“God said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you; I will make your name great, And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you And curse the one who curses you; And all the families of the earth Shall bless themselves by you.’”

At the beginning of this week’s parsha, God commands Avraham to “go forth” and reject his homeland, birthplace, and the house of his father. 

There is no introduction to set the scene or introduce Avraham. The Torah does not explain why Avraham was uniquely chosen by Hashem to start the journey and bloodline of the Jewish people, Hashem’s chosen nation. 

Who Avraham was, and why he was chosen can be understood from Avraham’s answer to God’s command. 

After God commanded Avraham, the verse continued, “Abram went forth as God had commanded him…”

Avraham completely stripped himself of his prior identity in order to fulfill God’s command. Avraham was redefined by his listening to God. He left who he was for an unknown future because he trusted the promise of God. 

Everyday God gives us a choice to dwell in our past mistakes and successes or to continue forward investing in our future selves to become better people.

The Torah tells us nothing about Avraham’s background, because it truly was irrelevant to why he was chosen. It was not something specific about Avraham’s past that made him the right choice. Rather, it was his eagerness and faith in God shown in his response to God’s command that made him the future leader of the Jewish people.