Lech Lecha (You Go)
(Sefer Bereishit) Genesis 12:1-17:10

12:1- “Now YHVH had said unto Avram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from
thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:
4- So Avram departed, as YHVH had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Avram was
seventy and five years old when he departed out of Charan.
6- And Avram passed through the land unto the place of Schem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the
Canaanite was then in the land.
7- And YHVH appeared unto Avram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there built
he an altar unto YHVH, Who appeared unto him.
8- And he removed from there unto a mountain on the east of Bet El and pitched his tent, having
Bet El on the west, and Ai on the east: and there he built an altar unto YHVH, and called upon
the name of YHVH.
13:14- And YHVH said unto Avram after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes and
look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15- For all the land which thou see, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
15:7- And He said unto him, I am YHVH that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee
this land to inherit it.
8- And he said, Adonai YHVH, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
17- And it came to pass, that when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking
furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
18- In the same day YHVH made a covenant with Avram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this
land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
17:1- And when Avram was ninety years old and nine, YHVH appeared to Avram, and said unto
him, I am El Shaddai; walk before Me, and be thou perfect.
2- And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3- And Avram fell on his face: and Elohim talked with him, saying,
4- As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shall be a father of many nations.
5- Neither shall thy name any more be called Avram, but thy name shall be Avraham; for a
father of many nations have I made thee.
7- And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their
generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a Elohim unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8- And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou are a stranger, all
the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their Elohim.”

“O ye seed of Avraham his servant, ye children of Yaakov his chosen. He is YHVH our Elohim: his
judgments are in all the earth. He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word, which he
commanded to a thousand generations. Which covenant he made with Avraham, and his oath
unto Yitzchak; And confirmed the same unto Yaakov for a law and to YIsrael for an everlasting
covenant: Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance.”
(Psalms 105:6-11)

“And he said, Adonai YHVH of Yisrael, there is no Elohim like thee in heaven above or on earth beneath,
who keeps covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:
(1 Kings 8:23)

“Thou are YHVH the Elohim, who did choose Avram, and brought him forth out of Ur of the
Chaldees, and gave him the name of Avraham; And found his heart faithful before thee, and made
a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites,
and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and has performed thy words; for
thou are righteous.”
(Nehemiah 9:7-8)

“When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands,
and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; Then shall they know that I am YHVH their
Elohim, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them
unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.”
(Ezekiel 39:27-28)

Lech Lecha Summary:
1. From Ur to Bet El, The House beyond the Light:
Opening with the to call Avram, the father of the Faith, Lech Lecha outlines the struggles, which face the one pursuing the supernal aliyah. Commanded to leave the city whose name was “light” and travel to place land filled with unwelcome guests, the steps of Avram direct us to a principle that predicates the success of our spiritual ascent, i.e. a ‘hearing ear’ is not the goal of spiritual life but an instrument of advantage, which one can use to receive the invitation to ‘go up’ to Bet El, the house of Elohim. Avram was a man who knew the voice of HaShem, and yet, that was not the end. On the contrary, through the example of this faithful man’s life, all the sons of Yisrael could envision an experiential encounter with the Covenant Maker. By his willingness to believe in a Heavenly bond, deeper than he had previously enjoyed, Avram inherits the blessing as Genesis 15:4 assures:
“And he believed in YHVH; and He counted it to him for righteousness.”
While remaining a nation connected through the strength of His Brit Kodesh, His holy covenant, we are also challenged to embrace the binding promises once delivered to the Patriarchs; as it is the way of the fathers to arrive at Bet El, so must we. This city is the House of HaShem, and this is the realm where HaShem confirms His Covenant. King David, reflecting on Mount Tzion, unveils his heart of wisdom, affirming the call to ascend to the place of the Covenant. In Psalms 122:1 he sings:
“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of YHVH.”
David helps us to identify the commonality we must share, as we as a nation “go up,” affording us the opportunity to approach the Initiator of the Covenant. Then, in verses 3 & 4, David lifts a regal cry for us to hear and embrace the call to go up to the land as it is written:
“Yerushalayim is built as a city that is compact together: Whither the tribes go up, the tribes
of YHVH, unto the testimony of Yisrael, to give thanks unto the name of YHVH.”
It is to this city and to this objective that the tribes of the earth go up. Micah 4:2 verifies the aliyah:
“And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of YHVH, and to
the house of the Elohim of Yaakov; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His
paths: for the Torah shall go forth of Tzion, and the word of YHVH from Yerushalayim.”

2. Deep Calls unto Deep, Come Closer Still:
It behooves us to go up further and ascend without great delay. As for the man that thinks in his heart that he’s already arrived in that city, let him continue the search, singing Song of Songs 3:2
“I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek Him
Whom my soul loves.”
Although it seems risky to abandon the place of familiarity by an abrupt departure for the mountain of
holiness, we must have confidence that the promises are attainable. Proportionate to the degree of our
being set apart from the business of life and leaving behind the amusing old ways, which contend for
our focus, is the blessing, and so Yisrael, hear the words of 1 Chronicles 16:15-17, entreating us to:
“Be ye mindful always of His covenant; the word which He commanded to a thousand generations;
Even of the covenant, which He made with Avraham and of His oath unto Yitzchak; And has
confirmed the same to Yaakov for a law, and to Yisrael for an everlasting covenant, saying, Unto
thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance.”
Go up! This is our call. Look up to the Eternal and His fire. Psalms 27:8 tells of the faithful reply:
“When Thou said, Seek ye My face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, YHVH, will I seek.”