Voices of WRJ: Lech L’cha

This week’s parashah, Lech L’cha, translated as “Go Forth,” is virtually a watchword of our faith. It is one of the most familiar chapters of the Bible. The Debbie Friedman song inspired by this parashah, L’chi Lach, is sung at sisterhood services and in my memory, at every WRJ District meeting and WRJ event I have ever attended. The parashah begins with these most famous words: God said to Abram, “Go forth from your father’s land, your birthplace, your father’s house, to the land that I will show you, I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you:  I will make your name great, and it shall be a blessing. (Genesis 12:1 – 12:2) Why are these verses so important to us as women of sisterhood and WRJ? Because these words are our mandate, these words are our mission. As contemporary Jews we know that we cannot wait for divine intervention but that we must act to help bring holiness to our world. In this chapter, the practice of circumcision is established to mark the covenant between God, Abram and Sarai. Although the covenant of circumcision is with males, females are acknowledged as partners in this covenant. To reinforce this codependence, God renames them Abraham and Sarah. Speaking of Sarah, God says, “…I will bless her and she will become nations (Gen 17:16).” Both Abraham and Sarah are responsible for the future of this new people. As we are the protectors and champions of the living Torah, we, women of WRJ, are charged to “go forth,” to make ourselves a “great nation,” to make our name great, and be a blessing. As contemporary Jewish women, we must participate in this covenant through our words and deeds. How do we do this? Each of us, as a member of a sisterhood, works to support our faith and Jewish values in our temples and communities. Each of us as a member of WRJ works to promote Judaism and Jewish values through our collective efforts in our districts. Our support of the Religious Action Center in Washington D.C., approval of WRJ resolutions, effort at the United Nations, and work with the international Progressive Jewish Movement through the YES Fund speak to our global effort to go forth and be a sustaining force for the future of our faith and culture. This is how we are a blessing. This covenant is in perpetuity, visiting all of Abraham and Sarah’s descendants including our progeny and us. Our task is never done, our work never completed, and our mission never quite fulfilled. Each day, as we begin our new year, may we remember our mandate and our covenant to “go forth” and be a blessing to our families, temples, communities, nation, and world.