Shabbat Parashat Lech Lecha - 5784

Shabbat Parashat Lech Lecha - 5784

Rabbi Hal Miller And I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you and I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. [Bereishit 12:2] What does that last phrase mean? The translation is pretty clear: and you will be a blessing. The first three phrases are easy to understand, but what was God telling Avram here? Bereishit Rabbah [39:11] explains the word berachah as a pool or pond rather than as a blessing, which is also a legitimate understanding. The Midrash says "just as a pool purifies the unclean, so do you bring near to Me those who are distant." But most commentators understand it as blessing. In context, blessing makes sense, since the following verse says "all the families of the earth will be blessed through you". Rashi explains "The blessings are put into your hand. Until now they were in My hand, but from now on, you will bless whomever you wish." Avraham thus has been given the power to bless people. Or HaChayim says that the reason Avraham became a source of blessing was that he left his father's house when God commanded it. Onkelos disagrees and says blessing only comes from God, thus we should read our phrase, "and I will bless you". Rav Schwab understands these two verses refer to Avraham becoming a conduit for blessing rather than a source. Rav Hirsch says that everyone strives, not to be a blessing, but to be blessed. Avraham here, and his generations of the future, are being called to be the blessing, to dedicate themselves to do what Avraham was doing, bringing good to the world and being a role model for others. In this context, even the Bereishit Rabbah explanation fits with the others. Avraham, and his progeny, are the pool or mikveh by which the rest of the world can be purified. We are to be models to the world, bringing all mankind back to God. To do this, we must follow the example of our father Avraham in how we live and act.