Abraham & the commandments – Tzav
Depiction of Abraham & Sarah
In the Simchat Torah service and elsewhere in Jewish literature we are told that Abraham kept the Divine commandments even before they were given.
The way we can explain the situation is to say that the Patriarchs sensed what God required of human beings even before Sinai.
Martin Buber answers the apparent contradiction. He says that the important thing is to love God. If you are about to do something which might lessen your love of God, you must realise that it is a sin. If you are about to do something which will enhance your love of God, you should know that it is a mitzvah, that it is in keeping with the will of God.
That is what Abraham did.
