This week’s parshah, Lech Lecha, starts when Abraham is 75 years old. G‑d tells him his first command—to go to a land that He will show him.
Why doesn’t the Torah tell us about his early life; how he recognized his Creator; how he came to understand that G‑d is the one true G‑d and the personal sacrifices he made, standing up for his belief? Why doesn’t the Torah tell us about the kind of person he was, as it does by Noah, saying: “Noah was a righteous man”? What lesson is the Torah trying to impress on us by starting the story of Abraham with a command?
Abraham was the first Jew. His life is a lesson on what being a Jew is all about. The Torah only shares stories of Abraham that provide a lesson for us on how to be a Jew.
By opening with G‑d’s first command to Abraham, G‑d is sending us a message—that the connection between G‑d and a Jew is not based on one’s understanding of G‑d, so that the greater the understanding, the greater the connection. Rather, our connection is because he chose us, regardless of our philosophical or theological understanding. Our connection is greater than any understanding; it is an intrinsic connection with G‑d because he chose us, like he chose Abraham.
By not describing Abraham’s character, G‑d stresses this point: A Jew is always connected, regardless of his or her spiritual state.
Also, opening with a command tells us that our purpose is, first and foremost, to do His commandments.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you need to reach some spiritual level to start doing mitzvahs. The opposite is true; by doing mitzvahs, you experience the infinite connection that is always there.
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