Lech L´cha: A Command to Go Forth

By Richard Sison | 2016

Introduction

The parsha Lech L’cha literally means "go for you.” This is the fifth and sixth words in the parashah (פָּרָשָׁה) is the third weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It covers the passages of Genesis 12:1–17:27. This parsha is made up of 6,336 Hebrew letters, 1,686 Hebrew words, and 126 verses, and occupies about 208 lines in a Torah Scroll ( סֵפֶרתּוֹרָה , Sefer Torah). Jews read it on the third Sabbath after Simchat Torah.
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The following is the summary of the series of events in this parsha:
1. Abram was told to go to Canaan and Lot went with him (Gen 12:1-9)
2. Abram and company went to Egypt due to the famine in the land and Sarai was taken by Pharaoh but eventually was given back (Gen 12:10-20).
3. Abram and company left Egypt and went to Bethel. Abram and Lot parted ways for the land was unable to sustain both of them due to their excessive flocks and Lot chose the area of Sodom and Abram went to Hebron (Gen 13:6-18)
​4. There were war of the kings. Sodom and Gomorrah and their allies were defeated and looted and Lot was taken as prisoner. Abram and his 318 men defeated the captors and rescued Lot and upon his return was blessed by Melchizedek. (Gen 14:1-24)
5. The L-RD made a covenant with Abraham and was warned that his descendants shall be afflicted them four hundred years but will come back with great substance (Gen 15:1-21)
6. Sarai lost hope and gave Hagar to Abram to have children through her but Hagar was sent away after she despised Sarai but was commanded by the Angel of the L-RD to go back and submit herself to Sarai (Gen16:1-16)
7. The L-RD reiterated His covenant with Abram and instituted the sign of the covenant, which is the circumcision and changed their names to Abraham and Sarah (Gen 17:1-27)

How blessed are those whose offense is forgiven,
those whose sin is covered!
How blessed those to whom Adonai imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no deceit!

Psalms 32:1-2

The message