NOVEMBER 7 • 2019 | 41

Spirit
torah portion

N

ow God said to 
Avram: ‘
Go out from 
your country, from 
your family and from your 
father’
s house, and go to a 
land that I will show you.’
” 
Genesis 12:1
Avram. Go! Lech!
One word, two 
letters is all that it 
takes to get your 
journey started. 
For some, it may 
seem sudden that at 
such an advanced 
age you are willing to 
leave your comfortable 
surroundings, your 
friends and family 
to set forth in such a 
radical new direction. 
However, others, 
those who have 
read between the lines, 
understand that this decision 
has been some time in the 
making. This action is really 
a culmination of much 
thought and quiet acts of 
rebellion against the status 
quo. 
You never were one to sit 
idol-ly by. You have always 
been able to see what others 
could not and hear that small 
still voice inside you that was 
inaudible to others. 
This gift is both a blessing 
and a curse. It is a blessing 
to feel so confident in your 
unique world perspective 
that you have the courage 
to express counter-culture 
beliefs, even though your 
understanding of the world 
is different from anyone else’
s 
around you. 
It also feels like a curse 
at times to be unable to be 
like everyone else and just 
go with the flow. You are an 
innovator who is generations 
ahead of his time, literally 
shouting into the wilderness. 
Yet, over time, it will be your 
world view that prevails. 
For a leader, you are 

an interesting mix of 
contradictions. On one hand, 
you have never been much of 
a rule follower or a listener 
to those in authority. You are 
much more of an iconoclastic 
stone-throwing innovator 
who is willing to question 
everything. Just because 
this is how it has always 
been done isn’
t good 
enough for you. You are 
willing to continually 
push accepted norms 
of behavior and societal 
assumptions until you 
reach an answer that 
resonates with your 
understanding of the 
world. On the other 
hand, as you chase 
this new idea, you 
are willing at times to 
suspend your questioning 
and put rigorous curiosity 
aside to acquiesce to the 
demands of this inner voice. 
You do this even if it 
means moving away from 
home. Will you do this even 
if it means sacrificing your 
own children and family 
while, on the other hand, 
challenging authority in 
the pursuit of justice for 
total strangers? This work-
family life balance is really 
something that you are going 
to need to watch out for. 
You are now told to go but 
are not yet provided with 
directions or a destination. 
You are being asked to 
walkest by the ways before 
there is yet even a Waze 
to guide you. Your only 
direction is to go to a land 
yet to be shown. And yet you 
are determined to go.
So, what are you waiting 
for? Go already! Go and 
fulfill your destiny! Go and 
be a blessing! 

Jeffrey Lasday is the Chief Operating 
Officer of the Jewish Community 
Center of Metropolitan Detroit.

Parshat 

Lech-Lecha: 

Genesis 

12:1-17:27; 

Isaiah 

40:27-41:16.

Jeff Lasday

A Picture Of A Leader

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