Lech Lecha Graduation Speech Delivered at Mesivta Bais Dovid Yeshiva
Lechilah/ Lech Lecha- an invitation to a journey into the unknown which may not be denied.
Lech Lecha-a rite of passage whose first step is called tomorrow.
It is written in our tradition that each of our ancestors, in order to encounter Hashem and become who they were to become, had to go out from the place where they were. Something out there was calling them, inviting them.
Abraham was the first to hear Lech Lecha, and he sets out into the unknown and he becomes the ancestor of mighty nations and mighty faiths. Isaac also sets out with his father into the unknown and into a Covenant with Hashem as does Jacob when he sets out for Beer Sheba to become Israel. Joseph was sold by his brothers into the unknown to become a mighty counselor to Pharaoh and a savior to his people. And Moses flees Egypt into an unknown land called Media, finding Hashem and the strength to lead. And the Children of Israel hear Lech Lechca and are led into an unknown, hostile desert to the foot of Sinai and into history.
But the Children of Israel are told not go out of Egypt empty handed, for along with the spoils of Egypt, they were told to take the bones of Joseph with them. The bones of Joseph-the bones of the person who was his people’s savior. The bones of Joseph, perhaps a metaphor for the Jewish commitment to community, values, history and tradition to be carried with us where ever we go.
The young men before you today, like our ancestors, are hearing their own Lech Lecha and are setting out into their unknown to uncover the mystery of who they are and where they are going. And like our ancestors who carried out of Egypt the bones of Joseph, our students also do not go out empty handed, for they take with them certain teachings that will direct them, counsel them and sustain them if they choose to hold these teachings close to their hearts.
They have been taught they are part of a singular group of identifiable people who have a mission to be a light unto the nations, to model righteous behavior as Jews and to be the voice of Hashem where ever they encounter cruelty and injustice. This is our reason for being and it is their purpose. They have been given a vision that clearly states that cruelty and injustice need not be the norm and that tyrants and oppressive systems can be changed. Their ancestors in Egypt were the first to do it and we have been doing it ever since. They have been taught of the Messianic Vision, a vision of universal peace, the vision of the prophets. These are their bones of Joseph.
They were given the idea that as part of the Jewish people, they are obliged to act to bring about changes in the world that benefit all, and to bring about this change only under Hashem’s eternal moral law, for they know that if we substitute personal opinion for Hashem’s eternal law, values will become situational and morality will become relative. They know that their purpose as participants in humanity and as members of the Jewish family is to assist God in mending the world. These are their bones of Joseph.
They know that thier Jewish identity is not solely centered in a set of dogmatic beliefs, but is also to be centered in a particular value system, in community and history and that we will survive as a people as long as we all remain part of that community. These are also the bones of Joseph.
They also take with them the idea that Judaism is a life affirming faith whose adherents worship a life affirming God; a God whose primary expectation is that we treat each other well.
And finally, these dear young men will go out into the unknown, a world that will often tempt them with excess and they know that they can control their appetites-not to stifle them, but to master them; to enjoy everything in God’s world with moderation, understanding that once they have marked off the limits of that which is permitted and that which is forbidden, they can enjoy themselves within those parameters with out wondering if they are doing right or wrong.
So we, the family of educators of Midrasha who care so very much about your children, do not send them out empty handed. We send them out with their own bones of Joseph if you will, we send them with knowledge, with values, with purpose and with a vision of how they can make a difference. And because they are now hearing their own Lech Lecha, we send them off with a prayer.
“May it be thy will, O Lord our God and God of our fathers and mothers to conduct them in peace, to direct their steps in peace, to uphold them in peace, and to lead them in life, joy and peace unto the haven of their desire. O deliver them from every enemy, ambush and hurt by the way, and from all afflictions that visit and trouble the world. Send a blessing upon the work of their hands. Let them obtain grace, loving kindness and mercy in thine eyes and in the eyes of all who behold them. Hearken to the voice of our supplications; for thou are a God who hearkenest unto prayer and supplication. Blessed are thou, O Lord, who hearkenest unto prayer.” Amen.
Leonard H. Berman
Lech Lecha-a rite of passage whose first step is called tomorrow.
It is written in our tradition that each of our ancestors, in order to encounter Hashem and become who they were to become, had to go out from the place where they were. Something out there was calling them, inviting them.
Abraham was the first to hear Lech Lecha, and he sets out into the unknown and he becomes the ancestor of mighty nations and mighty faiths. Isaac also sets out with his father into the unknown and into a Covenant with Hashem as does Jacob when he sets out for Beer Sheba to become Israel. Joseph was sold by his brothers into the unknown to become a mighty counselor to Pharaoh and a savior to his people. And Moses flees Egypt into an unknown land called Media, finding Hashem and the strength to lead. And the Children of Israel hear Lech Lechca and are led into an unknown, hostile desert to the foot of Sinai and into history.
But the Children of Israel are told not go out of Egypt empty handed, for along with the spoils of Egypt, they were told to take the bones of Joseph with them. The bones of Joseph-the bones of the person who was his people’s savior. The bones of Joseph, perhaps a metaphor for the Jewish commitment to community, values, history and tradition to be carried with us where ever we go.
The young men before you today, like our ancestors, are hearing their own Lech Lecha and are setting out into their unknown to uncover the mystery of who they are and where they are going. And like our ancestors who carried out of Egypt the bones of Joseph, our students also do not go out empty handed, for they take with them certain teachings that will direct them, counsel them and sustain them if they choose to hold these teachings close to their hearts.
They have been taught they are part of a singular group of identifiable people who have a mission to be a light unto the nations, to model righteous behavior as Jews and to be the voice of Hashem where ever they encounter cruelty and injustice. This is our reason for being and it is their purpose. They have been given a vision that clearly states that cruelty and injustice need not be the norm and that tyrants and oppressive systems can be changed. Their ancestors in Egypt were the first to do it and we have been doing it ever since. They have been taught of the Messianic Vision, a vision of universal peace, the vision of the prophets. These are their bones of Joseph.
They were given the idea that as part of the Jewish people, they are obliged to act to bring about changes in the world that benefit all, and to bring about this change only under Hashem’s eternal moral law, for they know that if we substitute personal opinion for Hashem’s eternal law, values will become situational and morality will become relative. They know that their purpose as participants in humanity and as members of the Jewish family is to assist God in mending the world. These are their bones of Joseph.
They know that thier Jewish identity is not solely centered in a set of dogmatic beliefs, but is also to be centered in a particular value system, in community and history and that we will survive as a people as long as we all remain part of that community. These are also the bones of Joseph.
They also take with them the idea that Judaism is a life affirming faith whose adherents worship a life affirming God; a God whose primary expectation is that we treat each other well.
And finally, these dear young men will go out into the unknown, a world that will often tempt them with excess and they know that they can control their appetites-not to stifle them, but to master them; to enjoy everything in God’s world with moderation, understanding that once they have marked off the limits of that which is permitted and that which is forbidden, they can enjoy themselves within those parameters with out wondering if they are doing right or wrong.
So we, the family of educators of Midrasha who care so very much about your children, do not send them out empty handed. We send them out with their own bones of Joseph if you will, we send them with knowledge, with values, with purpose and with a vision of how they can make a difference. And because they are now hearing their own Lech Lecha, we send them off with a prayer.
“May it be thy will, O Lord our God and God of our fathers and mothers to conduct them in peace, to direct their steps in peace, to uphold them in peace, and to lead them in life, joy and peace unto the haven of their desire. O deliver them from every enemy, ambush and hurt by the way, and from all afflictions that visit and trouble the world. Send a blessing upon the work of their hands. Let them obtain grace, loving kindness and mercy in thine eyes and in the eyes of all who behold them. Hearken to the voice of our supplications; for thou are a God who hearkenest unto prayer and supplication. Blessed are thou, O Lord, who hearkenest unto prayer.” Amen.
Leonard H. Berman