|
With the words lech l’cha (לך לך), literally "Go for yourself," Avraham is commanded to leave everything behind and head to the Holy Land. It would have been enough for God to command him lech (לך), "go." What is added by the word l’cha (לך)? According to the well-known Biblical commentator Rashi, the word l’cha implies that the travel was for Avraham’s benefit. Though he is leaving his homeland, family, and father’s house, God promises Avraham that the journey will be beneficial to him. These words kick off the unbreakable relationship between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. The Yeshiva for the Nations is offering an online course by historian and author Shimon Apisdorf entitled, "The Role of the Land of Israel Throughout Jewish History." This class examines the critical role Israel has played in the history of the Jewish people from the time of the Bible until the present. It also examines the concept of the in-gathering of the exiles and the spiritual meaning behind the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.
| 
