The Tenacity of Hope and Change: Lessons from Avraham Avinu
Esther Schonfeld
I fondly remember my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Abramovsky, at Yeshiva Dov Revel, having us memorize the first few verses of ParashatLechLecha. While I was proud to be able to recite it back then, it wasn’t until I was older that I recognized how important the lessons from this parashah are and why she had us memorize that verse. Two weeks ago, I made it to shul in time to hear the leining of the parashah and couldn’t help but notice how relevant Avraham’s story and the lessons we learn from it are to the lives we lead in the 21st century.
ParashatLechLecha is special because it teaches us that while we, the children of Israel, will often be faced with obstacles which may seem impossible to overcome, we must never give up hope. The power of tefillah is more rewarding than we can ever really know. Avraham and Sarah were childless for many years and had long since reached a stage in their lives when most people would have given up any and all hope of having a child; yet, they continued to hope and pray. Eventually, G-d promises Avraham and Sarah that they will not only have a son, but that Avraham will be the father of the Jewish nation, with descendants more numerous than the stars in the sky. The message of hope in this part of the parashah is extremely powerful. Avraham and Sarah remained faithful to G-d and, in the end, came to know that no obstacle is too difficult to overcome–nothing is too hard to accomplish…
