d’var torah
The Eternal Search
BY RABBI GEORGE STERN
Parshat Lech L’cha
A few days before you read this,
Americans and Israelis will
have gone to the polls with
many diff erent ideas about what sort of
future they would like for themselves
and their country.
Th e specifi c outcomes aren’t known
as I write, but this Shabbat’s parshah,
Lech L’cha, provides some insights into
the importance of playing active roles in
determining the future.
Th e fi rst words of the parshah, Lech
L’cha, demand explication. God’s com-
mand to Abram is usually translated as
“go forth.” But that misses the signif-
icance of the lamed (L) in the second
word. According to the medieval com-
mentator Rashi, lech l’cha means “go for
yourself”: Do what God is asking for your
own sake.
I prefer the more literal “go to your-
self,” such as, “Go fi nd yourself, learn
who you are and be that person.” Th at
speaks more to a person’s soul.
In this Jewish foundational story,
Abram sets out on a journey “to a land
that I will show you.” Jewish history,
then, begins with “leaving.” In this
parshah alone, Abram arrives at the
Canaanite site Elon Moreh near Hebron,
“moves on” (Hebrew root ayin-beit-re-
ish, avar) to the east, then heads south to
the Negev. Next, a famine drives him to
Egypt, then he returns to Hebron.
In next week’s parshah, Vayeira,
Abraham (he now has the name we know
him best by) takes perhaps the most fate-
ful journey of all. Responding to another
lech l’cha from God, he takes his son
Isaac to Mt. Moriah, “the place that God
told him of,” where Abraham expects to
have to sacrifi ce Isaac. Th e Hebrew word
for “place” used here is hamakom. It’s
also one of the Hebrew names for God.
Was this “place” Abraham’s intended
destination all along?
I have to think that Abraham had real
doubts about the climb to Mt. Moriah:
Am I really supposed to sacrifi ce my
son? When a voice told him to with-
hold the knife of sacrifi ce, he must have
breathed a huge sigh of relief, realizing
that his doubts were appropriate and
that he all along could have proven his
faith by refusing this call, just as he
had done when he questioned God’s
intent to destroy everyone in Sodom
and Gomorrah. I imagine he wondered,
“Why wasn’t I more forceful with God?”
While we might wish it were otherwise,
it’s not enough to stand for principle only
once or, for that matter, to assume that
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a stance we take today is necessarily the
right one for tomorrow. It is important
always to “keep moving,” to question our
motives, decisions and the “place” we are
in. Indeed, aft er Moriah, Abraham moved
on and even took a second wife.
Th e Place — God, the human soul, the
true self, call it what you will — isn’t one
place at all; it moves as we move. It’s not
simply “found and done.” It’s not the idols
that Abraham’s ancestors worshipped,
nor atop some particular mountain; it’s
not a grand Temple in Jerusalem or a
synagogue. Th e Place, we might say, is in
the journey, the ongoing soul-searching,
questioning and rethinking as life moves
on. Th e Place moves with us. Th e Place is
us, each and every one of us.
Let’s go back to that root word, avar.
Add to it a yod (ayin-beit-reish-yod) and
you get ivri, the word for “Hebrew.” Jews
are Hebrews, people who move from
place to place, who don’t “settle,” but
rather forever search for the Place.
In both American and Israeli society
today, it seems to me that too many have
stopped seeking. Th ey are so afraid of
change, of what’s new, that they would do
anything to fi nd immediate equilibrium,
whether it would be good for them or
not. Th ey are afraid to keep looking.
As Jews, descendants of Abraham the
ivri, we know that the world around us
can be challenging. We also know, with
Abraham, that we have a role to play in
creating the future for ourselves and,
yes, for our nation.
As Rabbi Tarfon said (Pirke Avot
2:21), “It is not incumbent upon you to
complete the work, but neither are you
free to desist from it.” We must always
be movers and shakers. JE
Rabbi George Stern is retired from both
congregational work and executive director
positions at several Philadelphia faith-based
nonprofi ts and attends Germantown Jewish
Centre and Congregation Rodeph Shalom.
Th e Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia
is proud to provide diverse perspectives on
Torah commentary for the Jewish Exponent.
Th e opinions expressed in this column are
the author’s own and do not refl ect the
view of the Board of
Rabbis.
calendar
NOVEMBER 4–NOVEMBER 10
the importance of Holocaust educa-
tion for protecting human rights and
preventing mass atrocity, starting
at 1 p.m. For more information and
to register, contact 215-635-7300,
ext. 155, or mcohen@gratz.edu.
7605 Old York Road, Melrose Park.
MON DAY, N OV. 7
MAHJONG GAME
Melrose B’nai Israel Emanu-El
Sisterhood invites the community
to join our weekly mahjong game at
7 p.m. Cost is $36 per year or free
with MBIEE Sisterhood membership.
For more information, call 215-
635-1505 or email office@mbiee.
org. 8339 Old York Road, Elkins
Park. AARP DRIVING COURSE
THURSDAY, NOV. 10
W E I T Z M A N AC TO R TALK
The Weitzman welcomes the award-winning actor and star of Sterlin
Harjo and Taika Waititi’s critically acclaimed television dramedy
“Reservation Dogs,” Sarah Podemski, to our stage at 7 p.m. Podemski’s
Anishinaabe/Ashkenazi background is a significant factor in her life,
and she is uniquely positioned to speak about indigenous and Jewish
representation in the media. Register at bit.ly/3fWx8Jv.
101 S. Independence Mall E., Philadelphia.
FRI DAY, N OV. 4
PARSHA FOR LIFE
Join Rabbi Alexander Coleman,
Jewish educator and psychother-
apist at the Institute for Jewish
Ethics, at 9 a.m. for a weekly jour-
ney through the weekly Torah
portion with eternal lessons on per-
sonal growth and spirituality. Go to
ijethics.org/weekly-torah-portion. html to receive the Zoom link and
password. BLUES MUSIC SHABBAT
Join Beth Sholom Congregation’s
Rabbi David Glanzberg-Krainin,
Cantor Jacob Agar and the band
at 6 p.m. for a musical Kabbalat
Shabbat service featuring blues
music. The community is welcome
to attend. Call 215-887-1342 for
information. 8231 Old York Road,
Elkins Park.
ART EXHIBIT
After two-and-a-half years, the
Olitsky Gallery presents an exhibit
featuring area artists Cyndi Philkill
and Karen Liebman. The exhibit con-
tinues until Nov. 9. For more infor-
mation, call 267-975-7555. 239
Welsh Road, Upper Dublin.
SUNDAY, N OV. 6
HOLOCAUST TEACH-IN
To kickoff Gratz College’s Holocaust
Teach-In’s day of learning, Elisha
Wiesel and Irwin Cotler will discuss
The Congregations of Shaare
Shamayim will host an AARP Drivers
Two-Day Refresher course on Nov.
7 and 8 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. There
are no tests to pass, and most insur-
ance companies provide a discount
for completing the course. For
details, call the synagogue office
at 215-677-1600. 9768 Verree
Road, Philadelphia.
BOOK CLUB
The Book Club of Congregations
of Shaare Shamayim will host its
November Zoom session at 7 p.m.
For further information or to regis-
ter, contact Lynn Ratmansky at the
synagogue office at 215-677-1600.
9768 Verree Road, Philadelphia.
T U E SDAY, N OV. 8
BINGO WITH BARRY
Join Barry at Tabas Kleinlife for an
afternoon of bingo at 12:45 p.m.
on Nov. 8 and 9. Free parking and
free to play with snacks available
on Nov. 9. For more information,
call 215-745-3127. 2101 Strahle St.,
Philadelphia. SISTERHOOD APPRECIATION
As we celebrate our 60th jubilee
anniversary, the Sisterhood of
Congregations of Shaare Shamayim
will host our membership appre-
ciation meeting at 7:30 p.m. For
further information, call the syn-
agogue office at 215-677-1600.
9768 Verree Road, Philadelphia.
W E D N E SDAY, N OV. 9
LITURGY AND SONG CLASS
In this course at Congregation Kol
Ami from 10:30-11:45 a.m., we will
examine different settings of two
of our most familiar prayers, Mi
Chamocha and Shalom Aleichem,
as we explore how the music makes
us feel and how it lends itself to the
expression of the text. Registration
required to receive Zoom infor-
mation: kolaminj.shulcloud.com/
event/exploringsongnov2022. TH U RSDAY, N OV. 1 0
JRA FOOD PACKING
Volunteers will assist with Jewish
Relief Agency’s pre-distribution
preparation from 10 a.m.-noon.
Volunteers will tape boxes, pack toi-
letries and assemble family-friendly
food bags. For more information
about JRA’s volunteer schedule,
visit jewishrelief.org/calendar.
10980 Dutton Road, Philadelphia.
YIDDISH SHMOOZE GROUP
If you’ve got the chutzpah, join us
for casual conversations and pro-
grams in Yiddish. Congregation Kol
Ami’s Yiddish Schmooze Group will
meet from 10:30-11:45 a.m. on the
second and fourth Thursdays of the
month through June. Registration
is required for Zoom login infor-
mation: kolaminj.shulcloud.com/
event/yiddishgroup. CANASTA GAME
Ohev Shalom of Bucks County
Sisterhood invites the community
to a weekly canasta game from 1-3
p.m. Open play is $4. Call 215-968-
6755 for more information. 944
Second Street Pike, Richboro.
OPEN A BOOK ... OPEN YOUR
MIND The Sisterhood of Har Zion Temple
and the Department of Lifelong
Learning proudly present “Open a
Book … Open Your Mind.” At 7 p.m.,
author Ari Mittleman will present
“Paths of the Righteous.” Admission
is $18 per author or $180 for the
series. For reservations, email
openabook@harziontemple.org or go to harziontemple.org.
1500 Hagys Ford Road,
Penn Valley. JE
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 29