03- Lech Lecha

לך לך -"Go Out"
Weekly parashah #3: Lech Lecha Torah: Bereshit (Genesis) 12:1-17:27 Haftarah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 40:27-41:16 Greek Scriptures: Matityahu (Matthew) 5-7

Genesis 12:1

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;

The Hebrew Word

The name of this week's parashah comes from the Hebrew word הלך (halak) which is Strong's #1980. It is a primitive root which means "to walk". It is used 1558 times in 1340 verses in the Tanakh.

First use in Scripture

The first time halak is used in Scripture is in Genesis 2:14.

Genesis 2:14

The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Last use in Scripture

The last time halak is used in Scripture is in Malachi 3:14.

Malachi 3:14

"You have said, 'It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the LORD of hosts?

Parashah Outline

• Avram Journeys to Egypt - Genesis 12:1
• Avram and Lot - Genesis 13:1
• War of the Kings - Genesis 14:1
• God's Promise to Avram of a Great Reward - Genesis 14:17
• Avram Promised a Son - Genesis 15:1
• Sarai and Hagar - Genesis 16:1
• Avraham and The Covenant of Circumcision - Genesis 17:1

Portraits of Messiah

Verse by Verse Notes

Other Observations

Below is a chart of the postdiluvian (post-Flood) forefathers. It lists when they were born and when they died, when their firstborn son was born, and how long after the Flood they were born. (Click the chart to enlarge it.) Two particularly interesting notes from this chart:

Noach was alive the first 58 years of Avram's life. He could have related to Avram the details of life before, during, and after the Flood.

Shem was alive the first 110 years of Avram's life. He could have related to Avram (and Yitzchak!) the events of the Flood.