Abraham was instructed to leave home and change the face of the world. He achieved this not only by travelling extensively and influencing others, but also by searching deeply within himself to find the self-belief to succeed.

Notes:
• The name of the Parhsha, Lech-Lecha, is an instruction to Abraham to go, leave, depart, his home town. But the extra word Lecha, literally ‘for your sake’, has a twofold implication.
• One possibility is that he is instructed to leave for his own good, because the polytheistic society of Mesopotamia was spiritually unhealthy for this pioneer of monotheism. It could see him at loggerheads with the local idol worshippers. His lifework spreading belief in G-d, might be better placed in an area better disposed to the truth.
• The deeper implication is however that G-d was asking Abraham to go deeper into understanding himself and what monotheism really means. We would then retranslate the opening words as ‘Lech’ – go, ‘Lecha’ – into your own deeper self.
• Each one of us goes through life following the same Divine advice. We travel and often find ourselves eventually living in areas distant from home environment. Providentially we are led there because our individual contribution is best expressed in that area.
• And we also need to look deeper into ourselves, introspect, from time to time, to ask ourselves what is our primary motivation in life? What truly drives us? What is the core value that we seek and should espouse?
• May you be successful in both regards, and in so doing enjoy the same success that Abraham did – a single individual, yet one that changed the face of his world for the higher good.