Parashat Lech-Lechaפָּרָשַׁת לֶךְ־לְךָ

Lech-Lecha (“Go Forth”) recounts Abraham’s (here known as Abram) first encounter with God, his journey to Canaan, the birth of his son Ishmael, the covenant between him, his descendants, and God, and God’s commandment to circumcise the males of his household. Lech-Lecha (Genesis 12:1–17:27) is the third weekly portion in the annual Torah cycle and marks a theological turning point: God shifts from relating to humanity collectively (through Creation, the Flood, and Babel) to forging a particular, lasting relationship with one individual and his lineage. Its central thread is the founding covenant between God and Abraham, in which God promises to make him a great nation and to give the land of Canaan to his descendants. Recurring sub-themes include faith and obedience tested through trials (leaving home, famine, war, and barrenness), the transformation of identity signaled by the name changes from Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah, and episodes such as the separation from Lot, Lot's rescue and the meeting with Melchizedek, and the "Covenant Between the Pieces" (brit bein ha-betarim). Many commentators read it as the foundation of Jewish peoplehood.

In most Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities the Haftarah for Lech-Lecha is Isaiah 40:27–41:16, and the standard annual reading is the same across both rites. It is paired with the portion because it explicitly invokes Abraham: Isaiah 41:8 names Israel as "the seed of Abraham My friend," tying the exiles directly to the patriarch of Lech-Lecha. Thematically both readings emphasize faith and divine faithfulness: just as Abraham went forth trusting God, the prophet reassures the despairing Babylonian exiles that God remains faithful to His covenant and will renew their strength. Rabbinic tradition (including Rashi) further reads Isaiah 41:2's "one from the east" as an allusion to Abraham's journey, though this is a midrashic interpretation rather than the plain text. Congregations following the triennial cycle may read different alternate passages, so practice can vary.

The opening verse, Genesis 12:1, "Lech lecha me-artzecha..." ("Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you"), is among the most famous calls in the Torah and gives the portion its name. Genesis 15:6, "And he believed in the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness," is a celebrated verse on faith. The portion also contains two foundational covenant texts: the Covenant Between the Pieces (Genesis 15), which foretells the descendants' enslavement and eventual redemption, and the commandment of circumcision, brit milah (Genesis 17), given as the sign of the covenant. Notable details include Abram setting out for Canaan at age 75 and the birth of Ishmael through Hagar when he is 86. From the Haftarah, the image "they shall mount up with wings as eagles" (Isaiah 40:31) is also widely known. Lech-Lecha is read on an ordinary Shabbat with no special liturgical status.