Rabbi Rael Blumenthal

There once was a very rich man, in fact, the richest man in Poland. And like all rich people, he sometimes wondered what to do with his money, until one day, it dawned upon him, that he should have the nicest horse in Poland.

Now, as some might know, owning a horse is not a simple endeavor, but he was determined to ensure that he had the nicest horse in Poland. So he went out and bought the horse. But, of course, to have such a horse, one must build a stable.

Thus it came to be that this rich man would own the nicest horse in Poland, as well as the greatest, state-of-art stable.

But it's not enough to have a stable for such a horse. He needed a lock to protect his investment. So he found the best lock smiths and had a lock designed for this sole purpose.

Not yet satisfied, the rich man sought out a guard who would stand outside the stable all night keeping watch.

With the stable build, the lock on the door and the guard in place, the rich man went to bed; but try as he might, he couldn't fall asleep. “What if something happened to the guard? Or the lock? Or the stable?”

So he got up at 1am, walked outside and went to check on the guard, who was standing wide awake outside the stable. “Tell me,” he says “How do you stay awake all night?”

“I'll tell you the truth” The guard answered “I'm bothered by a question.” “What's the question?” Asked the rich man.

“When a carpenter nails a nail into a wall, what happens to that part of the wall?”

“It's a good question”, says the rich man. “Good, good, keep thinking about it.” Now satisfied that his guard was not falling asleep, he attempted to sleep himself. But to no avail, he couldn't do it.

So he went outside again; and again, asked how the guard was staying awake. This time he had a new question: “When they make bagels, what happens to the part in the middle?” Another good question. But when he returned to bed, he still could not fall asleep.

So, a third time, the rich man went outside. Once again, the guard was wide awake. “How are you so wide awake?” he asked. “I'll tell you truth, there's something that's been bothering me all night.”

“You're the richest man in Poland, correct?” “Correct.” “And you bought the nicest horse in Poland, correct?” “Correct.” “And build the best stable,” “Correct.” “And bought the best lock,” “Correct.” “And hired a personal guard,” “Nu, what's the question?”

“I've been wondering all night, what ever happened to the horse?”

This story was told by Reb Simcha Bunim of Pshischa towards the end of his life. He gathered his chassidim and told them, never stop looking for the Why and the Who of Creation.

This was Avraham's question: Why are we here? Most people seem to be running around, doing whatever they're doing, with little regard to why. Children are raised to go to school, to get a job, to make a living, to start a family, only to continue the cycle.

In the words of the Rambam (Hilchos Avoda Zara 1:3):

כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּגְמַל אֵיתָן זֶה הִתְחִיל לְשׁוֹטֵט בְּדַעְתּוֹ וְהוּא קָטָן וְהִתְחִיל לַחֲשֹׁב בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה וְהָיָה תָּמֵהַּ הֵיאַךְ אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַגַּלְגַּל הַזֶּה נוֹהֵג תָּמִיד וְלֹא יִהְיֶה לוֹ מַנְהִיג וּמִי יְסַבֵּב אוֹתוֹ. כִּי אִי אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיְּסַבֵּב אֶת עַצְמוֹ

As soon as this giant, Avraham, was weaned he started to busy his mind. In his childhood he began to think by day and by night, and would encounter this enigma: How is it possible that this planet should continuously be in motion and have no leader—and who, indeed, causes it to revolve, it being impossible that it should revolve itself?

But how does one become an Avraham? How do we learn to ask the right questions? How do we seek out and live a life of meaning?

The Ramban addresses this issue, asking a famous question: Why are we not introduced to Avraham in the same way that we are introduced to Noach. With Noach we are given his resume: Righteous, pure, walking with Hashem. But Avraham is seemingly dropped into the Torah. Why does Hashem choose him? Why does Hashem speak to him?

Knowing the answer is essential here. Whatever it was that made Avraham into Avraham, is what we need to be working on.

The Sfas Emes explains, based on the Zohar:

רמב”ן הקשה שנאמר לך לך בלי שנזכר מקודם חיבתו, ובזוהר הקדש נראה כי זה עצמו השבח ששמע זה המאמר לך לך שנאמר מהשי”ת לכל האנשים תמיד... וממילא נראה רק הדיבור אליו, כי הלא לא נמצא מיוחד לשמע רק הוא.

The directive of Lech Lecha was not intended to Avraham alone. Hashem was calling out to every person in the world. Being that Avraham was the only one to listen, the stories continues with him.

Lech Lecha – go to yourself. Go find yourself. Leave behind your smallness and find something great. Avraham was simply the first person to listen.

This voice is echoing throughout the world, screaming out: “What happened to the horse? Why do we do what we do? What's the meaning and purpose in life?” And most people ignore it. Avraham did not.

Our job here begins with the the openness and sensitivity to listen. If we listen, we’ll hear. If we hear, we’ll be able to move from where we are to where we need to be. To ask, to question, to challenge and to become the people Hashem is inviting us to become.