Parshat Lech Lecha: The Secret to Continuous Spiritual Growth

“And Hashem said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.’” (Genesis 12:1)

At first glance, Hashem’s command to Abraham seems to be a specific instruction, to: leave his homeland and journey to a new land. However, the Sefat Emet derives a profound principle of spiritual growth from this command. A person must remain in constant motion, never becoming complacent, and continually seek new ways to draw closer to Hashem.

As the Sefat Emet writes (1896, Lech Lecha): “For man is called a ‘walker,’ and he must always progress from one level to another and break free from habit and nature.”

Why Humans Are Called Walkers and Angels Stand Still

The description of man as a walker comes from the words of the prophet Zechariah (3:7): “And I will grant you passage among these who stand.” Angels are described as those who stand, as Isaiah (6:2) states: “Seraphim stood above Him.” Human beings, by contrast, are called walkers. According to the Sefat Emet, this distinction reveals the very purpose of human existence: we were created to move forward, advancing continuously from one spiritual level to the next.

This responsibility does not apply only to someone who has yet to begin serving Hashem. The Sefat Emet emphasizes that even a person who has already achieved a certain level of spiritual growth must never become satisfied with remaining there:

“Even when one merits attaining a certain level in the service of the Creator, blessed be He, habit nevertheless becomes second nature. Therefore, at all times, one must discover new ways of serving Hashem within one's soul.”

When Spiritual Achievements Become Empty Habits

The danger of complacency threatens even those who have already made meaningful spiritual progress. A level of observance that required considerable effort to attain, or a positive commitment that a person has faithfully maintained, can gradually become routine. Once something becomes habitual, it turns into what the Sefat Emet calls “second nature”: something performed automatically, without conscious thought or heartfelt involvement.

In another teaching (1904, BaMidrash), the Sefat Emet explains what happens when mitzvot become habitual: “For habit becomes nature, and nature causes one to forget and conceals the inner vitality. Even in Torah and mitzvot, when they become habitual, they turn into nature, and one forgets their inner essence. Therefore, at all times, one must seek a new path and a new approach.”

A person may continue putting on tefillin every morning, praying three times a day, and reciting blessings. Yet something essential can gradually disappear: the inner vitality that gives these actions their spiritual meaning. Someone who begins studying Daf Yomi with enthusiasm may find that a year later, the daily learning has become little more than another page to check off a list. The commitment remains intact, but the sense of excitement and spiritual connection that once accompanied it has begun to fade. The mitzvah is still being performed, but its inner life is slowly slipping away.

The Secret to Renewing Our Connection With Hashem

How can we escape the trap of routine, which gradually drains the vitality from our mitzvot? According to the Sefat Emet, the answer can be learned from Hashem Himself: 

“Therefore, in His goodness, the Holy One, blessed be He, renews the work of Creation every day. And man must seek to discover this renewal, as it is written (Proverbs 8:34): ‘To watch daily at my gates.’”

Every morning, in the blessing of Yotzer Or preceding the Shema, we declare that Hashem, “in His goodness, continually renews the work of Creation each day.” Hashem renews the world constantly, preventing nature from becoming merely a fixed, unchanging reality. Similarly, a person must seek to discover renewal each day in his own service of Hashem.

Spiritual growth does not necessarily require abandoning familiar practices or constantly taking on additional obligations. Rather, it calls for bringing fresh awareness, understanding, and meaning into the mitzvot we already perform. The challenge is to rediscover the living connection with Hashem that lies within our daily actions.

The Journey That Never Ends

The Sefat Emet returns to the opening words of Parshat Lech Lecha to explain this idea: “This is the meaning of the verse (Genesis 12:1), ‘Lech Lecha.’ One must always be moving forward. ‘To the land that I will show you’ means constantly attaining new understanding.”

Hashem did not reveal Abraham's destination in advance. According to the Sefat Emet, the words asher areka, “that I will show you,” refer not merely to a single destination that would eventually be revealed. Rather, with every step forward, Hashem reveals a new level of understanding. The journey is therefore never truly complete.

The Sefat Emet continues: “Therefore, man is called a ‘walker,’ for whenever he stands still without renewal, nature immediately takes control of him. Angels above, who are not subject to nature, are called those who stand, whereas in this world, man is called a walker.”

An angel can remain stationary because it does not exist within the same limitations of physical nature. Habit does not erode its spiritual awareness. A human being, however, cannot afford to remain spiritually motionless. As soon as a person stops seeking renewal, the forces of habit begin to take over. What was once meaningful can become mechanical, and what once inspired spiritual growth can turn into a comfortable routine.

Abraham's Ten Tests: Becoming a New Person

Abraham himself provides the ultimate example of this principle. The Sefat Emet writes (1896, Lech Lecha): “Our father Abraham, peace be upon him, was tested with ten trials, and through each trial he became like a new creation, until he merited transcending all of nature.”

The evil inclination exerts its influence over a person through ingrained habits and natural tendencies. Someone who succeeds in rising above those limitations also moves beyond the forces through which the evil inclination ordinarily operates.

Abraham did not attain this extraordinary spiritual level automatically. He reached it through the ten trials he endured, each of which challenged him to break free from his previous limitations. With every test, Abraham became, in a sense, a new person. Each challenge enabled him to rise beyond what had previously defined him, until he ultimately reached a level at which he had transcended the constraints of his natural tendencies.

The Message of Lech Lecha for Every Generation

The command Lech Lecha, originally addressed to Abraham, is therefore a message to every one of us. Our relationship with Hashem is intended to be a lifelong journey of continuous growth and renewal. Even after achieving meaningful spiritual progress, we must guard against the tendency to become comfortable with our accomplishments.

There is no point at which we can declare that we have finally arrived and simply rest on our achievements. Every day offers another opportunity to discover deeper meaning in our mitzvot, renew our spiritual awareness, and take another step closer to Hashem.

The challenge of Lech Lecha is not merely to begin the journey, but to never stop moving forward.