DRASH – LECH LECHA

Rabbi Dr. Esther Jilovsky

There are words in the English language that have multiple meanings. Without context, one might assume that the Melbourne Cricket Ground is named after the insect that chirps persistently on hot summer nights. A windy clock could be a clock that needs winding in order to function, or a clock that’s caught in a blustery gale. The printed phrase ‘I read a book’ can mean either:  I’m currently reading a book right now, or: I read a book sometime before now. It can be read both ways (pun absolutely intended!).

This week’s parasha Lech Lecha begins a new chapter of our people’s story, both literally and figuratively. After the devastation of the flood, and the dispersion after the Tower of Babel, the Torah introduces Avram and his wife Sarai (later Avraham and Sarah):

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃

‘The Eternal said to Avram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.’ (Genesis 12:1)

It’s the first time that God speaks to Avram (he becomes Avraham later in this parasha). God tells him: lech lecha, translated here as ‘go forth.’ These two words, which are also the name of the parasha, can be read in different ways. The alliteration emphasises the repetition of the same word, albeit in a slightly different form. The base form lech comes from the verb meaning ‘go’ or ‘walk.’ So, God is telling Avraham to go, to depart, to leave. But why is the word repeated?

In the Torah, every letter holds meaning. Jewish tradition teaches that every single letter in the Torah is there for a reason. There is nothing superfluous. Written in Hebrew without vowels, just as in a Torah scroll, the two words of לך לך, lech lecha are identical.

It’s possible to interpret the repetition of this Hebrew word in two main ways. The first reading is to understand it as a grammatical intensifier, similar to ‘very’ in English. That’s why it’s often translated as God telling Avraham to ‘Go forth!’ rather than simply: ‘Go!’ It could also be translated as: ‘go forward’ or ‘go on your way.’

The second interpretation arises from considering the verse in its entirety, not just those two words. Avraham is about to embark upon a significant journey. Rashi’s commentary focuses on the reason for this journey, namely the promises that the Eternal makes to Avraham. To Rashi, lech lecha means ‘go for yourself,’ because it must mean ‘for your own benefit, for your own good.’ Grammatically, it entails recognising the second word lecha as an inflected preposition.

Rashi surmises that if Avraham stays in Haran, he will not have children, and will not become a great nation, nor become a great name, as God promises him. According to Rashi, Avraham will only merit these things if he follows God’s direction and leaves his native land. Thus, the repeated word is not just emphasis, but carries a deeper meaning that turns the physical journey into one that also comprises personal growth and spiritual development.

To conclude, how might we incorporate God’s message to Avraham into our lives today? Or, what’s this got to do with cricket? I’ll share one more interpretation of lech lecha. It can also mean: ‘Go forth for yourself.’ Go on your journey. Leave your home. Explore the world. Follow your heart. Your journey might lead you far away. Or it might lead you back to exactly where you started. Either way, trust that once you are on your own journey, like Avraham, it will lead you exactly where you’re meant to be.

Shabbat shalom!

Rabbi Dr Esther Jilovsky is a Melbourne-based Rabbi. She is the author of Remembering the Holocaust: Generations, Witnessing and Place (2015), and was ordained at Hebrew Union College in 2021.