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lech lecha ך ְל־ך ֶל 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 2 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:04 | SR:-- | Cyan

£The Ten Trials of AbrahamThe Ten Trials of AbrahamThe Ten Trials of Abraham
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According to Jewish tradition, God tested Abraham ten times (Pirkei
Avot 5:3). In the first test (according to Rambam’s count), Abraham
was commanded to leave with his family, possessions, and the “souls
he had made [influenced] in Haran” and go where God led him: “Go
out (lech lecha) of your land and the place of your birth and from
your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1).
Having passed the test Abraham would receive a tri-fold Divine
blessing, as the following verse makes clear: “And I will make you
a great nation, and I will bless you and make great your name, and
you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2).
In Abraham’s tenth, and last trial, God commanded Abraham
to take his son Isaac and sacrifice him. Echoing the first test, this
command also contains the words lech lecha (“go out”) and instructs
Abraham to go to the place God will reveal to him: “And go out
(lech lecha) to the land of Moriah and bring him up as an offering
on one of the mountains that I will show you” (Genesis 22:2).
A close examination of the words “lech lecha” reveals a double
meaning: on the one hand, God is telling Abraham to go on a physical
journey, but, on the other, He is instructing Abraham to go on an
inner journey, for the phrase “lech lecha” quite literally means “go
to yourself.” God, in His first direct communication with Abraham,
seems to be implying that leaving one’s land and one’s father’s house
is more than simply a change of location. For this move implies
breaking out of a lifetime of habits and norms and overcoming
physical and spiritual limitations that Abraham may not have even
known he had. This journey will prove to be a qualitative inner
journey, a spiritual struggle. From this we may conclude, that the

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