After humanity’s dispersion from the Tower of Babel, the original traditions of morality and monotheism were only preserved by select individuals. Responding to Abraham’s efforts to restore the world’s monotheism, G d informs him that he has been selected to found the chosen people and instructs him to settle in the Promised Land.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה’ אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ וגו’: (בראשית יב:א)

G-d said [to Abraham], “Go.” Genesis 12:1

Although Abraham’s accomplishments in spreading Divine consciousness so far had been impressive, they had been limited by the fact that he was speaking only from his personal convictions and reasoning.

All this changed when G‑d spoke to Abraham. His first words to him were literally “Go, to you,” meaning “Go to your true, higher self, the self you could never reach on your own.” Through these words, G‑d made Abraham into a person who could progress beyond his own abilities.

As we saw, the Flood introduced into the world the possibility to correct wrongdoing and remake our lives even after committing what would otherwise appear to be fatal mistakes. Now, when G‑d told Abraham to “go, to you,” He made it possible for us not only to return to our original selves but to “return” to our authentic, fundamental selves – the selves we never even knew existed, constantly uncovering new and infinitely higher vistas of our innate Divine personality and connection with G‑d.1

Translated and Adapted by Moshe Wisnefsky