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Lech Lecha: New Creations



When God gave Abraham the order of “Lech-lecha”, the following verse says “And I will make of you…”(Bereshit, 12:2).

It is not written “Va’asimecha”, I will establish you, but rather “Va’asecha”; God told him, “I am actually going to make you into a new creation,” in the same way it states in Bereishis,1:7: “God made -vaya’as- the firmament”(Midrash Tanchuma, Lech Lecha #3).
It is interesting how this concept is echoed further in the text: “The souls that they made in Charan” (Bereshit, 12:5). Rabbi Alexandri taught: this means that Abraham (and Sarah) taught them the fear of Heaven and instructed them the ways of Torah. (Midrash Tanchuma #12). The verse credits them as if they had made them (Rashi).

Abraham leaves Charan with the people he has made. Then, God blesses him by re-making him.

Abraham’s commitment to bringing mankind closer to the Creator was such that he transformed the people he came in contact with. It wasn’t sufficient for him to merely share an inspiring word or teach a single thought and let them go on their merry way; his whole being exuded such deeply rooted conviction and love of God that they would convert- their reality would be changed.

This is someone who can then leave his past behind, start a historical journey, pave way for a new nation and merit to be created anew.

When we make defining choices, and these choices are internalized to the point where the impression we make on others changes them in turn, we are not simply developing ourselves, or growing as individuals-  God is transforming us into a new creation.

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