Prophets

Beliefs

Traditional Jewish sources describe how 48 prophets and seven prophetesses prophesied on behalf of the people of Israel. Many of their teachings are recorded in the Prophets section of the Bible, which consists of collections of prophetic speeches and narrative accounts of history attributed to prophets. These prophets covered the period from the people of Israel's entrance into the land of Israel through the beginning of the Second Temple. In the Torah, Abraham and Moses are also called prophets, and the Torah warns against listening to a false prophet.

Notable Sources

All Sources

The Greatest Prophet

TANAKH

Moses' direct, face-to-face relationship with God sets him apart as the greatest prophet in Israel. The Torah emphasizes Moses' unique prophetic status to ensure the permanence and authority of the divine law he delivered.

Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses—whom יהוה singled out, face to face,

Deuteronomy 34:10

The Unfathomable Wisdom of God

TANAKH

The Book of Isaiah, a cornerstone of prophetic literature, grapples with the themes of divine wisdom and the mystery of God's intentions.

Who has plumbed the mind of GOD?
Can anyone disclose God’s plan?

Isaiah 40:13

A Prophet Among You

TANAKH

God promises to raise a prophet from among the people, and this prophet must be heeded. In Deuteronomy, Moses assures the Israelites that God will continue to guide them through prophets, who will faithfully deliver God's messages.

From among your own people, your God יהוה will raise up for you a prophet like myself; that is whom you shall heed.

Deuteronomy 18:15

Prophecy vs. Dreams

KABBALAH

Understanding the distinction between prophecy and dreams can deepen our comprehension of spiritual experiences. Rabbi Chaim Vital, a primary disciple of the Ari, explores the nature of prophecy and dreams, emphasizing the conscious state of the soul during prophecy.

We thus have clearly explained the matter of prophecy and the matter of dreams. That is, prophecy occurs while the soul is still conscious within his body, whereas dreams occur when the soul departs and is not conscious within the body. Nevertheless, in prophecy itself, there are two types.

Sha'arei Kedusha, Part 3 5:13

A Familiar Voice

MUSAR

God’s initial communication with Moses was uniquely personal, using the voice of Moses' father to establish a comforting connection. Rabbi Isaiah HaLevi Horowitz’s 17th-century work, Shenei Luchot HaBerit, blends Kabbalistic ideas with traditional Jewish teachings to provide profound insights into Torah study and Jewish life.

I have already alluded to the Midrash which describes Moses as a טירון, private, in G–d's army of prophets at the beginning of his career when he experienced his first vision of G–d at the Burning Bush. G–d had said to Himself at that time: "If I appear to him with a thunderous voice, I will frighten him. If I approach him in a low voice, he will treat prophecy with scorn. So what did G–d do? He addressed him using the voice of Moses' father Amram. When thus approached, Moses responded by saying: הנני, "I am ready" (what does my father wish of me?) (Exodus 3,5)…

Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Vaera, Torah Ohr 27

The Consequences of False Prophecy

MISHNAH

The Mishnah outlines the severe consequences for false prophets and those who fail to heed or deliver God's prophecy. This early third-century legal text from the Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law from the early third-century land of Israel, discusses the distinction between punishments executed by man and those executed by Heaven.

The false prophet mentioned in the Torah includes one who prophesies that which he did not hear from God and one who prophesies that which was not said to him, even if it was said to another prophet. In those cases, his execution is at the hand of man, through strangulation imposed by the court. But with regard to one who suppresses his prophecy because he does not want to share it with the public, and one who contemptuously forgoes the statement of a prophet and refuses to heed it…

Mishnah Sanhedrin 11:5

The Origin of the Haftarah

LITURGY

The Haftarah was instituted during a time of persecution when reading the Torah was prohibited. The Haftarah is a selection from the Prophets read after the Torah portion during Shabbat services, connecting to the weekly Torah reading.

The Haftarah, a selected reading from the Prophets, usually contains some reference to the text or theme of the Sidrah, the Torah Reading, which precedes it. According to Avudraham, the recitation of the Haftarah, was instituted during the period of persecution preceding the revolt of the Maccabees, when the actual Torah reading was prohibited. Readings from the Prophets were then substituted in order to review some of the teachings contained in the Torah itself. The word הַפְטָרָה is derived from the root פטר , which means to discharge or conclude…

Siddur Sefard, Shabbat Morning Services, Haftarah Blessings 1-2

The Legitimacy of Prophetic Authority

GUIDES

Determining the legitimacy of a prophet's authority is crucial, especially when it involves revising or abolishing mitzvot. The Babylonian Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism, provides detailed discussions on the conditions and consequences of a prophet's authority.

The same is true with regard to a prophet. The Torah obligates every individual, even a king, to obey the directives of the prophet, including certain cases where it is permitted for the prophet to abolish or revise mitzvot in the Torah. Therefore, precise distinctions must be drawn delineating when a prophet is acting within the realm of his authority and when he is going beyond that realm and becoming a false prophet, whose directives must not be obeyed and who is liable to be executed.

Introductions to the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, Introduction to Perek X 10

Hiskia, Ephraim Moses Lilien 1914. (source: E. M. Lilien, eine künstlerische Entwickelung um die Jahrhundertwende)

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