Community Torah Corner - October 31, 2025

This week’s parsha, Lech Lecha, begins a pivotal moment in the Torah. It tells the story of Avraham, who is called by Hashem to leave his home, his family, and everything familiar to him, and travel to a land that Hashem will show him. Before this, the Torah describes Avraham’s background and his family lineage, showing that he is part of a world still shaped by the aftermath of Noah’s generation. But now, Hashem chooses Avraham for a unique mission — to start something completely new: the beginning of the Jewish people.

While living in the country of Charan at 75 years old, Abraham is told by Hashem, “לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃”. “Go forth from your land, your birthplace, and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.”

With this command, Avraham is asked to leave everything familiar — his home, his nation, his entire world — and travel to an unknown place. What’s interesting is that Hashem doesn’t even tell Avraham where he’s going. There’s no map, no directions, just, “Go to the land that I will show you.”

And without hesitation, Avraham goes.

This moment is really the foundation of what we call emunah, or faith. It shows that faith isn’t just believing in something when it’s clear and easy, it’s trusting when you don’t know what’s coming next.

Avraham teaches us that real faith means stepping forward even when the path isn’t clear. He doesn’t need to see the full picture to move ahead; he trusts that Hashem has a plan, even if he doesn’t understand it yet.

We can all relate to that in our own lives. There are so many moments when we have to take steps without knowing what’s going to happen — starting a new class, joining a new group, or just trying something we’re not sure we’ll succeed at. It’s scary to face the unknown, but Lech Lecha reminds us that sometimes the most important thing we can do is to simply take that first step.

Having faith doesn’t mean never feeling nervous or unsure. It means choosing to move forward anyway, trusting that, like Avraham, we’ll find our way.

Avraham’s one act of faith changed the course of history. And while our choices may not seem that meaningful, every time we take a small leap of faith, trying, trusting, or starting something new,  we’re following in his footsteps.

So this week, as we read Lech Lecha, we can all think about our own “lech lecha” moments — the times when we’ve had to step into something uncertain — and remember that faith isn’t about knowing the destination. It’s about believing that every step forward brings us closer to where we’re meant to be.