As I read the parsha (weekly Torah portion) in Hebrew, I like to to pretend that names are not just names, but that they mean something.  This give me the freedom to translate them.  The text takes on a new meaning in the process.  For example, in this week’s parsha, Lech lecha (go to yourself is a translation from Hebrew), we find Avram setting up an alter between two towns:  Bet-El and Ai, and from there he calls to god by name.  Now the name Bet-El translates to mean, “House of god,” and the name Ai translates to, “Utter ruin.”  So now the text can read as the following:  Avram comes to a crossroads.  If he goes down one path, he connects to god.  The other path leads to utter ruin.  How to choose?  Avram decides to set up and alter and invoke god.

Now the name of god he invokes is a form of the verb, “To be,” and is understood to mean:  “What was, is, and will be.”  So, Avram is at this crossroads, and not knowing which way to go, he invokes “What was, is, and will be,” which knowing all futures, can tell him which road to go.

This week’s parsha is the journey to oneself.  It began last week with Avram’s father deciding to take his family to Canaan.  What does Canaan mean?  Well, if you add the letter ‘hay’ to the end you get Ca-nanah which can mean, “Like an answer.”  In this case, Avram’s dad (whose name is name Terach which means, “An idol old fool”) is taking his family to find answers.  The problem here though is where did I get the ‘hay’ from?  The ‘hay’ represents god.  When god is present in someone/something, that name of that person/thing gets an additional letter, usually a ‘hay’ or a ‘vov.’  We see this when Avram becomes Avraham.  So, when god is present in the land of Canaan, it becomes Ca-nanah and there are answers.  When he isn’t there, it is just Canaan.

Hopefully I have not confused you too much.  We now have an idol old fool (Terach) leading his family to get some answers.  And they stop in the city of Charan, which means anger, and this is where Terach dies.  Basically you have someone trying to move away from being a sloth, an old fool, and improve himself.  And he gets to a place of anger.  Anger is a very powerful place to be.  It makes you feel strong and gives you the energy to do things.  However it is limiting.  And this is the place where Avram’s dad gets stuck and dies.

Fortunately Avram (the father of those who rise up, who are lofty:  Av = father, ram = to raise up) has the strength to move beyond his anger and continue to the place of answers.  When he gets there with his followers, he find a famine.  The word for famine (r’ave), in modern Hebrew, also means craving.  So I propose that once Avram and his followers move beyond anger and start getting answers, they start craving more and more until it gets uncontrollable.  When one craves and takes beyond the means of the land to give, one creates a shortage or famine in the land.  Avram recognizes this is going on and realizes that the answer to uncontrolled craving is discipline.

How does one achieve discipline?  Through focus.  Through narrowing your choices and desires and efforts.  And this is why he takes them to Mitzrayim, which means narrows.  In English, this land is  called Egypt.  Once the people have the discipline to receive only what they need, and not demand answers before the time is right for them to receive these answers, they return to the place that is like answers.

I hope this makes sense and has been interesting. I invite any and all comments you wish to make. Thanks and may you be blessed to have the strength to get beyond anger and have the discipline to get answers and the patience to not push for the answer before it is time for you to receive it.

About the Author

Shmuel Shalom Cohen spent 10 years studying Torah in Jerusalem. Six years ago, he started Conscious Torah to help Jews connect to their tradition in ways they didn’t think possible. Shmuel also started, and is the executive directory of Jewish Events Willamette-valley, a non-profit whose mission is to build Jewish community, pride, and learning. In his free time, Shmuel likes walks in nature, playing music, writing poetry, and time with good friends.