INTRODUCTION:

In the Torah portion Lech Lecha, God tells Abraham to go forth. The way that the text lists his leaving (from his birthplace, his father’s place, etc.), emphasizes how difficult it must have been for him to leave. This program is a way to look at Torah through the lens of a journey and compare that to our own journeys today. The courage that he showed when he followed God on the journey is the same courage that we need when we travel. Using this story as a guide, the goal is to talk about journeys and trips and offer hacks and tips for others who might go there as well.  

MATERIALS:

• Printed world map, US map  
• Index cards 
• Stickers 
• Pens 
• Text from Lech Lecha (see below) 
• Foods from around the world 

PROGRAM OUTLINE (45 minutes):

• [part one] Introduction of text (15 minutes) 
• [part two] Travel hacks/tips (15 minutes) 
• [part three] Where’s your next journey? (15 minutes) 

[part one] (15 minutes) — Discussion of Torah portion 

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃ 

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

• After reading this text aloud, start to break down the different elements of leaving. First, leave your native land. Then, leave your parent’s house; your home. Then leave without direction, meaning have faith that I will go with you and show you the path.  
  • What do you think of this order? Why do you think it was given this way?  
  • When was the last time you traveled without knowing where you’re going? 
  • What kind of emotions do you think that Abraham must have had?  
  • What are some reasons that a person needs to leave home? 
• There is a commentary on this verse from HaKtav VeHaKabalah (19^th century Torah commentary by Rabbi Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg), that explains that leaving your home can be a physical leaving, or a mental leaving. And, in this case it’s mental leaving.  
• “From your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house.” (Gen. 12:1) Every going, movement, and distancing from that which one departs from to that which one goes toward, whether physical movement from one place to another—such as going to the land of Canaan—or spiritual movement, meaning the distancing of thought from one occupation to engagement and contemplation of thoughts toward what lies ahead or above, as in the matter of “I will give you those who walk among those who stand” (Zechariah 3:7), these types of distancing are opposite in their nature. For physical distancing proceeds from what is before it to what comes after, as for example if one sets out on a journey, one first distances oneself from one’s household members with whom one lived in the same house and room, and the distancing gradually increases to separate also from one’s family members who live in one’s city or nearby, until finally one leaves one’s entire land and goes to another land. However, mental/thought distancing proceeds from back to front, from the distant to what is closer to oneself. For one who dwells in another country, while one’s home and family still hover before one’s eyes and thoughts, the matters of one’s country no longer come to mind, and as many days pass, even one’s family becomes like strangers to one, yet one’s household members still find dwelling in one’s thoughts. Now, since here [the text] first mentions the distancing of the land, secondly his birthplace, and his house last, it teaches us that it is not speaking of physical distancing… 
  • How do you mentally prepare for a journey?  
  • Have you had to mentally or physically leave your birthplace? Is one harder than the other? 
  • When you take a trip, is it more mental or physical?  
  • Do you think God wanted to make this harder for Abraham? Why? 
  • Can a good trip be a mentally taxing trip? 
• Thinking about Abraham’s mental and physical journey reminds us that while travel can be fun, it can also require courage. And having support can help, especially from someone who’s gone there before. 

[part two] (15 minutes) — Travel hacks/tips 

• Think about one of your favorite places to travel. Is there something that you wish you would have known first? Have you been to places that you think others would benefit from visiting? What do you know that everyone should know?  
• Do you have travel hacks that would help lessen the mental burden? 
• Thinking about all these questions, ask participants to share a travel hack/tip. *This can be done in a completely Shomer Shabbat manner by asking people to share aloud. Or, if you are comfortable writing, give each person an index card to write down their travel hint/hack for a specific place. 
• As they share their place, ask them to put a sticker on the city, state, or country they are referencing.  

[part three] (15 minutes) — Where’s your next journey? 

• After hearing or reading all of the travel hacks and seeing the places your community has visited, spend some time dreaming about your next travel spots and what that might look like. Go around and share answers.