On Rosh Hashana (the Jewish new year, coming soon) and Yom Kippur (the day of atonement, shortly after) we read the stories of Yonah (Jonah) and the birth of Isaac. While swimming this morning I was thinking about Yonah and the other famous story about Avram (as he was then): "Lech L'cha", which is often translated as "Arise and go".
Through it, we learn about the necessity for every Jew to emulate the founding father in having the courage to "leave your land, your family and the house of your father" if that's what it takes to stand tall as a Jew, an ivri ("other").
As with all things Jewish, such iconoclasm is easier said than done and remains a lifelong challenge, even for those who have "made aliyah" and physically relocated to Israel. That's because lech l'cha can also be translated as "go into yourself", signalling that Judaism is a journey of spiritual growth as much or indeed more than it is a story of physical wanderings.
