By Rabbi Netanel Naftali
This week’s parasha begins with Hashem commanding Avraham:
“Lech lecha me’artzecha, umimoladetecha, umibeit avicha, el ha’aretz asher areka” — “Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.”
Hashem then promises him: “I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”
Our rabbis teach us that this was one of the ten tests with which Hashem tested Avraham.
But we have a question: What exactly was the test?
After all, Hashem is asking Avraham to leave his home and promising him greatness, wealth, blessings, and an incredible future. On the surface, it sounds like a pretty good deal! So what made this such a difficult test?
The answer lies in one of the fundamental principles of serving Hashem: we must serve Him leshem Shamayim—for His sake, not for our own benefit.
Imagine someone tells you, “Do this favor for me, and I will make you wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.” Now, when you do that favor, how can you know that you are doing it because you genuinely want to fulfill that person’s wishes, rather than because of everything you stand to gain?
That is the challenge.
Hashem was promising Avraham incredible blessings. He was being told that by leaving his homeland, he would become great and successful. The test was whether Avraham could fulfill Hashem’s command with the purest intentions, without allowing the promise of reward to become his motivation.
Could Avraham go because Hashem told him to go? Could he serve Hashem simply because that was Hashem’s will, even when there was so much personal benefit waiting for him?
That was the test: to serve Hashem leshem Shamayim, even when there is something tremendous to gain personally.
And this is a lesson that applies to every one of us.
When we perform a mitzvah, give charity, learn Torah, or do something for another Jew, we should ask ourselves: Why am I doing this? Am I doing it because I want the reward, because I want recognition, or because I genuinely want to fulfill Hashem’s will?
Of course, there is nothing wrong with appreciating the rewards and blessings that come from serving Hashem. But our ultimate goal should be to reach a level where we do what Hashem asks of us simply because He asks it of us.
That is what it means to serve Hashem leshem Shamayim: not to make our relationship with Hashem about what He can do for us, but to make it about what we can do for Him.