Why are rituals and practical mitzvot so central to Judaism? Why isn't it sufficient just to absorb the philosophical content of the Torah's teachings?
When famine struck and Isaac considered leaving the Land of Israel, God appeared to him: "I will make your children as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all of this land. Because Abraham listened to Me, and kept My watch, My mitzvot, My laws and My Torah." (Genesis 26:4-5)
Abraham kept mitzvot? The Sages gleaned from this verse that the forefathers fulfilled the precepts of the Torah, even though the Torah had not yet been revealed at Sinai. Rabbi Ashi (fifth century Talmudic sage) went even further. He asserted that Abraham performed the ritual of Eiruv Tavshilin - of rabbinical origin - when a holiday fell on Friday. (Yoma 28)
A student once wrote Rabbi Kook that this statement should not be understood literally. How could Abraham know what the rabbinical courts would decree a thousand years in the future? The Sages must have intended to transmit a subtler message: Abraham's philosophical mastery of the Torah was so complete, his comprehension was so penetrating, that it encompassed even the underlying rationale for future decrees.
Rabbi Kook himself was not taken with this explanation. In his response, Rabbi Kook emphasized that the Torah's spiritual underpinnings cannot be safeguarded without practical mitzvot. We cannot truly absorb the Torah's philosophical teachings without concrete rituals. This is the fundamental weakness of Christianity - its reliance solely on faith.
Rather, Rabbi Kook elucidated this Talmudic tradition in a different vein. Abraham did not literally perform the ritual of eiruv tavshilin as we do today. Yet, he applied the concept of this ceremony to his day-to-day living.
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.
When famine struck and Isaac considered leaving the Land of Israel, God appeared to him: "I will make your children as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all of this land. Because Abraham listened to Me, and kept My watch, My mitzvot, My laws and My Torah." (Genesis 26:4-5)
Abraham kept mitzvot? The Sages gleaned from this verse that the forefathers fulfilled the precepts of the Torah, even though the Torah had not yet been revealed at Sinai. Rabbi Ashi (fifth century Talmudic sage) went even further. He asserted that Abraham performed the ritual of Eiruv Tavshilin - of rabbinical origin - when a holiday fell on Friday. (Yoma 28)
A student once wrote Rabbi Kook that this statement should not be understood literally. How could Abraham know what the rabbinical courts would decree a thousand years in the future? The Sages must have intended to transmit a subtler message: Abraham's philosophical mastery of the Torah was so complete, his comprehension was so penetrating, that it encompassed even the underlying rationale for future decrees.
Rabbi Kook himself was not taken with this explanation. In his response, Rabbi Kook emphasized that the Torah's spiritual underpinnings cannot be safeguarded without practical mitzvot. We cannot truly absorb the Torah's philosophical teachings without concrete rituals. This is the fundamental weakness of Christianity - its reliance solely on faith.
Rather, Rabbi Kook elucidated this Talmudic tradition in a different vein. Abraham did not literally perform the ritual of eiruv tavshilin as we do today. Yet, he applied the concept of this ceremony to his day-to-day living.
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.