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Why does God tell Avrohom to go "for your benefit" when He immediately explains the specific benefits? The test was whether Avrohom could find pleasure in doing God's will itself. True human pleasure comes not from physical gratification but from being in control of oneself and doing what's right.
The shiur addresses what Rabbi Zweig considers one of the most important principles in the Torah (תורה), focusing on the opening command to Avrohom in Parshas Lech Lecha. The analysis begins with four difficult questions about God's command to Avrohom. First, why is this considered a test when God promises Avrohom wealth, fame, and nationhood? Second, why does God need to say "Lech Lecha" (go for your benefit) when He immediately specifies the benefits? Third, the promise seems untrue given Avrohom's subsequent hardships - famine, his wife's abduction, and 25 years without children. Fourth, the same phrase "Lech Lecha" appears at the Akeidah, where Avrohom is commanded to sacrifice his son - hardly for his "pleasure." Rabbi Zweig proposes that these questions reveal a fundamental life principle. Most people live in constant tension between what they know is right and what gives them immediate physical pleasure. Examples include smoking versus health, overeating versus fitness, or inappropriate relationships versus family integrity. The typical approach treats this as an irreconcilable conflict between duty and desire.
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Parshas Lech Lecha 12:1
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