Musar sobre Génesis 12:1

The third quality: The pious man rejects all those who reject the Creator, blessed be He, and he loves all those that love the Creator. For the Creator, blessed be He, said to Abraham (Genesis 12:1), “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house,” and he rejected his family and the house of his father because God, blessed be He, had rejected them. As it is said (ibid., 12:4), “So Abraham went, as the Lord had spoken unto him.”

They commenced sinning by considering their personal standing in the community. What concerned them was that Joshua was among those who had been selected to be spies. We know of Joshua that he never moved from the tent of Moses, was his personal valet, etc. (compare Exodus 24,13, and 33,11). The spies reasoned that his inclusion could only be because he would lead Israel in battle to conquer the Holy Land, and that on account of this Moses had also sent him on this mission. G–d had done something similar when He had told Abraham to traverse the land of Canaan (Genesis 13,17), since it would be given to his descendants. Abraham was to be a model for his children, etc. This thought had occurred to the spies only after they had heard Eldad and Meidad prophesy about Moses dying and Joshua leading the Jewish people. This is the reason this portion follows the report of the selection of the seventy elders without an introduction about Israel having requested this mission, as reported in Deuteronomy. Rashi had pointed out already in Exodus 17,14, when G–d instructs Moses to “put it in the ears of Joshua,” that there will be an ongoing war between G–d and Amalaek, but that G–d will wipe out every vestige of Amalek. The reason it was necessary for Joshua to know all this first hand, was a hint to Moses that Joshua would one day become the leader. The eventual mission of the spies was already being prepared at that time.

We must therefore refer to the Zohar who explains on Genesis 11,31 (Sullam edition Lech Lecha page 11) in which the Torah reports Terach, Abraham, Lot and family as having left Ur Kasdim with the intention of moving to the land of Canaan, that the intention to move to Canaan sufficed for G–d to offer Abraham assistance. Up to that point Abraham's intellectual achievements in the field of philosophy had been unassisted. From this point on he received Divine guidance. The crucial factor in bringing about G–d's manifest involvement was that Abraham had made the first move. We learn from here that deeds in our world act as the catalyst that evokes heavenly responses. As soon as Abraham had demonstrated his intention to move to Canaan, G–d told him לך לך. We can apply the same to the ultimate redemption, i.e. until "black light" wakes up, "white light" will not be able to merge with it and suffuse it, i.e. restore the state of the world to what it had been prior to Adam's sin.. This is the message in Isaiah 62,6 that המזכירים את ה' אל דמי לכם, "when (you -the watchmen-) mention G–d, do not practice silence." The prophet cautions the watchmen that silent contemplation is not enough. Whenever man makes the first move towards Him G–d can be depended on to respond and lead man on to greater things. Thus far the Zohar.