A Shabbat Message

Any time we go out on a journey of any sort, be it large or small, we always have expectations. In this week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, Abram (not Abraham yet) is told by God to go on a journey to a land that God will show him. God tells Abram that God will bless those who bless him and curse any individual who curses Abram. It’s a beautiful story that we all know, and it marks the beginning of our Jewish people.

However, what I have oftentimes found fascinating is that the journey to the “Promised Land” did not go as smoothly as we like to think. Abram sets out with his wife Sarai, nephew Lot, and their many belongings, but instead of stopping where they are supposed to (modern day Israel), we are told immediately that there was a famine in “the land” and Abram heads to Egypt for food.

There were trials and tribulations in Egypt, including some trickery, but ultimately Abram and Sarai make it out with many more possessions than with they came to Egypt. Only after their time in Egypt does Abram and Sarai then go to the land that God had originally promised them.

What I believe this teaches is that the journey is never as smooth as we think it will be or want it to be. No matter what path we take with our professional, spiritual, or personal lives, there are always curveballs (forgive the baseball analogy) thrown our way. What Abram and Sarai teach us from this week’s parsha is that even when something does not go according to plan, there is always a way to work with any situation and ultimately come out even better for it.

My hope and prayer for us this Shabbat is that each of us finds the strength to follow the paths in our lives that bring us more meaning and to a higher spiritual level.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham