{"id":306,"date":"2026-10-18T18:52:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T18:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/?p=306"},"modified":"2026-10-18T18:52:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T18:52:18","slug":"rebbitzens-reflection-lech-licha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/?p=306","title":{"rendered":"Rebbitzen\u2019s Reflection Lech Licha"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every Star Has Its Place<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this week’s parsha, Hashem promises Avraham Avinu a future for his descendants, using two images to describe the Jewish nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, He promises:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u05d5\u05b0\u05e9\u05b7\u05c2\u05de\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05d6\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e2\u05b2\u05da\u05b8 \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e2\u05b2\u05e4\u05b7\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth.” (Bereishis 13:16)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, Hashem takes Avraham outside and tells him to look toward the heavens:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u05d4\u05b7\u05d1\u05b6\u05bc\u05d8\u05be\u05e0\u05b8\u05d0 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05de\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05e1\u05b0\u05e4\u05b9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b7\u05db\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05db\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd … \u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b4\u05d4\u05b0\u05d9\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d6\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e2\u05b6\u05da\u05b8<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Look toward the heavens and count the stars … so shall your descendants be.” (Bereishis 15:5)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both images convey the future enormity of the Jewish nation. But if Hashem already promised Avraham descendants as numerous as the dust, what additional message might the stars teach us? Perhaps we can find an answer by examining the two metaphors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dust reminds us of the earth beneath our feet. Individual grains are virtually indistinguishable, but together they form the ground on which we walk and the soil in which life grows. The earth provides a foundation that allows things to take root, flourish, and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stars, on the other hand, remind us of individuality. Each has its own characteristics and brightness. When we look up at the night sky, we see individual stars, and we also recognize constellations. Each star retains its own identity while contributing to a larger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps these two images teach us something about what it means to be part of Klal Yisrael. We are meant to be both a collective and a community of individuals. We need the shared values, stability, and sense of belonging that come from being part of something greater than ourselves. At the same time, we need to recognize that each person has unique strengths and a contribution that no one else can make in quite the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This brings me back to the beginning of the parsha, when Hashem tells Avraham:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0\u05be\u05dc\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05de\u05b5\u05d0\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e6\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b7\u05d3\u05b0\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9\u05ea \u05d0\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05da\u05b8<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house.” (Bereishis 12:1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hashem specifies three places Avraham must leave behind: his land, his birthplace, and his father’s home. Each represents a different part of the familiar world that shaped him, from his broader surroundings to the more intimate environment of his family. Avraham is called to embark on his own journey, to discover and fulfill his unique mission. He must step beyond his past to become the person Hashem is calling him to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This message feels especially meaningful to me this week, as we celebrate our youngest son’s Bar Mitzvah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bar mitzvah marks the beginning of a young man’s adult responsibility for mitzvos and his own developing relationship with Hashem and the Torah. We hope he will build on the roots he received from his family, teachers, friends, and community as he works to discover who he is and what he can contribute, carrying those values forward with his own unique flavor. We celebrate the individual he is becoming, with his adorable personality, many talents, interests, and endless potential, and we look forward to seeing the unique contributions he brings to our family, community, and the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are also celebrating something larger than one individual. He is taking his place in the chain of Jewish generations connected through Torah and mitzvos. His journey is his own, but he doesn’t travel alone. He carries with him the values, traditions, and love of the people who have helped shape him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As parents, we hope to give our children tools and strong roots while also giving them the confidence to develop their own wings. We want them to appreciate where they come from while discovering the unique contribution they can make. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of us has something unique to contribute, and we all need a community that supports us, helps us grow, and benefits from our star\u2019s brightness. Our goal isn’t simply to shine as individuals or blend into the crowd. It is to discover our own light and use it to illuminate the community we belong to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reader\u2019s Reflection:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is one thing that is unique about me?
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every Star Has Its Place In this week’s parsha, Hashem promises Avraham Avinu a future for his descendants, using two images to describe the Jewish nation. First, He promises: \u05d5\u05b0\u05e9\u05b7\u05c2\u05de\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea\u05be\u05d6\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e2\u05b2\u05da\u05b8 \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05e2\u05b2\u05e4\u05b7\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 “I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth.” (Bereishis 13:16) Later, Hashem takes Avraham outside and tells him to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,41,40,43],"tags":[147,150,149,146,8,114],"class_list":["post-306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","category-machshava","category-parsha","category-torah-and-culture","tag-bar-mitzvah","tag-community","tag-individual","tag-lech-licha","tag-parsha","tag-purpose"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=306"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":307,"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306\/revisions\/307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}