A Father’s Plan: A Lech Lecha Ten Commandments’ Moment?

The Lech Lecha Torah Portion cannot be read in isolation. Immediately prior to it, the Torah passages provide a contextual dimension to Abraham. These pre-Lech Lecha facts are often not addressed in extra-biblical renditions of the story. They may, however, reveal Lech Lecha’s Ten Commandments’ connection like other Book of Genesis passages.

Before “Lech Lecha”, the Torah reveals that Abraham’s Promised Land venture was not an original destination. Rather, the Abraham’s family already intended on moving to Canaan. Thus, long before “Lech Lecha” was ever uttered by God, Abraham’s father aspired to make what was to become the Promised Land their family home

Thus, the Deity’s pronouncement of “[g]o from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house to the land that I’ll show you,” Genesis 12:1, should not be viewed without addressing the wrinkle. He is being told to go to a location he was already supposed to go to.

Prior to Lech Lecha, Genesis 11:31 offers up this contention. “Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.”

Beyond their ultimate destination, we learn more about Abraham’s background. We know the family composition, that his father passed and that his wife Sarah was beset with infertility.

Thus, before Abraham’s encounter with God, Abraham faced a multitude of life challenges: no progeny, a likely obligation to keep a watchful eye over his nephew Lot, and awareness that his father’s family vision had not be completed.

Moving into the Portion Lech Lecha, the pre-Lech Lecha background is supplemented. We learn that the family is perhaps wealthy. While in Harran, had accumulated not only property but also people. Perhaps, the family’s life was so comfortable in Harran that it derailed Terah’s ambition to move to Canaan.

Thus, when God was expressing his plans to Abraham, what was the intent? The wording is mysterious. If his father had passed away, why would God tell Abraham had to move out of his father’ house? Was Terah someone so noble that he had a house, i.e. “the House of David”? Or, was Abraham living in the house that Terah built in Harran? Or, was this meant to detach himself from the identify of his deceased father?

Perhaps, the Deity’s message in part was that it was time to move along and fulfill his father’s goal. Lech Lecha was Abraham’s moment to honor his father by completing the task that his father was unable to accomplish. Abraham would be the one who would complete the journey which was started under Terah’s leadership.

As the text show, God’s directive forced Abraham into making difficult decision making. They would finally uproot themselves from the comfortable setting of Harran.

Conclusion

In sum, “You need to go where you were supposed to go” could have been God’s charge in Lech Lecha. Was the command part of some family destiny? Was the appeal tied into the connection that Terah’s unfinished business that Abraham needed to complete? Could this moment have an undercurrent of honoring one’s parent. As discussed in the post concerning the Noahide Laws vs. the Decalogue, the commandment to honor one’s parent is unique to the Ten Commandments. Did Lech Lecha plant the seed with respect to the Commandment?

Be well!!

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