Lech L’cha: “Go For Yourself”
Rashi explains that Lech L’cha means to go for your benefit and pleasure.
“There I will make you into a great nation, while here you cannot have children. In
addition, I will make êòáè [your nature or name] known in the world.”
On the words, “I will make you into a great nation,” Rashi elucidates that,
ordinarily, traveling negatively impacts three things: procreative capacity, money, and
fame. For this reason, Hashem promised Avraham that his journeys would bring him
children, wealth, and renown.
It is well known that Avraham was so completely unconcerned with the material
that he was willing to be cast into the fire for Hashem’s honor. Surely he served Hashem
with complete self-sacrifice at all times. As Chazal said, “The Avos were themselves the
Merkavah or Divine chariot, as it were.”3
It is only possible to be the vehicle that bears
Hashem’s glory if one has first attained the deep self-sacrifice which is an aspect of
Arich Anpin. What possible motivation could material promises have held for him?
Surely such promises were far below his exalted level.
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