I am currently grappling with the opening words of the Parasha Lech Lecha (Lekh Lecha).
Martin Buber translates it as:
„He spoke to Abraham: ‚Go forth from the land, from your relatives, from your father’s house to the land I will show you.'“
I recognize that there is a direct line between Hashem and Abraham. For God speaks to him.
What is meant by ‚Go forth‘? I interpret it as follows… Grow beyond yourself and don’t prioritize your path over your ego.
This path leads three times away from its origin, the place of his birth. „Go from your country, go from your people, and go to the land I will show you.“
If one can see the land—and by this, Eretz Yisrael is meant—then this means two things. One must be physically present in the land, and one is able to enter the promised land. It is important to recognize that it is God alone who makes this possible.
Therefore, it continues:
„I will make you into a great tribe…“
Which tribe is meant by this? It can only refer to Judah, because the lineage goes from Abraham, through Isaac, to Jacob. Jacob himself is the patriarch of all Jews and thus also the father of all the tribes of Israel. This leads to another answer, because when it says that a great tribe will arise from Abraham, then all the tribes are meant, which, however, are not separate but form one great tribe. This is Am Yisrael in unity.
Shabbat Shalom
Words and Passion 