Lech Lecha: Why We Know So Little About Avraham's Early Life

We know relatively little about the life of Avraham Avinu during the period before Hashem called to him: “Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.”

The Talmud and Midrash do tell us several stories about Avraham’s early life, his search for truth, his endless curiosity, his contemplation of creation, and his search for the Source of existence. Yet the Written Torah itself offers no explicit description of his greatness or the qualities that made him worthy of this divine command.

Why does the Torah tell us virtually nothing about Avraham before Hashem commands him, “Lech Lecha”?

The Ramban asks this very question: “Why would the Holy One, blessed be He, tell him to leave his land and promise to benefit him with a goodness unlike anything in the world, without first stating that Avraham was a servant of God or a perfectly righteous man?” (Ramban, Bereishit 12:2).

The Call That Avraham Heard

The Sefat Emet, at the beginning of the parsha, sees within this a profound message. The words “Lech Lecha” are spoken by Hashem to every person, at all times. But at that moment, Avraham was the one who heard the call. That itself was his greatest praise.

The Torah does not first describe Avraham’s background before telling us that Hashem spoke to him because, in a deeper sense, Hashem was not speaking only to Avraham. Hashem speaks to every soul. “Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you” is a divine call addressed to every human being.

Hashem says to each of us: Lech Lecha. Move beyond the place where you are stuck. Break free from the prejudices, fears, limitations, and traumas that have made you feel small or constrained. Open yourself to divine expansiveness. Broaden your horizons and become greater than your limited sense of self.

This call reaches every human heart, but Avraham was the one who heard it and responded. That is what made him a figure who changed the course of history.

Avraham’s story encourages us to look for the Lech Lecha moments in our own lives, to listen for the inner call urging us to rise above our personal limitations, discover our true path, and bring positive change into the world. Like Avraham, each of us can and should become sensitive to that divine call, connect with our inner mission, and set out on a journey through which we can bring blessing to the world.

Avraham Goes to War

Later in the parsha, the Torah describes the war of the kings: five kings fighting against four. The five kings were defeated by the stronger coalition of four kings, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were plundered. Among the captives was Lot, Avraham’s nephew, who had chosen to live in Sodom.

When Avraham heard that Lot had been taken captive, he immediately decided to act. He pursued the four kings northward as far as Dan and then continued to Hobah, near Damascus. There he attacked them at night, took them by surprise, and miraculously succeeded in defeating them. Avraham rescued Lot and the other captives and recovered all the property that had been taken from Sodom and Gomorrah.

After the victory, the king of Sodom offered Avraham all the recovered possessions, asking only that the people be returned. Avraham refused: “Avram said to the king of Sodom: I have raised my hand to Hashem, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will take neither a thread nor a shoelace, nor anything that is yours, so that you will not say, ‘I made Avram wealthy.’” (Bereishit 14:22–23)

Avraham wanted to make it clear that he had no interest in gaining wealth or possessions from the king of Sodom, not even the most insignificant item, not even a thread or a shoelace. He did not want to become dependent on the king of Sodom or enrich himself at someone else’s expense.

“I Have Raised My Hand”

The Torah tells us that Avraham said, “I have raised my hand.” On the simple level, this refers to an oath. Avraham swore that he would not benefit from the king’s wealth. The purpose of such an oath is to strengthen one’s resolve, as the Ramban explains: “We find among all the righteous that they make their inclination swear not to act improperly.”

The Meshech Chochmah, however, offers a different and striking interpretation.

Avraham had just achieved an extraordinary military victory. After such a triumph, it would have been easy to fall into the mindset described later in the Torah: “And you will say in your heart, ‘My strength and the power of my hand made me this wealth’” (Devarim 8:17).

Avraham therefore “raised his hand” to Hashem. In other words, he lifted up his own strength and attributed all his success to the Master of the world.

The Meshech Chochmah explains that Avraham understood that “a person’s steps are established by Hashem” and that the battle belongs to Hashem. A truly elevated person attributes success to its true Source. A foolish person, by contrast, imagines that his own strength and power brought about his victory.

Therefore Avraham declared, “I have raised my hand.” His meaning was: My strength and success in battle did not come from me, from my wisdom, or from my might. I raise it all upward to Hashem, Creator of heaven and earth. If that was the source of his victory, Avraham reasoned, what meaning could there be in taking the spoils for himself?

It is a powerful question for us as well: When we succeed, do we also know how to “raise our hands” to Hashem?