I was reading up on the opinions regarding the 3 "visitors" who stopped by Abraham's tent.
I am assuming (for the sake of argument) that the text of the Chumash is historically accurate -- there was a guy and he was visited by three visitors.
Some commentators explain that the 3 visitors were angels. Others explain that they were not angels, but men.
Only one of those two can be, ultimately, correct. If we were to go back in time and watch the event unfold, either men or angels who looked like men showed up. Right now, all we have is opinion because we weren't there but each opinion is trying to present a truth of the situation so only one can be correct.
But if we learn a lesson from each of the options (like each angel can have only 1 mission or that we should recognize a blessing even in the words of mortal men and be thankful for it) then only one of those lessons can be sourced in the actual event. So learning one of them would be in error (if they were men, then we can't learn about angelic missions and if they were angels then we can't learn about human blessings).
Does this devalue any of the lessons we learn?
I wonder if there are other examples -- I suspect that there are but off the top of my head, I can't think of one.
#1
I am assuming (for the sake of argument) that the text of the Chumash is historically accurate -- there was a guy and he was visited by three visitors.
Some commentators explain that the 3 visitors were angels. Others explain that they were not angels, but men.
Only one of those two can be, ultimately, correct. If we were to go back in time and watch the event unfold, either men or angels who looked like men showed up. Right now, all we have is opinion because we weren't there but each opinion is trying to present a truth of the situation so only one can be correct.
But if we learn a lesson from each of the options (like each angel can have only 1 mission or that we should recognize a blessing even in the words of mortal men and be thankful for it) then only one of those lessons can be sourced in the actual event. So learning one of them would be in error (if they were men, then we can't learn about angelic missions and if they were angels then we can't learn about human blessings).
Does this devalue any of the lessons we learn?
I wonder if there are other examples -- I suspect that there are but off the top of my head, I can't think of one.
#1