Lech Lecha

Big Idea:
Our relationship with God is complex, multidimensional. The Torah describes us as connected religiously, nationally, historically.

As of this Shabbat we will have read about three covenants, "britot" that God has made with humans. The first, the Brit with Noach, was a Brit with all humanity never to destroy the entire world again.
The other two are both in this parsha
In chapter 15 we read about the "brit bein habetarim". You can read the story here

The story of the second brit is a description of Brit milah which you can read here verses 9-14.

So why are there two different covenants? How are they the same? How are they different?
Rav Alex Israel shares his ideas and those of Rabbi Menachem Leibtag to understand these two separate britot. You can read his article here

Here is another thought from Rabbi Arnold Samlan, aka the Notorious RAV about Jewish connectedness you may want to read

How do you feel connected Jewishly? Are you part of the Jewish nation? The Jewish religion? Part of some other aspect of Judaism?

Lech Lecha

A month's, no a year's, no again - a lifetime curriculum could certainly be built around this week's parasha, and if you are studying Torah according to the weekly schedule you surely have to pick and choose - especially since you probably have only a short time with the text.

Lech Lecha

Reading B'reisheet, I always think, is like reading a fast-moving adventure novel. Things happen, one after another, so that you hardly have time to think about all the ramifications of one story line when another catches your attention. Within this week's single parasha there are:

• God's command to Avram to leave and go somewhere - destination unknown (at least to Avram) at the time of the command
• Famine in Canaan, and Avram and Saray's side trip to Egypt
• Division of the land between Lot and Avram
• War among kings in the area resulting in the kidnapping of Lot and his household, and Lot's redemption by Avram
• Meeting of Avram with Melchitzedek, king of Shalem, generally understood to be the first mention of Jerusalem in the Torah
• Foreshadowing of the Egyptian exile, and God's promise to ultimately redeem the people
• Hagar's first separation from the camp of Avram and Saray, and her return
• Birth of Ishmael to Hagar
• Change of name of Avram and Saray to Avraham and Sarah
• Command to circumcise every male in the group
• Promise that Sarah will give birth
• Mass circumcision in the camp of all males.

Surely there is enough here to plan lessons for a semester, if not a year, and we have one week if we are teaching parshat hashavua and need to keep up with the calendar. Lucky it's the month of Heshvan - no holidays coming up!!

Big Ideas: There are so many you'll have to choose. Here are a few suggestions. Fortunately, some are more appropriate for younger learners, some for older students. And, in most cases, we have more than one year to help our students learn Torah. Just be sure that you're not teaching the same thing last year's teacher taught.

• God chose Avraham for reasons we can only imagine to be the inheritor of God's blessing
• It may be necessary to stand apart in order to do what God wants of us
• The path toward following God is not always straight or clear
• People - even fundamentally good people - do not always behave admirably
• Names are significant
• Following God's commandments is not always easy or pain free

Questions:

• What are some stories you know about Avram's childhood? Why do we have midrashim about Avraham's childhood?
• Why do you think Avram had to leave his country, his clan, his family in order to obey God? Which do you think was most difficult for him?
• What do you think about the story of Avram and Saray in Egypt (Chapter 12)? In what way is your opinion of Avram affected by the story?
• What can be the reason for the detailed description of the war among the kings in the area (Chapter 14)
• What two covenants does God make with Avraham in this parasha (in chapter 15 and in chapter 17)? What do they have in common?
• What do all the story segments in this parasha tell us about God? About Avraham? About Sarah? About the land of Israel?

Learning Activities:

• The language in this parasha is not terribly difficult, although some of the stories certainly are challenging. There are a number of phrases that have become basic Hebrew idioms, and you may want to learn them: Debbie Friedman wrote a beautiful song around the words "Lech lecha" which is sung in many religious schools. You can hear it here. Kum v'Hitalech BaAretz, by Yoram Taharlev, is a beautiful song which builds on the words in chapter 13:17 - Kum hit'halech ba'aretz. You can get to Taharlev's website in Hebrew here and there is a an English translation. To hear the song, go here and click on the arrow pointing to the lyrics. For an English translation of the lyrics, look here. What do the words to this song tell you about the lyricist's feelings about Israel?
• If you have the time, and if you have the patience and the interest, please read Noam Zion and Steve Israel's incredibly rich treatment of Avraham, The First Jew, a Journey Begun with a Fateful Choice, from the Shalom Hartman Institute. (This is the same source institution that has brought us A Different Night, an outstanding Haggadah for Pesach.) You will almost certainly not be able to use this in its entirety, but I promise that if you read it you will find pieces that will add to your understanding of Avraham, and will probably give you some ideas for activities in your classroom.