Lech Lecha: Journey to Truth
Dear friend,
Have you been watching the debates? Many political commentators have called this cycle of U.S. presidential debates the most exciting, yet contentious, in history. The air is thick with tension, as each candidate tries to sway another American mind to his side.
When each candidate is speaking, I find him so eminently believable. But then his opponent says the exact opposite, and I find my head nodding in agreement with him. Whom to trust? Don’t you wish there could be a little truth-o-meter displayed above their heads, with real-time points given to the more factual candidate? Oh, the elusive truth . . .
The Midrash tells us the prequel to Abraham’s story, which we read this week: Abraham was not satisfied with the falsehood of idolatry, and dug deeply into his mind and soul to uncover the truth of monotheism. That is the legacy of our forefather. Truth.
In a world of opposing viewpoints, elusive facts and conflicting fact-checkers, let’s recognize the value of divine truth, and actively seek to live that truth in our daily lives as taught in the Torah. Like Abraham, don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo—even your own!
Moshe Rosenberg,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
G‑d did not choose Abraham. It was his inherent superiority, and the fact that he was ready to give everything up for the sake of G‑d, that compelled G‑d to choose him.
The information the Torah “neglects” to tell us regarding Abraham and Sarah’s youth teaches a lesson about our spiritual journey through life.
Who is the true spiritual leader? Is it the venerable sage who sits alone, nose buried in an ancient tome, or the fellow on the streets, who guides the perplexed and who mentors seeking souls?
Abram travels to Canaan, Sarai is taken captive by Pharaoh, and Lot settles in the evil city of Sodom. G‑d promises the Land of Israel to Abram’s descendants. Ishmael is born, Abram becomes Abraham, Sarai becomes Sarah, and they are promised a son. Abraham circumcises himself.
The bris is a physical symbol of the relationship between G‑d and the Jewish people. It is a constant reminder of what the Jewish mission entails.
I have noticed that people place the mezuzahs on their doorposts on an angle. Is there a reason for this?
Yaakov wants Elijah the Prophet to appear to him. This stop-motion animation teaches children about the power of kindness. Starring Roseanne Barr.
When Abraham feared that the Egyptians would kill him in order to take his wife, he asked her to pretend that she was his sister. Let us examine the texts.
Why do we break a glass and shout “Mazal tov!” at the end of a Jewish marriage ceremony?
It’s always good to have a good excuse to go to bed, and now, finally, you can do it without feeling guilty.
The elevator reached the fourth floor. The doors slid open, but I was tempted to hit “lobby” and push this off for a week. I was returning home from vacation.
How is it possible to get to know a person well before the wedding? Here is some practical dating advice from the Rebbe.
Neither parent seemed to notice the presence of their young daughter in the entranceway. I was only ten at the time, but my sensitive nature detected that the room was full of their love for each other . . .
The chassidic community was in shock. Their rebbe was leaving them and moving to Israel.
As is known, the life of a tzaddik is not a physical life but a spiritual life, consisting wholly of faith, awe, and love of G-d... While the tzaddik was alive on earth, these three attributes were contained in their physical vessel and garment on the plane of physical space... his disciples received but a reflection of these attributes, a ray radiating beyond this vessel by means of his holy utterances and thoughts... But after his passing... whoever is close to him can receive a [far loftier dimension] of these three attributes, since they are no longer confined within a [material] vessel, nor bounded by physical space.
Look deeply and you will see that the Torah does not know of man and woman as separate beings.
Each act is performed once through a single body—a body that in our world may appear as two, but which the Torah sees as one.
On the contrary, for both to be assigned the same mitzvah would be redundant, for why should one hal...
