The Treasure Within2 min read

To be human is to be a seeker. Whether or not we are conscious of it, there is a general theme which underlies our actions- the pursuit of life’s essence and the happiness we are certain it will grant us. “Anu ratzim, v’heim ratzim – We are running, and they are running”. Although the end result may look very different, as some people search for meaning in the broken wells of physical satisfaction while others discover the flowing stream of a relationship with the Infinite One, it is ultimately the same “running”, the same desperate search that powers them both.

In our generation, this “running” has grown extremely intense, particularly among our youth; “Zeh dor dorshav – This is a generation that seeks Him”. This has resulted in both more Jews getting in touch with the beauty of Torah and mitzvos than ever before, and, rachmana litzlan, more Jews being drawn to the transient illusions of pleasure and fulfillment presented by the Other Side. Oftentimes these two attractions merge within the very same Jew; the passion of the Dor HaMidbar (“Chessed n’urayich”) together with the passion of the Dor HaMabul (“Rah M’n’urav”) – We feel as if “Anu ratzim v’anu ratzim – We are running and we are running.”

Listen to the teaching of the holy Ishbitzer Rebbe. When we contemplate the places we go in search for the essence of life, we soon come to the realization that they each represent the opportunity to fill a lack. More money satisfies the need to pay the rent, physical pleasure satisfies desire, a steak dinner satisfies hunger. All of these things and others like them merely bring one up to a status quo of contentment; a status quo which, sooner or later, is bound to be disrupted with the appearance of a new lack to fill. Could this be the essence of life, the filling of lacks? Is there nothing that can lift us up, that can give us something more, that can enable us to truly gain?

The Ishbitzer teaches that this very question was asked by Avraham to the Master of the world, and the first two words of our parsha are the answer: “Lech lecha – Go to yourself”. With these two words, Hashem let Avraham in on the greatest secret of life: the treasure you seek in the world around you can only be found in the world you hold within.

Embedded in the very essence of the Jewish soul is the capacity for the highest levels of connection to Hashem and the ability to get in touch with a world beyond. By “going to ourselves”, we discover the ladder of our soul which, while “mutzav artza” – rooted in the physical body, is “magiah hashamaima” – touching the highest spiritual realms. Once we do, instead of searching for the essence of life in the transient world of lack, we can use the medium of avodas Hashem to climb the inner ladder of the soul and rise to communion with the Source of infinite light, life, and ultimate fulfillment.