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Parashat Lech-Lecha

לֶךְ־לְךָ · Genesis 12:1 to 17:27, portion 3 of 12 in the book of Genesis.

This Shabbat

Saturday 24 October 2026

13 Cheshvan 5787

In Israel and abroad

The year after

Saturday 13 November 2027

13 Cheshvan 5788

In Israel and abroad

What happens in Lech-Lecha

God tells Abram to leave his land for the land He will show him, promising that he will become a great nation. Abram and Sarai travel to Canaan, go down to Egypt in a famine and return. Abram parts from Lot, rescues him in a war between kings and receives the covenant between the parts. Hagar bears Ishmael, Abram and Sarai are renamed Abraham and Sarah, and the covenant of circumcision is given.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ אֶל־אַבְרָם לֶךְ־לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ

“Now the LORD said unto Abram: ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto the land that I will show thee.”

Genesis 12:1, the opening verse, in the 1917 Jewish Publication Society translation.

This week's portion·All 54 portions

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Frequently asked questions

When is Parashat Lech-Lecha read in 2026?+

On Shabbat 24 October 2026 (13 Cheshvan 5787), in Israel and in the Diaspora alike. The year after, it is read on 13 November 2027.

What is Parashat Lech-Lecha about?+

God tells Abram to leave his land for the land He will show him, promising that he will become a great nation. Abram and Sarai travel to Canaan, go down to Egypt in a famine and return. Abram parts from Lot, rescues him in a war between kings and receives the covenant between the parts. Hagar bears Ishmael, Abram and Sarai are renamed Abraham and Sarah, and the covenant of circumcision is given.