions
In simple language this means that as winds of change swirl around us, we find grounding in the timeless values and eternal wellsprings of our soul, by dedicating time each day, each week, to study, pray and be charitable.
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The Greatest Journey Ever Taken
A lonely journey by a single man (accompanied by a small group of people) taken 3747 years ago changed the entire course of history!
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Lech Lecha: Light at the End of the Tunnel
Spiritual lessons from the miraculous rescue of the 33 Chilean miners in the previously unknown city of Copiapó.
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What the Government Shut Down Can Teach Us About Perspective
The key to peaceful disagreement is perspective and humility.
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Abraham Departed From Self to Self
In his journey of discovery, Abraham departed the “land, birthplace and father’s house” of his native Mesopotamia; but this is not the departure of which we are speaking… Abraham received this call many years after he had renounced the pagan ways of his family and birthplace, recognized G-d, and had a profound impact on his society. Still he is told: Go! Depart from your nature, depart from your habits, depart from your rational self. After rejecting your negative, idolatrous origins, you must now also transcend your positive and gainful past. Reach beyond yourself, albeit a perfected self.
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Lech Lecha: Will the True Agitator Rise?
Recognize that sometimes the ones accusing others of being media agitators may be the greatest agitators of them all.
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The Irremovable ‘R’
The true mark of a teacher is one who can convey the most sublime truths to the most ordinary of minds, as Abraham did.
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Experience
The story of Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl’s imprisonment, and its relationship to the story of Abraham.
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A Holy Land
Just as there were two primary modes of sanctification of the Land—the “conquest” mode of the First Temple Era and the “settlement” mode of the Second Temple Era—so, too, are there two modes of sanctification in the macrocosmic endeavor of life.
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The Covenant
The following story was told by Rabbi Israel Spira, the Rebbe of Bluzhov, who had witnessed it firsthand in the Janowska Concentration Camp.
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The Third Millennium
In Abraham’s 75th year, a new era opened – the era of Torah. The era of tifferet, of the harmony and synthesis of the Divinely bestowed and humanly earned.
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Lech Lecho: Iraq – Yesterday and Today
This essay explores the roots of the Iraqian quagmire, and ancient lessons that are relevant today more than ever.
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Genuine Hypocrisy
When Abraham looked at his guests he did not see pagans, idolaters & fetishists; he saw creatures of G-d who had been created in the divine image…
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The Root of Arab Rage
Arab rage against Israel may have many ostensible causes. But at its core root, it stems from the Holy of Holies – from the need and will to control that vital region.
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Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?
The great gift of Torah is that it provides us with a Divine blueprint on how to live our lives. Your unique mission statement is embedded within you.
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Ten Challenges
Just as Abraham endured ten challenges, we, his children, undergo similar challenges. How we will rise to these ten challenges will define our lives.
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Lech Lecha: Abraham’s Vision – Roots of Today’s Conflict
As we shudder in the shadow of September 11 and its aftermath, and we stand uncertain with what lies ahead if us, now is the time to embrace and connect to Abraham’s vision.
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Lech Lecha: Abraham’s Vision – Roots of Today’s Conflict
As we shudder in the shadow of Hamas’ massacre and its aftermath, and we stand uncertain with what lies ahead if us, now is the time to embrace and connect to Abraham’s vision.
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Are You a Pioneer?
Find out how to reconnect to the original you and learn how to discover your own inner pioneer from the first trendsetter of them all: Abraham.
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The Greatest Step Ever Taken: How to Change Your Life
The greatest leap for mankind actually began with Abraham’s first step 3752 years ago. Learn the secret of creating true and lasting change in your life.
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A Deep Dark Dread: How a 3758 Year-Old Vision is Shaping the World Today
Rabbi Simon Jacobson lectures on the challenges facing Israel today and their start with G/d’s vision to Abraham close to 4000 years ago.
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The Secret to Personal Growth: Three Lessons from Abraham
In this week’s Torah Portion, Lech-Lecha, we discuss Abraham . hat fundamental lessons can we learn from him? What impact does his story and journey have on our every day lives?
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