My First Aliyah Analysis

The verse that I’m going to focus on is the very first verse of my first aliyah. This verse is considered important among Jewish scholars, because here is where G-d tells Abraham, who, at this point in the Torah, was called Abram, to ‘go forth from his father’s land.’
Lech Lecha is often translated as ‘Go Forth,’ but really, ‘Lech Lecha’ means ‘go to yourself.’ My interpretation of this is that G-d is telling Abram not only to literally go forth into another land, but also to find who he really is in the process. Lech Lecha is about Abram finding himself and staying true to who he is. I think that ‘going to yourself’ is about being righteous for a cause that really matters to you, about being yourself even if other people might not like what you’re doing, and about not changing for the sake of others. Lech Lecha is not just about a physical and external quest, but also about a mental, internal one. Abram must leave all he knows behind and venture into, well, he doesn’t really know yet. G-d doesn’t specifically tell Abram where he’s going, G-d just says, “I will show you.” Abram follows G-d because he knows that
While many players and teams are now kneeling during the anthem, Colin Kaepernick started this protest and remains an inspiration to many other players. When Kaepernick, former 49ers quarterback, decided to protest violence toward African Americans by kneeling during the national anthem, he knew there would be controversy. He knew he had to leave his comfort zone and do something no one else was doing. He didn’t know what would happen, but he did it anyway because he knew he had to. Kaepernick is like Abram is these ways. He followed his beliefs and most importantly, he followed himself on this journey. Whether it’s a famous person like Kaepernick standing up for equality, or a regular person standing out of the crowd by being his or herself, we can see Lecha Lecha in our lives every