For years, I have taught a university course on political and ideological education, and I always open the class with the words of Israeli sociologists Dan Horowitz and Moshe Lissak from their monumental book Trouble in Utopia: The Overburdened Polity of Israel: “Israel is the outcome of an ideological movement that created a community which, in turn, became a state.”
I first explain the three stages of transition – from an ideological movement to a community (the Yishuv) to a political entity (the State of Israel) – and then I ask: “Who is the founder of this ideological movement?”
For decades, my students have answered Theodor Herzl. I then smile and reply: “Is our perspective limited to only the past century? After all, Herzl died in 1904!” I then reveal my answer: The founder is Avraham Avinu, Abraham our forefather. This always sparks an amazing class discussion comparing Abraham and Herzl as the founders of our people’s vision.
Rebuilding our moral and social fabric
This conversation is always relevant, but it is especially poignant now, as Israel seeks to rebuild its moral and social fabric in the wake of the October 7, 2023, tragedy. The questions that once animated the dialogue between Abraham and Herzl – questions of vision, courage, and renewal – now stand before us with renewed urgency.
In my view, our national discourse must once again move along three guiding axes: values, identity, and authority.
These form the moral compass for reimagining the covenant that binds us as a people. In what follows, I analyze these themes through the opening verses of the Lech Lecha Torah portion, drawing parallels between Abraham’s journey and Herzl’s vision for a new society in Altneuland.
The Torah portion opens with a powerful divine command:
“Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)
This is not merely a geographical relocation; it is a moral and spiritual transformation. The call of Lech Lecha is an invitation – to Abraham and to every generation – to embark on a journey toward a renewed covenant. It mirrors Herzl’s prophetic call in Altneuland: a passage from the old to the new, from self-interest to moral purpose, from fragmentation to unity.
Abraham and Herzl
1. Values: “Go from your land.” Leave the world of self-interest for a world of responsibility.
Abraham is called to abandon his familiar land of idols and convenience, stepping into a realm where faith transcends utility and morality outweighs comfort. Like Herzl in Altneuland, Abraham dreams of a society where values – not profit or expedience – are the driving force of life.
Today, Israeli society must also “go forth from its land” of narrow interests, tribal politics, and transactional thinking toward the moral “land that I will show you” – a space of mutual responsibility, empathy, and fairness. This is the ethical journey that precedes any genuine social or national cohesion.
2. Identity: “From your birthplace”; move from tribal identity to universal belonging.
Abraham is told to transcend the boundaries of his birth and become “the father of many nations.” This radical act transforms him from a local “I” into a universal “we.” He models a sense of peoplehood that embraces difference without erasing particularity.
In parallel, the Lech Lecha journey offers a vision for a multilayered society – one that is deeply rooted in its heritage while remaining open to dialogue with others. Our task is to cultivate an Israeli identity that finds strength in diversity, not seeing it as a threat. Abraham teaches that the universal is born from the particular, just as Herzl envisioned a Jewish state embodying values of justice and compassion for all.
3. Authority: “From your father’s house,” from hierarchical control to moral leadership. By leaving his father’s house, Abraham breaks free from the old order of inherited patriarchal authority. He pioneers a new model of leadership, one based not on domination or coercion but on covenantal responsibility. Abraham becomes not a ruler but “one who calls out in the name of God” – a moral leader who inspires through example and service.
Today’s Israel must likewise move from coercive power to ethical leadership. Power should derive from integrity, not hierarchy; from trust, not fear. True authority is earned through service and moral consistency – the very kind of leadership Israel now needs.
4. The Land of Vision: “To the land that I will show you” – building the unseen future.
The divine command ends with a vision: “the land that I will show you.” It is not a territory already known; it is a future reality yet to be revealed. Like Abraham, we are called to walk toward a future we cannot fully see, sustained by faith and moral imagination.
Altneuland is such a journey: a collective act of faith that a just, compassionate society can indeed be built. We move step-by-step, guided by values and covenant, toward the land as yet unseen but not unknowable.
The story of Lech Lecha teaches that creating a moral society begins with a departure – from habit, from comfort, from tribalism, and from domination – toward a new space of dialogue, empathy, and shared responsibility.
Herzl envisioned this in his Altneuland. Abraham embodied it on his journey. Both called to us with the same timeless message: “Lech Lecha” – Go forth. Go toward yourself, and go toward the society you are meant to build.
Our personal journeys
The importance of Abraham’s example is underscored by recent events: The Abraham Accords of the past few years were named deliberately for Abraham, our universal patriarch. By forging new relationships with several Muslim-majority nations, these accords affirmed that the bridge-building and inclusive vision Abraham represents remain vital today.
Finally, each of us has our own personal “Lech Lecha.” When one seeks to meet God and find meaning, one must step outside the familiar. In that sense, God tells each person – “go for yourself.”
Rashi explains this as “for your benefit and your good,” implying that this departure is ultimately for your growth. We leave our comfort zone not to lose ourselves but to discover our true selves. This two-way journey of the soul – going out and then returning transformed – is the pathway to personal and national renewal.
The writer is head of the Sal Van-Gelder Center for Holocaust Research & Instruction at the Faculty of Education of Bar-Ilan University.