Parashat Lech Lecha

Lech Lecha
Go from your Land

Go, leave, depart from your homeland; lech – “go” repetition, urgency in leaving.

Go:
1. For yourself from your land (country, earth)
2. from your relatives (kindred)
3. from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

I will:

1. make you a great nation
2. I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing
3. I will bless those who bless you and him who curses you I will curse
4. and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you.

Abram – exalted father
Sarai – princess
Lot – covering
Haran – mountaineer

Canaan – lowland
Shechem – back or shoulder
Plain of Moreh – Moreh “ Teacher” Oak Tree; here where Abraham 1st stopped when he 1st entered Canaan.

Relocated to the mountain east of Bethel. w/ Bethel on the west and Ai on the east.

Bethel – House of YHVH
Ai – Heap of ruins

Built and altar here and invoked YHVH by name.

Journey steadily toward the south (light)

Famine in the land (2nd one); 1st famine in the time of Noah.

Abram descended to Egypt; Egypt – land of the copts