iPhone X.
Last night, while most of humanity was asleep, Apple's latest version of their popular smartphone went on sale. Within minutes they had sold out of their expected stock, and the miracle devices are now only available weeks out.
Now selling for more than the average computer, these little devices have changed the landscape of technology in the last 10 years. While it used to be weird if you saw someone walking
down the street talking to themselves, now it is the norm to have a smartphone. From camera to music player, personal assistant to GPS, it has become the industry standard for a new millennium.
How did this come to be? From not being comfortable. Yes, we had a cassette player, and yes we had a rotary phone, and sure we had a road atlas, but let's not rest on our laurels when we can achieve something better. This is not an exact quote from Steve Jobs.
This is the message of this week's Torah portion Lech Lecha (ch as in Challah 😉) - Go out from your father's home to the land that I will show you. This is Hashem's instruction to Abraham. Yes, you discovered monotheism and are comfortably set up in your own spiritual life. But think larger, get out there, make something amazing happen, be the start of a nation. Destination yet to be decided, but Lech Lecha - Keep on moving.
While the iPhone might be more of a pursuit of personal gratification, Abraham's pursuit was one of selfless spiritual fulfillment. We all have our comfort zones, and often times it gets the job done. But imagine if we push the (email) envelope and head out to discover, to expand our horizon. Abraham shows us that the sky is definitely not the limit.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom!
ב"ה