It is a basic concept in Judaism that HaShem can communicate with certain human beings and has done so on numerous occasions in the past. This communication is called prophecy. This concept is so fundamental that it is one of the thirteen principles of Judaism compiled by the Ramba'm (Maimonides).
A prophet receives his prophecy when he is sleeping or in a trance. The prophecy is conveyed in a symbolic form but the explanation is implanted into the mind of the prophet simultaneously.
The Special Status of MosheMoshe Rabeinu (Moses our Teacher) has a unique status among all the prophets. Indeed, his stature is so important that the Ramba'm included it as one the thirteen principles of Judaism by itself. He is referred to as "the chief of all prophets". The higher status of Moshe's prophecy is due to the mass revelation which occurred at Mount Sinai, an event unparalleled in history, which firmly established the authority of Moshe Rabeinu and his prophecies. As we shall soon see, the prophecy of Moshe Rabeinu is the basis upon which the validity of all other prophecy rests. Any prophet who contradicts the prophecy of Moshe is inherently false. Moshe was an exception to many of the rules regarding prophecy. Unlike all other prophets, Moshe received prophecy while awake and in full control of his faculties. The prophecies of Moses were explicit, not couched in symbolism. And Moses was capable of experiencing prophecy whenever he chose to. |
In order for a person to receive prophecy he must be must be great in righteousness and wisdom and completely self-disciplined. Such a person, if he prepares himself by immersing himself totally in Torah study and mitzvos, can bring his mind to a higher spiritual state in which he becomes capable of receiving prophecy.
A prophet has no control over whether and when he will receive prophecy. He can only ready himself by meditating and focusing his mind in a joyous state. (Prophecy can only come when a person is happy.) There is no guarantee that a person who has prepared himself will ever receive prophecy.
ProphetessesProphecy is not restricted to men. There have been many holy women who have attained the level of prophecy, many to an even higher degree than most men. According to at least one source the number of women who reached the level of prophecy is equal to the number of men. Some of the more famous prophetesses are: Sarah, Miriam, Devorah, and Esther. There are many others. |
We are obligated to obey a prophet as it says in the Torah, Devarim (Deuteronomy) 18:15, "In your midst, God will set up for you a prophet like me [Moshe] from among your brethren, and it is to him you must listen."
When HaShem sends a prophet, He gives the prophet a sign to show that he is a true prophet. However, not every person who shows such a sign is automatically accepted. The prophet must be known to be a great, wise, and righteous person. If he is such a person, then we are commanded to accept and obey him if he comes with a sign.
The sign that a prophet must give to prove he is genuine need not be a miracle. He must predict a future event, if his prophecy is fulfilled with perfect accuracy then we believe him, if, however, even the smallest detail is inaccurate then he is a false prophet. We must test a prophet in this manner several times but we are not permitted to overly test him.
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It is always possible that even a person who successfully passes the required tests is not a true prophet. Still we are commanded to obey him. This is similar to the law that we must accept the testimony of two witnesses. Even though there is always the possibility that they are lying, nevertheless, we are required to believe them if they meet all of the requirements. |
We can only test a prophet in prophecies which are good, the failure of a bad prophecy to be fulfilled does not mean that the prophet is false. This is because HaShem is merciful and accepts repentance. It is possible that the people have repented and HaShem has removed the punishment which the prophet had predicted.
If an established prophet testifies that another person is a legitimate prophet we do not have to test the second.
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The Torah lays out the basic method for testing a prophet quite clearly in Devarim 18:21-22, "You may ask yourselves, "How shall we recognize that a declaration was not spoken by HaShem?". If the prophet predicts something in HaShem's name, and the prediction does not materialize or come true, then the message was not spoken by HaShem. That prophet spoke deceitfully, and you must not fear him." |
Even if a prophet passes all of these tests if he attempts to contradict the Torah in any way he is automatically shown to be false. This requirement can disqualify any prophet at any time. A prophet may not add or detract from the Torah in any way, this applies to both the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. Therefore, any prophet who claims that a certain mitzvah is no longer required or that a new mitzvah has been added to the Torah shows himself to be a false prophet and is judged accordingly. This is true even if he performs miracles.
However, an established prophet may declare a temporary suspension of a Torah law and we are required to obey him. The only exception to this rule is idolatry which can never be permitted under any circumstances.
A prophet who is shown to be false is liable for the death penalty as it says in Devarim 18:20, "But the prophet who shall willfully speak a word in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or one who speaks in the name of the gods of others - that prophet shall die."
The task of the prophet is to admonish the people from sin and guide them in serving HaShem. The prophet warns of coming punishments which will occur if the people do not repent and guides them in a general sense in their lives. The prophet is often a source of information which would be unobtainable otherwise.
Despite the great stature of the prophets, no matter of Jewish law can be decided by the means of prophecy or any other form of Divine inspiration. When a question of Jewish law is concerned a prophet is no better than any other sage.
Although there were many prophets in the history of the Jewish people the Torah only preserves those prophecies which have a message for all generations.
Prophecy is a difficult state to obtain because, in addition to the demands it makes on the individual, it also requires a very high state of holiness in the general environment. When the Jewish people lived in the land of Israel and the Aron HaKodesh (Holy Ark) was kept in the Beis HaMikdash (The Holy Temple), this state of holiness existed in the land of Israel. Since the time of the destruction of the first Beis HaMikdash, prophecy and other forms of Divine Inspiration have become progressively more difficult to obtain. Today, for all purposes, true prophecy does not exist. It will return to the Jewish people in the time of Moshiach.
While this essay represents a serious effort to concisely state the basic concept and rules of prophecy in Judaism, it is, by no means, comprehensive. The amount of literature which deals with this subject is immense. I have based the bulk of this essay on the Rambam's Mishna Torah, Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah, chapters 7-10. I also made use of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's Handbook of Jewish Thought.
© Eliezer C. Abrahamson
