A Thought on Parshas Lech Lecha

"...va'yotzae oso ha'chutza..." "...and He brought him to the outside..." (15:5) HaShem spoke to Avram and foretold great promises, promises of progeny, of homeland and of a spiritual legacy. In describing that rich and blessed future, we are told that HaShem took him outside. This seem a bit puzzling, since when it comes to the Divine, there is no dimensionality or location. There is no need to go inside, to go outside, to submerge or to ascend when HaShem addresses the faithful with prophecy. What, then, is the meaning of our verse? Rashi has offered three levels of interpretation, the literal p'shat (Avram was brought outside to look at the innumerable stars), the homiletic midrash (Avram was urged to step outside of his former belief system and to relinquish astrological assumptions about himself, instead relying on HaShem), and the mystical (Avram was teleported outside of this world, beyond the Earth, above the stars into outer space). Interestingly, it is this third interpretation which Rabbeinu Avigdor embraces. In view of the introduction which I offered in my Thought on Parshas Bereishis two weeks ago, this is not so surprising, given that Rabbeinu Avigdor aims to address the pshat, the psak and the mystical aspects of the Torah in his commentary. He integrates the pshat - the literal meaning of the verse ("being brought out") - with that mystical nuance. Brought to the outer reaches of space, looking down at the planets and stars, Avram was shown his "mazal" - his higher source in the realm of the spirit, which was a blueprint for a life of childlessness. As long as he was named Avram, this was his mazal code with a set, immutable trajectory for his mortal existence. Then HaShem told him that with a change in his name to Avraham, his spiritual and mortal mission would change. He would have a different mazal, or spiritual origin. With that name and its accompanying higher source (his mazal code) his future would be different. He would have children. A Jew can be brought above and beyond the forces and factors which might influence and affect people. Avram was shown that a Jew can enter the dimension of his spirit's origins, and understand his spirit's code and its interface with his name and life plan. He can also turn to HaShem so that he might alter or move beyond that mazal. This lesser-known interpretation of Rashi, while more esoteric and mystical, nonetheless fits better with the literal wording of the verse. HaShem brought him out as if into outer space, or to a mystical dimension. That interpretation utilizes the meaning of the words "HaShem brought him out" in a more direct way than the midrashic approach which uses the words figuratively as "HaShem brought him beyond his former belief system". Rabbeinu Avigdor goes further, introducing a psak facet to the verse as well. He writes that from this verse in context, Avram's limitation or impairment in being unable to produce children, was a function of his name and the mazal source of that name. A change in his name seemed to bring him to a different mazal. He notes that this same process seems to occur when Sarai is given the new name Sarah, and is healed immediately and able to conceive. From this, Rabbeinu Avigdor rules that it is appropriate to give a name change to an ill person. This is done with the hope that the new name, intertwined with its own mazal, can reset or reformat the life plan of that invalid. This practice is still in use today when r'l there is a seriously ill person. Some of the Rishonim present the parameters and text of the name-change process. Rabbeinu Avigdor endorses it, finding its halachic source in our verse with this triangle or "triple header" blend of pshat, mysticism and psak. Wishing you a healthy, spirited Shabbos. Refuah she'leima to Ha'Admor mi'Savraan HaGaon Rav Yissachar Dov ben Fraida Gittel. Refuah she'leima to Fruma Pessi bas Tcharna. Refuah she'leima to Rav Shmuel Eliezer ben Sora Rivka Rachel. D Fox