Why the Greatest Moments in the Torah Happened Outdoors
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- Mar 3
- 4 min read
Imagine if Eve took a bite of the apple in a Whole Foods. If Noah built the ark in his bathtub. If Moses brought the Ten Commandments down from the attic. If David faced Goliath at the gym, or if The Prophet Deborah held court in a boardroom instead of beneath a palm tree.
Not quite as powerful, right?
There’s a reason why so many of the Torah’s most defining moments happened in the vastness of the outdoors. Nature is not just a backdrop or a literary device - it’s an essential part of the transformation that takes place. It is where our truest selves are revealed, where the boundaries between us and the Divine feel thin, and where we step into our highest potential.
Why Does Nature Transform Us?
1. Stripping Away Distractions & Finding Clarity
When the Israelites left Egypt, they didn’t just escape physical slavery - they left behind a culture built on materialism, ego, and illusion. In the vastness of the desert, away from the familiar, they had no choice but to confront their fears, shed their old identities, and open themselves to something greater. That’s why Moses received the Torah not in a palace, but atop a wild, untamed mountain. As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel writes,“The road to the sacred leads through the wilderness.”
Stepping away from the noise of daily life - our phones, our to-do lists - creates space. And in that space, stripped of comfort, and surrounded by the vastness of nature, we become most open to revelation. Jacob’s transformative dream didn’t happen in the comfort of his bed - it happened when he was sleeping under the open sky with a rock as his pillow. That’s when he had his famous vision of the ladder reaching up to heaven, with angels ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12). When Jacob awoke, he realized: "Surely God is in this place, and I did not know it" (Genesis 28:16).
2. Facing Challenge & Tapping into Strength
David didn’t fight Goliath in an arena with a crowd cheering him on - he met him in an open valley, armed with nothing but his slingshot and faith. The wilderness pushes us beyond our comfort zones, forcing us to confront our fears and limitations. The Talmud (Berakhot 5a) tells us that “God tests the righteous,” not to break them, but to elevate them. Hiking a steep trail, navigating the unknown, and even weathering the elements all teach resilience. And in those moments of challenge, in our most vulnerable state, we see ourselves more clearly—we recognize our strength, our determination, and the support of the people walking beside us.
3. Learning from Nature
It's not uncommon for a traveler to enter the trail with a problem or a worry in mind, and leave with a fresh perspective and sense of peace. The Torah calls nature a teacher: “Ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; speak to the earth, and it will instruct you” (Job 12:7-8). The natural world mirrors our own spiritual journeys - seasons of growth and loss, of struggle and renewal. In the wilderness, we gain perspective. The mountains remind us how small we are; the rivers teach us that nothing stays the same. A tree bends but does not break. A caterpillar dissolves completely before becoming a butterfly. Change is not only natural - it is necessary. And just as the earth is always in motion, so too are we. Whatever challenges we face, nature reminds us: this too shall pass.
4. Co-Creating with God
The first command given to humankind was not in a synagogue or a study hall - it was in a garden. “God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and protect it” (Genesis 2:15). Our relationship with the land is sacred; we are not just observers of nature but partners in its creation and preservation. Rabbi Kook writes, “Nature’s beauty is a manifestation of the Divine... and through it, the soul can ascend to greater awareness.” This beauty is not just in the grandeur of mountains and waterfalls - it’s in the small, quiet moments, too. The gentleness of the wind through the trees. The warmth of the sun on your face. The stillness of a morning mist. These are reminders that holiness and miracles are not always loud and dramatic - they are often found in the softness, in the spaces in between. It is our spiritual task to deepen our connection with the earth and protect it's beauty for generations to come.
5. Community
The Torah was given not to individuals in isolation, but to an entire people gathered at the foot of a mountain. Our spiritual lives are not meant to be solitary journeys. When we adventure together—trekking through the wilderness, singing around a fire, sharing the peace of a sunrise—we build something lasting. A community of seekers, of explorers, of people who uplift each other. As the Midrash teaches, "The Shechinah (Divine Presence) never rested in a confined space, but only in an open place" (Bamidbar Rabbah 1:3). It also rests in the space we create between us when we gather with intention.
Lech-Lecha Journeys: Where Nature and Spirituality Meet
At Lech-Lecha, we believe that the most powerful Jewish experiences happen outside—just as they did in the Torah. Our journeys are designed to strip away distractions, challenge you, connect you with others, and open the door to personal and spiritual growth. When you hike through the wilderness, sleep under the stars, and welcome Shabbat by a crackling fire, you are stepping into the same tradition that shaped our ancestors.
Just as Avraham was called to Lech-Lecha - to "go forth" - we invite you to take that step. To go beyond the familiar. To rediscover your purpose in the wild. Because the greatest stories are written not in the comfort of our homes, but in the vast, open spaces where possibility begins.
Your journey is waiting.
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