Parashas Lech Lecha

Our Parsha this Shabbos is Parashas Lech Lecha . In this Parsha we are introduced to Avram and his wife Sarai ( Yiscah ) . Two Holy souls who worked to bring HaShem's Shechinah , back to Earth . The Haftorah of Isaiah 40 : 27 - 41:16 continues on this theme , about the progeny of Avraham and Sarah , who is Yitzchak and Yaakov and their descendants, where HaShem will always love Yaakov, the offspring of Avraham , to keep HaShem's Covenant true.The People who were living at that time had now dispersed and the World was now filled with idolatry .
At that time , Nimrod ruled Bavel and his astrologers had told him of the birth of a male child who would overcome him, so he ordered than many thousands of baby boys be killed .The ministers returned after this and told Nimrod, that the danger was still there and that a star was seen above Terach's house. Terach was a well respected nobleman to Nimrod .Avram's Father Terach refused to hand his child over and he knew it was no longer safe for Avram to stay at home. So he commanded his wife ( Avram's Ima ) Amtalai to wrap up the little boy and that he is to be hidden in a cave. At the age of three, amazing Avram , recognized his Creator . He noticed while looking up at the Sun one day ( whom many did worship at that time ) ,that at night time the Sun was no longer apparent and it was replaced by the Moon, which also was overshadowed in the daytime again, by the Sun .Thus he concluded that neither could possibly be the Creator. By daily observing the natural ordered rhythm of the seasons and nature, Avram concluded at this young age that there must be an Intelligent Creator behind it. And so Avram found HaShem , The Almighty . After a while that Nimrod's adviser's predictions never came to pass, Nimrod lifted the decree and Avram was able to return home . Avram brought home with him, the truth of HaShem The One and Only G-D and Creator .
Avram's Father Terach ran a business selling idols. One day , his Father had to go on a trip and left Avram his son in charge , telling him to sell more prestigious idols to more prestigious people and less so, to lesser ones of prestige. As the day went on, a large well to do man came in asking for an idol to fit his prestige. Avram gave him the largest one and as the man took out payment, Avram asked how old the man was. The man answered him and said 50 years old. Avram then proceeded to ask the man of 50 years old how he can hope to pray to a piece of clay, made just one day ago, when the man was 50 years older. The man left the store buying nothing. Then an elderly woman entered , complaining how she had been robbed and her idols stolen too. Avram asked her how she can have faith in something that didn't even have the power to do anything against them being stolen. The woman agreed and left . Then later on another woman came with a flour offering for the idols. Sweet young Avram took an axe and smashed all his Father's idols, but the biggest one, and left the axe next to that biggest idol.
When Avram's Father came back, he was horrified and asked what had happened . Avram proceeded to tell him of how a woman had come in to give flour to the big idol , and all the other idols started to fight over who gets the flour , so the biggest one, took an axe and smashed all the others . Terach scolded his son saying that his son knows they don't speak or move , so Avram retorted back saying, ' then why do you serve them if they have no life at all .' One day , Terach was to serve Nimrod and his son came with him. The service included food given to the false stone idols. Usually when people came into Nimrod's Palace, they had to be sure they would keep their head lower than Nimrod. Avram , did not respect bowing to a man , saying he would only bow to the Almighty and he started to interfere with the idols and break them in Nimrod's Palace. Terach saw he could ignore this no longer , Nimrod sent his soldiers to fetch Avram . Avram did not bow down . Avram asked Nimrod , if he thinks he is a deity, to command the Sun to set in the opposite side the following morning . Nimrod , who had others believe he was a deity, knew he was caught , so he instructed that Avram be imprisoned for ten years . After this Avram again was brought before Nimrod and again , Avram refused to waver, so Nimrod sentenced Avram to be burnt in the Cauldron of Ur Kasdim ( Avram's birthplace ) . Avram was saved by HaShem . Avram's brother Haran was there at the time and decided if he is asked , he will only follow Avram if Avram gets saved , which he was . Seeing as Haran's faith and belief was not there, he was killed in the Cauldron , as Torah tells it ' On the presence of Terach his father . ' So did Avram's strength come down in our Jewish History when our Jewish people faced torture. And killing and burning,' throughout History against the Jews.
Terach knew it was time to leave for Charan . Avram did so with his wife Sarai daughter of his brother Haran , who had been killed in the Furnace . Avram also left with his brother Haran's son Lot .
It was here too that Avram taught of HaShem .
Avram was at 75 years old , that HaShem Came to Avram , as this week's portion says and Told him to 'Lech Lecha," and travel to Canaan. 
We note that when HaShem Comes and Gives Avram, this order, as one of the ten tests , that HaShem Does not even mention Canaan, but just says ( as He Does when Commanding Avraham to the Akeidah ) , that he , Avram is to ' Lech Lecha to the land that HaShem Would Show him . Thus , Avram had to go on pure faith , as Avram didn't even know when he left Charan , where he would be directed , but listened any way , Thus Avram followed HaShem totally and whole-heartedly . 
After this move, Avram headed for Canaan. There was a famine in the land, so Avram diverted to Egypt, where his wife Sarai was taken captive . Pharaoh wanted to marry Sarai and even gave her the land of Goshen ( where the Jews stayed later on in history , when we were slaves there ) Sarai prayed to HaShem , HaShem Afflicted Pharaoh and his house hold . Pharaoh found out about the relationship between Avram and Sarai and has them escorted out of the country. Pharaoh also commanded his own daughter Hagar to go with and serve Sarai.
Lot , while travelling with Avram and Sarai, was with them in Egypt, he saw the idol-worship of that place and was attracted to it . And so a disagreement broke out between Avram's herdsman and Lot's herdsman, for Lot's herdsman would let their cattle graze in other people's fields and Avram and his herdsman would not . When Avram gave him the choice of where to go, Lot , attracted to the idol ways of the direction he was looking toward the South , and so Lot moved toward S'dom , it being more lush at the time .
Subsequently, one day , while Avram was baking Matzah Cakes , for he knew by inspiration , that this day would become Pesach , the Giant Og came calling him to let him know his nephew Lot had been taken captive by King Amrafel ( who was actually Nimrod ) , who had with three other kings overcome the rebellion of five other kings . It was because Og came to call Avram at that moment ( for Amrafel had decimated other giants ) that Avram was baking Matzah cakes , that Og got his name, for ' Cake ' in Hebrew , is ' Uga ." And so came the name of Og the Ogre . Og of course had other motives for he wanted to get Avram killed in battle so he could take his wife Sarai.
Avram got together 318 men and saved his nephew Lot. There is even a Rabbinical opinion, that Avraham only came with his Servant Eliezer , for the Gematrical value of the name ' Eliezer ' is 318 . This was the night of Passover night . Avram killed the Kings including Nimrod as ordained and freed Lot his Nephew . Avram refused reward for his help , even saying he won't even take a 'Shoe - String ' and so , we were Blessed with the Mitzvah of Tzitzis . Avram was Blessed by MelchiTzeddek, who was none other than the very holy Shem , Noach's son who was Avram's ancestor . So Avram gave Shem , a tenth , and so , Avram was the first to separate Maaser ( Pirkei De Rabbi Eliezer ) .
It is then that HaShem Again Blesses Avram and assures him of a son , taking Avram above the Stars and astrology of the time , for the Jew's Destiny , is above the physical, for we are fully under the care of and pathway of HaShem and are not to be guided by the physical signs. 
Still after ten years Avram and Sarai were childless and so, as was the custom after ten years, Sarai gave her handmaid to Avram and so , Yishmael was born . Hagar repeatedly mocked Sarai and so Sarai was harsher on Hagar , who decided to flee . An angel came to Hagar and commanded her to return and submit to Sarai .
At 99 years old, HaShem Commanded Avram about circumcision and so , HaShem entered into a covenant with Avram , had Avram be like Adam , who was Created Circumcized. HaShem Was Giving us another opportunity to fix the World. It was here, that HaShem changed Avram's name to Avraham ( a Gematriah of 248, the same as the limbs of the body , over which Avraham had overcome ) ,'Father of many nations ,' and his wife Sarai was changed to ' Sarah .' On that day, Avraham circumcized himself and so was Avraham's household circumcized . Avraham and Sarah , now with the letter 'Hei' added to their name from. HaShem's Name , would now have a new spiritual opening destiny to procreate and bring in the Jewish Nation . And so ends this Parsha . We thank our Holy Torah for the Beautiful learning and The Midrash Says by Rabbi Weissman for some of the information provided above here .
This Parsha is Parashas Lech Lecha . The words ' Lech Lecha," means '" Go for yourself ." Thus , HaShem Commanding this act of faith of Avram leaving everything he knew and that was familiar, was actually an action to improve Avram and his spiritual holiness. 
Avram was like a bottle of sweet perfume, that would stagnate if kept in one place bottled up, but if allowed to travel and spread its fragrance, could bring in the sweetness of HaShem to permeate the World and spread The Beauty . 
HaShem Commands Avram to " Lech Lecha ," to " Go for yourself ." Thus the Command was to benefit Avram, to go for his own spiritual holiness and growth . This is the same with every test HaShem Gives us. It is for our benefit . It may not always appear so at the time , but it is for us and our betterment. If we add the Gematriah of the words " Lech Lecha,' we get 30+20+30+20=100 . 100 can also be 10 and broken down further, it comes to 1 . This is the minimum number of Brochas a Jew should say every day , instituted by Dovid HaMelech . Thus when we travel away from ourselves, our Physicality, we travel toward HaShem , the Ultimate Brocha . When we do " Lech Lecha, " travel away from the Physical , toward HaShem , we return to be with HaShem where the Ten Commandments ( the Number 10) were given to us . This was a most Holy Time . A time when HaShem Showed us His Closeness .This closeness leads us to embrace the One and Only HaShem our Creator , thus the ' 1 'in the above Gematriah.
The Words '" Lech Lecha ,' cam also be rendered " Go To Yourself ." In other words , HaShem Was Commanding Avram to go to himself , his true holy self and become who he truly is and was meant to be . A man who wants to bring the World to HaShem . Thus " Lech Lecha,' means to Avram , that he should go also for his own sake so he can grow spiritually , which he cannot do fully if he doesn't share himself with the World .And in " Lech Lecha ," referring to " Go to yourself ," that would be in reference to improving ourselves in Holiness , to become the shining example of our true selves , the holy part that HaShem Created . also, Hashem wanted Avram to go from this place for his potential was stagnating in this one place. Hashem Wanted Avram to reach his full potential by spreading his sweet holiness to the World at large.
So this is for us too . HaShem Puts Tests our way ,and these tests are there to aid and assist us Spiritually . To make us grow Spiritually toward G-D . That is the true self , within each and every one of us .Our True Essence , with which to reach high and come closer to HaShem .
So when HaShem Tests us , we should not let ourselves become disheartened , for HaShem Knows our worth and if He Feels we can be tested for greater things, then it means that HaShem has faith in us to be better . Deep down inside of every one of us , is a holier spiritual part . This is the true us . This is that part of us that reaches up to and longs to touch HaShem . As we go through life , we keep being given opportunities to shine and grow . We should thus get into the habit of saying ' Gam Zu Le Tovah ,' - ' Everything is for the Good ,'just as Nachum Ish Gamzu and Rabbi Akiva used to say.
We need to develop trust in HaShem and Believe with our full heart and soul , that HaShem Knows all and that we need to learn to trust Him and know with full certainly that whatever HaShem Does, is Truly for the ultimate best . For HaShem wants us to " Lech Lecha," - Go from what is familiar and just a Physical comfort ," to our true Spiritual Holy Selves within , for that will be for our benefit too , for every step HaShem Has is done , is for ourselves and for Creation . Thus to find our true selves, is to go deeper within us to the Connection we have with HaShem , and to continue travelling on that infinite Holy road and " Lech Lecha ," toward HaShem .
I wish HaShem With Love , a Truly Blessed Shabbos Kodesh with Love , and to all my fellow Jews , a truly Blessed Shabbos Kodesh with love .