[Avodah] Middos of the Avos

[Yitzchak Schaffer]

On 09/07/2011 17:13, kennethgmiller at juno.com wrote:
> It seems obvious to me that if they were pre-wired for PERFECTION, then they would have had no challenge, and hence no zechus for succeeding. But they did, and this (to me) proves that they were not pre-wired for *perfection*.
>

That makes sense to me as well, and would be my initial read; but built 
into that is the mussaristic assumption that these middos attributions 
of the Avos related to their personal growth. I'm challenging that 
assumption, especially given that there are Midrashic accounts of 
Avraham being endowed with mystical knowledge at the age of three, etc.

So for example, one could say that Avraham was endowed ("artificially") 
with perfection in chesed, so that he could accomplish something 
transcendent in the world therewith. To develop this: let's say he was 
endowed with perfection in chesed, and had to act *against* that to 
balance it out, e.g. exiling Yishmael, putting Yitzchak up for 
slaughter. Sarah was a foil to Avraham's absolute chesed.

And as to RMB's initial response:
 > It looks to me like you're posing nature vs nurture WRT the avos, and
 > thus the same "a mix of the two" answer ought to apply.

I'd say nature vs. achievement, just to clarify that it was their own 
project and not a flat-out Divine gift. Perhaps you meant this, but 
"nurture" sounds to me more like upbringing than personal endeavor.

-- 
Yitzchak Schaffer