Bereshit Rabbah, a classic compilation of Rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, offers a stunningly beautiful image to explain Abraham’s rise to greatness. It all starts with the verse, "The Lord said to Abram..." and then Rabbi Berekhya jumps right in.
He begins with a quote from Song of Songs (1:3): "By the fragrance of your good oils, your name is like poured oil." What does that even mean?
Rabbi Berekhya asks a similar question: What was our patriarch Abraham really like? He answers with a vivid image: Imagine a flask of precious balsam oil. This isn’t just any oil, mind you. This is the good stuff. It’s been carefully sealed and tucked away in a corner. Now, because it's sealed, its beautiful fragrance… well, it stays put. No one even knows it's there!
But then, something happens. The flask is moved.
And that’s when the magic happens. As soon as it moves, that incredible fragrance fills the air. Suddenly, everyone knows about the amazing oil.
That, according to the Midrash, is precisely how it was with Abraham. The Holy One, Blessed be He, told Abraham, "Move yourself from one place to another place, and your name will be exalted in the world.” Abraham’s potential, his inherent goodness, was always there. He was like that flask of oil, brimming with potential. But it wasn't until he was asked to move, to leave his comfort zone, to journey into the unknown, that his true essence, his “fragrance,” could truly be released into the world.
It's a potent reminder, isn't it? Sometimes, the greatest things we can achieve, the biggest impact we can have, comes not from staying put, but from being willing to move, to change, to embrace the journey, wherever it may lead.
What "flask of oil" are you keeping tucked away? And what might happen if you decided to move it?