“By this stage of life, I know who I am.”
There is something reassuring about those words. We have lived, learned, and developed a sense of what matters to us. But sometimes, our picture of ourselves can quietly close a door: “I’ve never been much of a Torah learner.” “I wouldn’t know where to begin with prayer.” “That’s just not something I do.”
In this week’s Torah portion, God calls Abraham to leave his familiar surroundings and travel to a land He will show him. The Torah tells us that Abraham was seventy-five when he set out.
Abraham already had a substantial spiritual life behind him. Rashi, the classic Torah commentator, explains that Abraham and Sarah had been bringing others closer to God while living in Haran. Yet God still called him to take another step into the unfamiliar.
There is something deeply encouraging in that. A person can have years of experience, convictions, and accomplishments; and still have something important to discover.
Of course, beginning can feel uncomfortable. We are accustomed to knowing our way around. Walking into a Torah class, asking a question we think everyone else knows the answer to, or opening an unfamiliar prayer book takes a certain humility. It also takes courage.
Abraham’s example invites us to leave room for that possibility in our own lives. Our relationship with God can continue to deepen. A familiar Jewish tradition can take on new meaning. A question we have carried for years can become the beginning of a conversation.
This week, consider one step you have been meaning to take. Join a Torah class. Learn the meaning of a prayer. Make time for a Shabbat meal. Spend a few quiet moments speaking to God in your own words.
We bring everything we have lived and learned to that next step. And we remain open to what God is asking of us today.
There is still more to learn, more to give, and more to become.
Shabbat shalom!
Shmuel Klein
