Lech Lecha: 5785 - 'Lech Lecha': What drives Israelis to travel to all sorts of remote places in the world? Rabbi Shimon Zonnenfeld, at the conclusion of the daily Daf Yomi class of Rabbi Betzalel Mizrachi…

00:00 Speaker 1 Please.

00:03 Speaker 2 There’s a story about Moses Montefiore, who lived in England and held a noble title. Once, while walking down a street in London, he encountered the royal carriage. The king himself recognized him, stopped, asked how he was, and then asked, “Where are you going?” Montefiore replied, “I don’t know.” What did he mean, he didn’t know? It sounded like an insolent answer. He didn’t know where he was going? Two soldiers immediately put him in handcuffs and took him to prison. Of course, he was released a few hours later. The king asked him, “Why did you give me an answer like that?” He replied, “Well, there’s your proof. You see? I thought I was going to the synagogue. I ended up in prison. Do I know where I’m going?” It’s a nice story. What does it have to do with the weekly parsha? Hakadosh Boruch Hu tells Avraham Avinu, “Lech lecha—go forth.” The Rebbe Rashab once said to someone: From the time Hakadosh Boruch Hu told Avraham Avinu, a”h, “Go forth from your land,” and it says, “Avram journeyed on, traveling toward the south,” the work of refining the sparks began. By the decree of Divine Providence, a person travels to the place where the sparks that need to be refined by him are waiting for their redemption. A person doesn’t just go somewhere; he is led to the place where he needs to carry out that refinement. Since Avraham first received the command “Lech lecha,” this has been true for every Jew. We see it even today: many young Israelis, after finishing their army service, travel to the Far East, to South America, to all sorts of remote places. What drives them? They think they want a change of scene, that they want to rest, that they’re searching for themselves. No. Divine Providence leads them there because there are sparks there for them to refine, and they need to reach those places to refine those sparks. A person doesn’t just go somewhere. The Rebbe adds in Hayom Yom: As for tzaddikim,

02:27 Speaker 2 because they have spiritual vision, they can see spiritual things, so they know where the sparks they need to refine are. They know where to find them, so they go there deliberately. We know that the Baal Shem Tov used to take all sorts of journeys to all sorts of places, because he had that vision and could see exactly where the sparks he needed to refine were. That’s not the case with other people. They don’t know where the sparks they need to refine are. So they think they’re traveling for other reasons—whether for their livelihood, their health, or something else. No. Divine Providence leads them to precisely the place where there are holy sparks that they are charged with refining, sparks connected to their soul. This began when Hakadosh Boruch Hu told Avraham Avinu, “Lech lecha.” That was when the work of refining the sparks began. A Jew doesn’t go somewhere on his own; he is led to the place where he needs to be. May we have a peaceful and blessed Shabbos.