Update to Midrash Post

Last week, I discussed how we are meant to read the midrash, and explained that the literal reading obviously falls short of the authors' true intent. Today, by chance, I came across a quote from Rav Kook, that butresses my point. I found it on Chanan Morrison's site, and it is adapted from Igrot HaRe'iyah (vol. I, p. 135):

"A scholar once wrote Rav Kook that this statement cannot be taken literally. How could Abraham know what the rabbinical courts would decree a thousand years in the future? The Sages must have intended to convey a subtler message: Abraham's philosophical mastery of the Torah was so complete, his understanding of the Torah's theoretical underpinnings was so comprehensive, that it encompassed even the underlying rationales for future decrees.

Rav Kook, however, was not taken with this explanation. In his response, Rav Kook emphasized that the Torah's theoretical foundations cannot be safeguarded without practical mitzvot. We cannot truly absorb the Torah's philosophical teachings without concrete rituals.
(This in fact is the fundamental failing of Christianity. With its reliance on faith alone, Christianity retreats to the realm of the purely spiritual; it abandons reality and leaves the physical world unredeemed. The Torah's focus on detailed mitzvot, on the other hand, reflects its intense involvement with the physical world.)

Rather, Rav Kook elucidated this Talmudic tradition in a slightly different vein. Clearly, Abraham did not literally perform the ritual of "eiruv tavshilin" as we do today. Nonetheless, Abraham was able to apply the essential concept of this ceremony to his day-to-day life. This was not just a theoretical understanding, but a practical knowledge that guided him in his actions.

What is the essence of "eiruv tavshilin"? This ritual teaches us to distinguish between the sanctity of the Sabbath and the lesser sanctity of the holidays. Abraham was also able to make this fine distinction - in his actions. In his life and deeds, he was able to differentiate not only between the sacred and the profane, but also between varying levels of holiness. "

It is great to find that Rav Kook agrees with my post! Baruch shekivnani!