Rabbi Zusia lay on his death bed, eyes full of tears, with his students huddled around him saying, “Rabbi, why are you crying? You have wisdom like Moses, you are hospitable like Abraham!” To which Rabbi Zusia replied, “In heaven, they won’t ask me why I didn’t become Moses, or Abraham, or anyone else… What will I answer when heaven asks: Why wasn’t I more like Zusia?”
Each of us is endowed with a unique potential — a journey through life that is entirely our own. This week’s parasha, is our reminder to go within ourselves and make it our life’s purpose to discover that potential and go after it. God tells Abraham to leave his home and “Lech l’cha—go forth,” because we cannot stay in one place and we certainly cannot go back. “Lech l’cha—go to yourself” to ask of ourselves: “What am I capable of?” “Lech l’cha—go for yourself,” for our own sake, for our own good, for our own benefit because this your life, your meaning, for your own sense of fulfillment.
The good news is, we have today. We can ask ourselves who will I be today? What is my potential? What do I need to do to get from here to there?