Go Forth From Your Land

הלכות שבת ה"ז

("The Negev" by Jordana Klein)

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ

Hashem’s instruction to Avrohom to, "go forth from your land," was a hint to every person that he too should “go,” meaning that every person must be careful to “go” wherever he must for his own sake.  The essence of a person, which is what one alludes to when he refers to himself as “I,” is his soul.  The Torah is thus demanding each person to “go” to “himself,” that is, to the source of his soul, for every path one takes, and every journey upon which one embarks is really for the sake of his soul.  All of the paths upon which one walks in this world are really meant to bring him to the essence of his being, which is the source of the soul. 

Furthermore, this is why Hashem tells Avrohom to go forth “from your land,” as the word, eretz-land, literally refers to one’s coarseness and materialism.  One must strive to go forth from his "land" and his birth place, meaning the materialism in which he grew up and is accustomed to.  He must also go out from his father’s place, as sometimes one finds that the lifestyles and world views of his family, friends, and neighbors are the opposite of truth, and he must get up and go to a place where he can unite with the source of his soul.  Every person certainly has the strength to endure all of this, as the Rebbe explains in Torah 49 (LM II).  Hashem never gives a person obstacles he is unable to overcome. 

Hashem then states, “to the land I will show you,” which is Eretz Yisroel.  Eretz Yisroel is the source of the ultimate Holiness, for this is where the Beis HaMikdash stands, and it is the source of all the souls.  For this reason Hashem instructs every person to, “go forth from your land to the land I will show you” -  to the source of your soul.