As water flows to many, so shall the blessing given to Abraham and Sarah flow from heaven throughout the world. Brakhah is also related to berekh , or knee. We bend the knee to pray as a posture of obeisance and humility. Blessing requires both knowing the power and source of the spring , and it also depends upon having humility, which comes from setting forth into an unknown land and leaving everything behind. H aran means crossroads, a place of decision, and Abraham is blessed by making the right choice.
All beginnings are dark and how things and people are born is often messy.
When I m writing, my desk is chaos, with open books, scribbled notes, and papers spread on every flat surface. Then the delightful day comes when the words are complete and reflect order. To keep faith that cosmos will triumph over order is what is means to be a Jew. To believe that transformation is the glory of being human is also Jewish. This portion is a good reminder every year to have faith that the long journey into ourselves and out of our comfortable lives will yield a briah h adashah , a new self.