There are moments in life when you face a setback or a crisis and ask one question: "Why now?""
Precisely when you turned a new leaf. Precisely when you believed that this time would be different. Precisely when you did everything right - everything collapsed.
Parashat Lech Lech opens with a great promise: "Go forth from your land... and I will make you a great nation and I will bless you." Our forefather Abraham sets out with a clear promise of a better life. But what happens is exactly the opposite. As soon as he reaches the Promised Land - "And there was a famine in the land." No small difficulty. Famine. Collapse. Descent into Egypt - to the most impure and frightening place at that time.
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How does this work out? God promises one thing, and reality shows exactly the opposite.
Rabbi Yoav Akrish's lesson on Parashat Lech Lech deals with the secret that our forefather Abraham reveals: Descending is not opposed to ascending - it is part of it. The lowest places in our lives are not an obstacle to our mission, but rather the place where that mission is realized. When we understand this, we will stop seeing every crisis as a sign of failure, and begin to see it as the true opportunity for growth.
