Lech Lecha: Start here.

Life is filled with transformative moments. We don't always see them while they're happening. We don't have the presence of mind, the objectivity, or sometimes the energy/time/strength/wherewithal to stop and say, 'Wow! It's happening RIGHT NOW!! I'm being transformed!' 

But nevertheless, they happen. Graduations, weddings, divorces (sometimes), childbirth experiencing breathtaking nature, surviving an illness or accident, overcoming major obstacles - all of these can be seminal moments in our lives. Most importantly, when it DOES happen, we have to be willing and ready to let the full magnitude of the experience wash over us. In our Torah portion, Abraham has just such an experience. And this past week, so did I.

Out of the blue, Abraham is told 'Lech Lecha' - 'Go. Get Up! Leave your home.' It's so abrupt. What aren't we being told about this story? Did God and Abraham have a prior relationship? Had Abraham heard the voice of the Divine Creator of the World whispering in his ear before? 
Where is Abraham when this happens to him, and how did his family feel about his decision to heed God's command? We aren't told. We don't know. And maybe it isn't as relevant as we'd like to think. Abraham quiets down all those voices that tell him 'no, don't do it. It's too scary.' He resists the urges to scrutinize, criticize, and skeptic...ize. Instead, he follows his heart. God doesn't tell him WHERE he's going either: 'To the land that I will show you' (Genesis 12:1). It's the ultimate leap of faith. Just get going, and God will direct you along your path. Pretty terrifying, you might say. But humbling as well... and filled to the brim with spirituality and purpose.

If we're being honest with ourselves, it's not as if Abraham's the only one who's been through this. Sure, most of us don't hear the whole Divine-voice-thing, but we too have experienced the commencing of journeys with undecided endings. 
Choosing which college to go to, picking a profession, heck, getting married and having children! These are all 'Lech Lecha'-moments, when we just start walking down this fundamentally new and scary road, with no definite sense of where it will lead us. Nevertheless, we walk.

Earlier this week, I attended a conference for (relatively) young rabbis across the denominational spectrum. It was a new program called CLI (Clergy Leadership Incubator), run by a very forward-thinking organization called CLAL. Without overstating it, I would have to say that it was one of the most transformative experiences of my 

nearly five-year rabbinic career. Just about all of my assumptions about leadership were challenged. Our prayer experiences were filled with spirituality, our conversations were electrifying, and the lectures truly expanded our minds and shifted many paradigms. I know I'm being enigmatic about what ACTUALLY happened at the conference, but there's simply no way to summarize it here before the end of my fourth paragraph (and my blog posts NEVER exceed four paragraphs!). Let's just say that I've started a new 'Lech Lecha' journey, where the beginning is known, but the road ahead is not. You are very much invited to join me. We begin with a new phrase: Intentional Spiritual Community. What does it mean? First, we must unpack it, and make sense of each of those three words. So let the journey begin! And, hopefully, the transformation as well.


Photos in this blog post:

1. Image of the most beautiful child ever born EVER courtesy of Rabbi Gerber's iPhone (not that I'm biased...)

2. CC image courtesy of Art4TheGlryOfGod on Flickr

3. CC image courtesy of i_yudai on Flickr

4. CC image courtesy of h.koppdelaney on Flickr