Question

How are you?
In connection with this week’s Torah portion, I was reminded of the well-known question: why is there such an emphasis on the self-sacrifice of our forefather Abraham, given that there were many righteous people who gave up their lives? A number of answers have been given to this question, and one well-known saying is that Abraham was the first, and therefore he “opened the pipeline,” so that from then on the phenomenon of self-sacrifice became easier.
The meaning of this idea of “opening the pipeline” can be understood in at least two ways: (a) as psychological motivation and encouragement—since historically there was already someone who gave up his life, then I am “in good company,” and this act becomes easier. (b) in a metaphysical sense—our forefather Abraham brought down here below, into our world, the idea of “self-sacrifice,” and therefore now it is easier. In Abraham’s case it was a novelty of “something from nothing,” whereas now it is “something from something,” and therefore it is easier.
For this metaphysical direction, it would seem one can bring various supports. Thus, it is told—and there are several sources for this—about Rabbi Yosef Karo, who labored greatly over a certain novel insight, and after some time he heard two relatively simple people state his insight quite naturally. The explanation given is that after he “brought down” the insight, it now became easier to arrive at it [and it seems to me that in your book That Which Is Present you mentioned something similar in the name of the Rashba regarding knowledge of pearls].
I would like to ask: do you now accept this thesis? Whether yes or no, do you perhaps have a good argument, or maybe some way to understand this metaphysical direction a bit better? At first glance, these things seem to me illogical and without any genuinely convincing basis (and even an unconvincing basis—I haven’t found one). Maybe there is some intuition on which it rests? If so, what is it? I would be glad for any possible direction in explaining this metaphysical “bringing down” [and perhaps you will be the first to metaphysically bring down the insight underlying this metaphysical direction, and then I too will be able to understand it simply… :-)].
Best regards,