GUIDED TORAH STUDY
Begin with a call
Begin with four verses about Avram’s journey. Then follow one question through the story and Rashi’s commentary.
In this lesson
Continue the study: Why leave the land unnamed?
Find your place
The Torah’s first book is Genesis, called Bereshit in Hebrew. It tells of creation and the beginnings of our people. Here we meet our ancestor Avram, later named Avraham. English editions often call him Abram, later Abraham.
Genesis 12:1–4 means chapter 12, verses 1 through 4. A verse is a numbered unit of the biblical text. These verses open Lech Lecha, one of the Torah portions read in our yearly cycle.
The preceding chapter tells how Avram’s family set out from Ur toward Canaan and settled in Haran. Now listen to God’s call to Avram.
Where would you find Genesis 12:4?
In the Torah, in its first book: Genesis, chapter 12, verse 4. The 4 identifies a verse, not a fourth chapter.
Read the passage
Read once for the story. Then read again: what does God ask Avram to do, and what does God promise?
1. The LORD said to Avram: “Go from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
2. I will make you into a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great. Be a blessing.
3. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
4. Avram went as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Avram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.
English rendering by Messianic Yeshiva
“The LORD” represents God’s name in this rendering. Lot is Avram’s nephew. In verse 5, the travelers arrive in Canaan.
לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך אל הארץ אשר אראך
Go from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
English rendering by Messianic Yeshiva
Notice what the words do
What must Avram leave? What does verse 1 tell him about the destination?
His land, birthplace, and father’s house. The destination is “the land that I will show you.” Verse 1 gives a promise of guidance rather than naming the land; verse 5 names Canaan. Reading the next few verses helps us follow the journey.
Find a command, a promise, and a response.
Command: “Go” in verse 1; “Be a blessing” in verse 2 is also an instruction. Promise: “I will make you into a great nation,” or another “I will” statement in verses 2–3. Response: “Avram went” in verse 4. God’s call and Avram’s action belong together.
How does the blessing reach beyond Avram?
Verse 3 speaks of “all the families of the earth.” Keep that wider horizon in view as you read the promise to our ancestor.
Read with Rashi
Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, is one of our great teachers of Torah. His commentary helps us attend to the wording of the verse. The opening Hebrew words are לך לך, lech lecha. The second word, lecha, can mean “for you.”
Rashi on Genesis 12:1 · Paraphrase
Rashi explains the journey as being for Avram’s own benefit and good. He connects it with becoming a great nation in the land to which God sends him.
Read Rashi on Genesis 12:1 · Opening explanation
First we read the verse; now we listen to a teacher drawing out its meaning. Rashi’s explanation helps us hear promise within the command to leave.
Is “for Avram’s own benefit and good” a separate biblical verse?
It is a paraphrase of Rashi’s commentary on “lech lecha.” The Torah gives the command and promises in verses 1–3; Rashi explains their meaning. Naming the speaker lets us learn carefully from each.
Ask from the text
A useful study question starts with something you notice. Try this: “Verse 1 says ‘the land that I will show you.’ Why leave the land unnamed?” We can return to those exact words while seeking an answer.
Which question can these verses help you investigate: “What color was Avram’s tent?” or “How does Avram respond to the call?”
The second question. Verse 4 gives evidence for an answer: Avram goes as God told him. These verses give no tent color. A strong question gives us words to return to, even when the answer takes further study.
On paper or with a study partner, choose a word or phrase from the passage. Say what you notice, then ask one question about it. Keep three lines: the verse’s words, your question, and what the text or a named commentator helps you answer.
Return to “Avram went.” What does his response teach you about hearing God’s call? Begin with what the verse says, then consider how it can shape your own faithfulness.
Why leave the land unnamed?
Let’s follow that question. Start with the words “the land that I will show you,” then read what happens next.
Read on
5. They set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived in the land of Canaan.
7. The LORD appeared to Avram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.”
English rendering by Messianic Yeshiva
Between these verses, Avram travels through the land to Shechem (verse 6). Descendants means the children and later generations who come from him.
What changes from verse 1 to verses 5 and 7?
Verse 1 promises that God will show Avram the land. Verse 5 names Canaan and tells of the travelers’ arrival. In verse 7, God promises “this land” to Avram’s descendants. Arrival and the promise to later generations are distinct parts of the story.
Ask Rashi why
The later verses identify the land. Rashi helps us ask why God does not identify it immediately.
Rashi on “that I will show you” · Paraphrase
God delayed naming the land so that Avram would cherish it and receive reward for each instruction God gave him.
Rashi on Genesis 12:1 · Explanation of “that I will show you”
According to Rashi, what two purposes does the delay serve?
To make the land dear to Avram, and to give him reward for each divine instruction. Rashi draws our attention to both love for the land and the value of responding to God.
Does verse 1 establish that Avram had never heard of Canaan?
Genesis 11:31 already names Canaan as the destination of his family’s earlier journey. Keep the observation precise: God leaves the land unnamed in this opening command. We can follow the words without filling in Avram’s unreported thoughts.
Now answer the question in two sentences. In the first, point to the words in verse 1. In the second, explain Rashi’s answer in your own words. Return to “Avram went”: how does Rashi’s teaching deepen your understanding of his faithful response?
Explore the sources
Genesis 11:27–32: Avram’s family · Genesis 12:1–7: call and journey · Genesis 12 with Rashi · Genesis 17:5: the name Avraham