In the Beginning 07: Lech Lecha

In his introduction to our study of Abram/Abraham and the importance of his story in the Jewish faith, Tim drew our attention to the Hebrew phrase “lech lecha,” which God said to Abram. The phrase essentially means “get going.”  Tim taught that the teaching all of  the great rabbis, regarding this passage, is summed up in words from Avivah Zornberg: “to leave one’s place…is to seek to become another.”  Abram was to leave behind all that he may have thought signified who he was in the world, the identity he’s created for himself. Tim suggested that this is the core of what it means to “get going,” and that the subsequent journey helps a person to find the self that they didn’t know they were missing.  What signifiers do you lean on to define what you think is your self? What things seem important to you when it comes to who you are? Status? Credentials? Wealth? Political or religious ideology? Roles? Accolades? Sacrifices? Accomplishments? What signifiers, accolades, and etc do you think you might need to be willing to release in order to undertake a similar journey with God?  What resistance do you encounter as you consider these questions? What might draw you forward in pursuing the same type of “getting going” into which Abram was directed? What might hold you back?

Tim taught that such a journey can result in the being of oneself, and that living in that way results in the truest blessing: being a blessing to others.  Do you feel like you’ve taken or begun this type of transformative journey in your life?  If not, take a moment to consider (without judgment) why not. How do you feel about the prospect of beginning such a journey someday? What do you think stands between you and the moment in which you would “get going?” If so, to what extent? Did you know you were starting such a journey at its outset? Was it undertaken on purpose? What has it been like? How do you feel about it? What have you learned or are you learning? In what ways do you see change in your self and your life? Share about how your journey has led to blessings for others if you believe it has.

Tim’s final slide said, “on the far side of the journey: laying down one’s life becomes identical with simply living one’s life…they’re one and the same.” Given the context of the sermon, what do you think this means? How would you explain it to someone else? What do you think it looks like?   Does this feel true to you? How does it tally with your own experiences in life? What questions does it prompt in you?