By Rabbi Sara Rich

I will confess, I have been living in Buffalo for almost 10 years, and I still use a GPS to drive to most places. Not to Temple Beth Tzedek (I got that one down!), my children’s schools, or the grocery store. But if I’m going somewhere unfamiliar, whether in Amherst or downtown, I’m definitely using it. Even when I’m pretty sure I know the way, I still put the address into Waze to make sure I get there on the first try.

So, when I read in this week’s Torah portion, Lech L’cha, that God says to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you,” I am taken aback. Just start traveling, without knowing your destination or how to reach it?! Abram doesn’t ask questions or request directions. He and his wife Sarai simply go.

I wonder what they were feeling. Were they excited? After all, it is God who summons them on this journey. Or were they scared to head toward an unknown destination, wondering how they would find it and whether they would like it once they arrived?

Our ancient sage Rabbi Yochanan taught, “Why did God not reveal the destination to Abram? It was to make it more endearing to him, and to give him a reward for each and every stride.”

According to this interpretation, there is something valuable about setting out on a journey without knowing exactly where it will lead. Abram leaves home with an open mind, and as he proceeds along his journey, grows in fondness for the land. With each uncertain step, he is rewarded for his leap of faith.

I’m not giving up my GPS. But Abram’s story offers us the comfort that not every worthy destination has clear directions. The reward might come simply from being willing to take those first steps into the unknown.

Rabbi Sara Rich serves as the Rabbi of Temple Beth Tzedek. She also serves as a Senior Jewish Educator with the Buffalo Jewish Federation.