But did he just follow the big commandments, the obvious ones? Or was there something more?

Genesis 26:5 tells us that Abraham "heeded My voice, and observed My commission, My commandments, My statutes, and My Torahs.” It sounds comprehensive, right? But the rabbis of the Midrash, those incredible interpreters of our tradition, they wanted to unpack exactly what that meant.

And that's where Bereshit Rabbah 64 comes in. It's a fascinating dive into the depths of Abraham's understanding.

The verse starts "Because [ekev] Abraham heeded My voice." Now, Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Ḥanina, both powerful voices of tradition, suggest that Abraham was forty-eight years old when he first acknowledged his Creator. But then Reish Lakish throws a curveball. He says Abraham was only three years old! How does he arrive at that conclusion?

Well, he uses a technique called gematria, assigning numerical values to Hebrew letters. The word ekev, spelled Ayin-Kof-Bet, adds up to 172. Abraham lived to 175, meaning, according to Reish Lakish, that he was already heeding God's voice for 172 years – starting at the tender age of three. It's an incredible image, isn't it? A three-year-old with the wisdom to recognize the Divine.

But the Midrash doesn't stop there. It delves into the specifics of what Abraham knew and observed. The text states that Abraham "observed My commission, My commandments, My statutes, and My Torahs." Rabbi Yonatan, quoting Rabbi Yoḥanan, makes an astonishing claim: Abraham even knew the laws of Eiruv Hatzerot!

Now, Eiruv Hatzerot is a complex legal concept. If you have several houses opening onto a shared courtyard, and that courtyard is fenced in, an eiruv – a symbolic joining of ownership – is required to allow residents to carry things from their houses into the courtyard on Shabbat. It's a relatively minor point of law, but the fact that Abraham knew it, according to this interpretation, shows the incredible depth of his understanding. As Rambam explains in Hilkhot Eiruvin 1:1–7, this is no simple matter!

And it gets even more mind-blowing. The Midrash continues, "My Torahs – two Torahs." This suggests Abraham fulfilled even minor mitzvot (commandments) of the Oral Law, the traditions passed down through generations alongside the Written Torah.

Rabbi Simon even goes so far as to say that Abraham knew the new name that God is destined to call Jerusalem! He connects Abraham's naming of a place "The Lord will see" (Genesis 22:14) with future prophecies where Jerusalem will be called "The Lord is there" (Ezekiel 48:35) and "The Throne of the Lord" (Jeremiah 3:17). It's a beautiful weaving together of past, present, and future.

Finally, Rabbi Berekhya, citing Rabbi Yehuda, offers one last insight: there is no day that God doesn't introduce a new halakha (law) in the supernal court. Where does he get this idea? From Job 37:2, "Hear the fury of His voice, the sound [vehegeh] that emerges from His mouth." He connects hegeh, sound, with Torah, citing Joshua 1:8, "You shall ponder [vehagita] it day and night." The implication is that God's wisdom, God's Torah, is constantly unfolding.

So, what does all this mean? It's more than just a history lesson. It's a reminder that our understanding of God's will is a journey, not a destination. Abraham, our ancestor, serves as a model of someone constantly striving to know and understand God more deeply, embracing both the grand sweep of divine command and the subtle nuances of everyday life. And perhaps, it challenges us to ask ourselves: how deeply are we listening?