(הֶמְשֵׁךְ שִׂיחָה הַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל): בְּרֵאשִׁית אִיז אַ פרֵיילִיכעֶ סִדְרָה, אֲפִלּוּ דער סוֹף אִיז נִיט גאָר אַזוֹי געֶשׁמאַק. נֹחַ אִיז דעֶר מַבּוּל, אָבּעֶר אַ פרֵיילִיכעֶר סוֹף וואָךְ — געֶבּאָרעֶן געֶוואָרעֶן אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ. דִי אֱמֶת פרֵיילִיכעֶ וואָךְ אִיז פָּרָשַׁת לֶךְ לְךָ, אַלעֶ טעֶג פוּן דעֶר וואָךְ לעֶבּט מעֶן מִיט אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ, דעֶר עֶרשׁטעֶר וועֶלכעֶר האָט זִיך מוֹסֵר נֶפֶשׁ געֶוועֶן אוֹיף מְפַרְסֵם זַיין ג-טלִיכקַייט אוֹיף דעֶר וועֶלט, אוּן זַיין מְסִירַת נֶפֶשׁ האָט אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ אִיבּעֶרגעֶגעֶבּעֶן בִּיְרוּשָׁה צוּ אַלעֶ אִידעֶן.

In the above-mentioned talk, the Rebbe Rashab continued: “Bereishis is a happy parshah, even though its conclusion is not so pleasant. Noach is [the parshah of] the Flood, but the end of the week is cheerful: our Patriarch Avraham is born.

“The really joyful week is Lech Lecha, for throughout that entire week we live with Avraham, who was the first to utterly devote his life to proclaiming G‑d’s existence in the world. And this mesirus nefesh he bequeathed as an inheritance to all Jews.”1

Living in This World

As long we are preoccupied with our own personal status, whether material or spiritual, we are likely to be unhappy, for our sense of worth is based on what we have, and whether it is money, knowledge, or spiritual experiences, it is rarely enough. Happiness, however, can be found — by transcending self-concern, and investing our personal resources in a purpose of greater scope than ourselves.

Teenagers seeking “highs” are really seeking moments of self-transcendence. Similarly, this desire can be seen as the inner motivator behind the hero worship and even the identification with sports teams that prevail throughout our culture. By contrast, true self-transcendence comes from identifying with G‑d’s purpose for creation. In this way we connect to something genuinely infinite. And accordingly, the pleasurable well-being that this connection generates is lasting.

Avraham Avinu did more than merely model this approach to life; he endowed us with it as a spiritual inheritance, and implanted in our souls a desire for this experience of genuine self-transcendence.