Dear Temple Emanu-El Families,
There is something remarkable about the way we tell the stories of Abraham and Sarah. We know their names, their journeys, and the significance they hold in Jewish history. We know what comes next.
But they didn’t.
In this week’s Torah portion, Lech L’cha, God asks Abram to leave behind the familiar and journey toward a land he has yet to see. Later in the portion, Abram and Sarai become Abraham and Sarah. Their names change, reflecting the responsibility they will carry for generations to come.
What strikes me is that their names don’t change before the journey begins. They change along the way.
Even after receiving his new name, Abraham falls on his face and laughs when God tells him that he and Sarah will have a child. Here is one of the most significant figures in our tradition, still encountering a future that is difficult to imagine. It isn’t until the next Torah portion that we encounter Sarah’s own laughter at the possibility. I find something deeply human in those moments.
This is the kind of curiosity and wonder that stays with me as I write lesson plans, reflect on our students’ growth, and think about what it means to help young people and teens navigate a world that doesn’t always offer clear answers.
I notice we often feel an expectation to have answers, especially for the young people who look to us for guidance. But I wonder if Lech L’cha reminds us that we don’t need to know exactly what comes next to take a meaningful step forward.
Even the names that have shaped generations belonged to people who were still discovering their own stories. In today’s world, this is something worth remembering as we continue writing ours.
Shabbat Shalom,
Em Besthoff
Associate Director of Lifelong Learning
