ת"ר ארבעים ושמונה נביאים ושבע נביאות נתנבאו להם לישראל ...
The Sages taught in a baraita: Forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses prophesied on behalf of the Jewish people....
With regard to the statement that forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses prophesied on behalf of the Jewish people, the Gemara asks: Is there no one else? .... The Gemara answers: In fact, there were more prophets, as it is taught in a baraita: Many prophets arose for the Jewish people, numbering double the number of Israelites who left Egypt. However, only a portion of the prophecies were recorded, because only prophecy that was needed for future generations was written down in the Bible for posterity, but that which was not needed, as it was not pertinent to later generations, was not written. Therefore, the fifty-five prophets recorded in the Bible, although not the only prophets of the Jewish people, were the only ones recorded, due to their eternal messages.
(ד) ענין הנבואה: ואמנם למעלה מכל זה יש מעלה אחרת והיא הנבואה וענינה שיגיע האדם ויתקשר בבורא ית״ש ויתדבק בו דביקות ממש באופן שירגיש התדבקות וישיג מה שהוא מתדבק בו דהיינו כבודו ית׳ על דרך שנבאר לפנים. ויהיה הדבר ברור אצלו ומורגש ממנו בלי ספק כלל בדרך שלא יסתפק בדבר גשמי שירגישהו בחושיו. והנה עיקר הנבואה הוא השיג הדביקות והקשר הזה עודו בחיים שזה שלימות גדול ודאי ואולם יתלוה לזה ידיעות והשכלות כי אמנם ישיג עי״ז ענינים אמיתים ונכבדים מאד מסתרי סודותיו ית׳ וישיגם בבירור כדרך ההשכלה הנשפעת שזכרנו וביותר כח מבעל רה״ק וכמ״ש עוד בס״ד:
(4) Regarding prophecy: Yet there is another level above all of this, and that is prophecy. And its content is that a man reaches a high level where he binds himself with the Creator, may His name be blessed, and truly cleave to Him in such a way that he feels the cleaving, and perceives that to which he is cleaving - meaning to His glory, may He be blessed - according to the way we shall explain below. It is clear and perceived by him without any doubt, in the same way that he would have no doubts about something physical that he perceives with his senses. Note that the essence of prophecy is the attainment of this cleaving and connection while he is still alive, which is certainly a great perfection. However accompanying this is [also] information and understandings. For through this, he is truly able to grasp very great and true matters from His hidden secrets, may He be blessed. And he grasps them with clarity ...
(ז) הַנָּבִיא אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁתִּהְיֶה נְבוּאָתוֹ לְעַצְמוֹ בִּלְבַד לְהַרְחִיב לִבּוֹ וּלְהוֹסִיף דַּעְתּוֹ עַד שֶׁיֵּדַע מַה שֶּׁלֹּא הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ מֵאוֹתָן הַדְּבָרִים הַגְּדוֹלִים. וְאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיְּשֻׁלַּח לְעַם מֵעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ אוֹ לְאַנְשֵׁי עִיר אוֹ מַמְלָכָה לְכוֹנֵן אוֹתָם וּלְהוֹדִיעָם מַה יַּעֲשׂוּ אוֹ לְמָנְעָם מִמַּעֲשִׂים הָרָעִים שֶׁבִּידֵיהֶם.
(7) A prophet may possess the spirit of prophecy for his own sake alone, to broaden his mind and increase his knowledge so that he may know that which he did not know of certain great matters, or he may be sent to a nation of among the nations of the world, or to the inhabitants of a city, or to a government to establish them righteously, to instruct them what to do, or to restrain them from the evil deeds on their hands...
From here Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir would say: Torah study leads to care in the performance of mitzvot. Care in the performance of mitzvot leads to diligence in their observance. Diligence leads to cleanliness of the soul. Cleanliness of the soul leads to abstinence. Abstinence leads to purity. Purity leads to piety. Piety leads to humility. Humility leads to fear of sin. Fear of sin leads to holiness. Holiness leads to the Divine Spirit....