[Avodah] history

[Eli Turkel]

> This whole attitude is so a-historical as to be disturbing

And Tosfos about Pinchas, Eliyahu, and Beis Hakvaros?

We have discussed before that chazal have a tendency to identify
together people who seem to have nothing in common. In many cases it
makes people hundreds of years old or on the contrary had children
very early when there is no reason in pshat for this. In fact by
Eliyahu and many other such cases there are other sources that dispute
these connects. Hence, some explain that these people had
characteristics in common or were a gilgul of one another etc.

As MYG points out one difficulty is when the gemara or rishonim try
and learn halachot from these identifications.

-- 
Eli Turkel