Is it a Prophecy?

All the prophets do not prophesy every time they may desire, but they must prepare their minds, rest in a state of exultation and hearty contentment, and in undisturbed solitude; for, prophecy does not rest upon any prophet either when he is in a state of melancholy or in a state of indolence, but when he is in a state of delightfulness. Therefore, the disciples of the prophets had before them the harp, the timbrel, the flute and the violin when they were seeking the spirit of prophecy, whereof it is said: "And they strove to prophecy" (I Sam. 10.5), meaning, they followed the path of prophecy until they did prophesy, as one says: "Yonder is one aspiring to become great."

They that seek the spirit of prophecy are called disciples of the prophets, and, although they train their minds well, it is uncertain whether the Shekinah will rest upon them or whether it will not.

All the things hereinof spoken is the path of prophecy for all prophets, First and Last, save Moses our Master, the Master of all prophets. And what division is there between the prophecy of Moses and that of all the other prophets? All the other prophets prophesied while in a dream, or in a vision, but Moses our Master prophesied while awake and standing up, as it is said: "And when Moses went into the tent of meeting that He might speak with Him, then he heard the Voice speaking unto him" (Num. 7.89); all other prophets received it through an Angel, they therefore saw what they did see in the form of allegory and riddles, but Moses our Master did not receive it through an angel, for it is said: "With him do I speak mouth to mouth" (Ibid. 12.8), and it is also said: "and the Lord spoke unto Moses face to face" (Ex. 33.11); and it is further said: "And the similitude of the Lord doth he behold" (Num. 12.8); which is to say that there is no manner of parable, for he sees the matter in its clearness without riddle and without parable, which is as the Torah testifies concerning him: "Even manifestly, and not in dark speeches" (Ibid.); he does not prophesy in dark speech but by sight for he sees the matter in its clearness; all prophets are awe-stricken, trembling and faint, but Moses our Master is not so, which is as the Verse says: "As a man speaketh unto his friend" (Ex. 33.11), meaning, that as no man trembles to hear the words of his friend, so was the power of the mind of Moses our Master to understand the words of prophecy, he remaining upright at his post unaffected; all other prophets could not prophesy any time they wanted, but not so Moses our Master, who at any time he desired, the Holy Spirit covered him, and prophecy rested upon him, and he needed not to prepare his mind, or be in readiness to meet it, as he was prepared and ready constantly like unto the ministering Angels. He, therefore, prophesied at all times, even as it is said: "Stand ye and let me hear what God will command concerning you" (Num. 9.8). Moreover, in this, Almighty assured him, saying: "Go and say to them, 'Return ye to your tents' and, as for thee, remain standing with me here"(Deut. 5.30–31). Herefrom we learn that all other prophets, when the spirit of prophecy departs from them, return to their tent for their bodily needs, they all, like unto the rest of the people. Therefore, do they not remain separated from their wives. But Moses our Master returned not again to his erstwhile abode, he therefore separated himself forever from his wife and from like matters; his intellect became apprenticed to the Rock of the Universe; glory never departed from him; his countenance became adorned with rays of light, and his saintliness was like that of Angels.

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; and when he is so sent he is given a token or miracle so that the people may know that he is in truth the messenger of God. Nevertheless, not every one who delivers a token or performs a miracle should be believed to be a prophet; for only such man whom we knew heretofore to be worthy of prophecy, both by his wisdom and by his conduct, in consequence whereof he was above all his associates, and walked in the requisite ways of prophecy, in its holiness and self-denial, if, thereafter, he came and delivered a token and performed a miracle and said that he is a messenger of God, it is a mandatory commandment to hearken unto him, for it is said: "Unto him ye shall hearken" (Deut. 18.15). And yet, it is even possible that one such will deliver a token and perform a miracle and not be a prophet; as for the token, it might contain some doubtful matter; notwithstanding this, it is mandatory to hearken unto him; for, seeing that he is a great man, wise and worthy of being a prophet, he must be sustained on the presumption that he is a prophet. In this we were commanded to do as we were commanded to base a legal decision upon the testimony of two proper witnesses, even though they may have testified falsely, yet, because we consider them to be proper, their testimony must stand upon their fitness, and concerning this and like matters it is said: "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children" (Deut. 29.28); and it is said: "For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (I Sam. 16.7).

Are not the necromancers and astrologists foretelling what is to come to pass, what, then, is the difference between a prophet and such as they? Forsooth, necromancers, astrologists and their like, some of their words are established and some of their words are not established, as the subject is spoken of: "Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from some of the things that shall come upon thee" (Is. 47.13); —of some of the things are spoken, but not of all of the things, because they are not capable to foretell all of the things. Moreover, it is possible, too, that none of their words be established, for they may entirely be misled, as the subject is spoken of: "That frustrateth the tokens of the imposters, and maketh diviners mad" (Ibid. 44.25). But as for the prophet, all of his words are established, as it is said: "Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord" (II Kings 10.10); again it is said: "the prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath My word, let him speak My word faithfully, What hath the straw to do with the wheat? saith the Lord" (Jer. 23.28), meaning that the words of astrologers and dreamers are likened to straw wherein there was mixed a few grains of wheat, but the word of the Lord is like unto wheat wherein there is no straw at all. Herein the Verse gave assurance saying, that as for the things that the necromancers and astrologers foretell falsely to the nations, the prophet will inform you in true words, and you have no need for necromancer, or astrologer, or his like, as it is said: "There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost, or a familiar spirit, or a necromancer . . For these nations, that thou art to dispossess, hearken unto sooth-sayers, and unto diviners" (Deut. 18. 10. 11. 14); and it is then said: "A prophet will the Lord thy God raise up unto thee" (Ibid. 15). Herefrom you learn that the presence of a prophet among us is for no other purpose save that of foretelling things that are to come to pass in the world such as plenty, famine, war, peace and like matters. For, even of private matters he is informed. For instance, Saul when he sustained a loss he went to a prophet to inquire for its whereabouts. Similar matters to these the prophet may tell, not to create another religion, or add a commandment, or diminish.

Every prophet who will arise among us and say that he is the messenger of God, is not obliged to deliver a token like unto one of the tokens of Moses our Master, or Elijah, or Elisha, wherein there is a change in the natural laws of the universe. But his token should be by foretelling things which are to come to pass in the world, and his words come true; as it is said: "And if thou wilt say in thy heart: 'How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?' When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him" (Deut.18.21–22). Therefore, if a man, fit for prophecy, come as a messenger of the Name, and he comes not to add to nor diminish from but to advocate the service of God according to the commandments of the Torah, it is not said to him: "Divide the sea before us, or resurrect the dead, or perform like miracles, and then only shall we believe in thee". But it shall be said unto him: "If thou be a prophet, fortell things which are to come to pass". If he, indeed, foretells, we wait to see whether his words will come to pass or whether they will not come to pass, when, if even a minute detail be wanting it is certain that he is a false prophet. But if all of his words come to pass, he must be in our eyes trustworthy. The examination must be continued many times; if all of his words be found true, lo, this is a true prophet, as it is said of Samuel: "And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-Sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord" (I Sam. 3.20). Are not the necromancers and astrologists foretelling what is to come to pass, what, then, is the difference between a prophet and such as they? Forsooth, necromancers, astrologists and their like, some of their words are established and some of their words are not established, as the subject is spoken of: "Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from some of the things that shall come upon thee" (Is. 47.13); —of some of the things are spoken, but not of all of the things, because they are not capable to foretell all of the things. Moreover, it is possible, too, that none of their words be established, for they may entirely be misled, as the subject is spoken of: "That frustrateth the tokens of the imposters, and maketh diviners mad" (Ibid. 44.25). But as for the prophet, all of his words are established, as it is said: "Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord" (II Kings 10.10); again it is said: "the prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath My word, let him speak My word faithfully, What hath the straw to do with the wheat? saith the Lord" (Jer. 23.28), meaning that the words of astrologers and dreamers are likened to straw wherein there was mixed a few grains of wheat, but the word of the Lord is like unto wheat wherein there is no straw at all. Herein the Verse gave assurance saying, that as for the things that the necromancers and astrologers foretell falsely to the nations, the prophet will inform you in true words, and you have no need for necromancer, or astrologer, or his like, as it is said: "There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost, or a familiar spirit, or a necromancer . . For these nations, that thou art to dispossess, hearken unto sooth-sayers, and unto diviners" (Deut. 18. 10. 11. 14); and it is then said: "A prophet will the Lord thy God raise up unto thee" (Ibid. 15). Herefrom you learn that the presence of a prophet among us is for no other purpose save that of foretelling things that are to come to pass in the world such as plenty, famine, war, peace and like matters. For, even of private matters he is informed. For instance, Saul when he sustained a loss he went to a prophet to inquire for its whereabouts. Similar matters to these the prophet may tell, not to create another religion, or add a commandment, or diminish. Concerning a prophet's prediction of calamities, such one would die, or such year would be visited by famine, or war, or matters similar to these, even though his words be not established, it is not considered contradictory to his prophecy. It shall not be said: "Behold, he spoke and it did not come to pass!" For, the Holy One, blessed is He! is long-suffering and abundant in goodness, and repenteth Him of the evil, and it is possible that they repented and were forgiven, as did the inhabitants of Nineveh, or that their fate was postponed, as was with Hezekiah. But if he assured that good would come to pass, saying that it would be thus and such, but the good he promised did not come to pass, it is certain that he is a false prophet, for every good thing God decides upon, even though it be contingent, He doth not repent. And, we find no instance when He repented from a good thing save only at the destruction of the First Temple, when he assured the righteous that they would not die together with the wicked and retracted it, as it appears in Tractat Shabbat. Herefrom we learn that a prophet is tested solely by his prophecy concerning good tidings, which is in harmony with what Jeremiah said in his reply to Hananiah son of Azzur, when Jeremiah was prophesying evil tidings and Hananiah good, saying unto him: "If my words will not be established, it would yet not be evidence that I am a false prophet; but if thy words be not established it will be proclaimed that thou art a false prophet". For it is said: "Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people: The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied against many countries, and against many kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence; the prophet that prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him" (Jer. 28.7–9). A prophet of whom another prophet testified that he is a prophet, behold, he is an established prophet and he needs no further test; for, behold, Moses our Master vouched for Joshua and all Israel believed in him before he ever delivered a token, so must it be throughout the generations. A prophet whose prophecy had already been proclaimed, and whose words were believed time after time, or if another prophet gave testimony concerning him, and he continued to follow the paths of prophecy, must not be looked upon with suspicious thoughts, or question the truth of his prophecy. And it is forbidden to test him more than necessary, or go on testing him forever for, it is said: "Ye shall not try the Lord your God, as ye tried Him in Massah" (Deut. 6.16), when they said: "Is the Lord among us, or not" (Ex. 17.7). But, since a prophet is proclaimed they should believe and know that God is among them, and not suspect nor whisper behind his back, as it is said concerning the subject: "Yet shall they know that there hath been a prophet among them" (Eze.2.5).