So you want to be a prophet?

(25) Then, after coming down in a cloud and speaking to him, יהוה drew upon the spirit that was on him and put it upon the seventy participating elders. And when the spirit rested upon them, they spoke in ecstasy, but did not continue. (26) Two of the participants, one named Eldad and the other Medad, had remained in camp; yet the spirit rested upon them—they were among those recorded, but they had not gone out to the Tent—and they spoke in ecstasy in the camp. (27) An assistant ran out and told Moses, saying, “Eldad and Medad are acting the prophet in the camp!” (28) And Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ attendant from his youth, spoke up and said, “My lord Moses, restrain them!” (29) But Moses said to him, “Are you wrought up on my account? Would that all יהוה's people were prophets, that יהוה put [the divine] spirit upon them!” (30) Moses then reentered the camp together with the elders of Israel.

Rabbi Shimon says: Eldad and Medad remained in the camp, as they did not want to come to the lottery for the Elders. At the time that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: Gather for me seventy Elders, Eldad and Medad said: We are not fitting for that level of greatness; we are not worthy of being appointed among the Elders. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: Since you have made yourselves humble, I will add greatness to your greatness. And what is the greatness that he added to them? It was that all of the prophets, meaning the other Elders, who were given prophecy, prophesied for a time and then stopped prophesying, but they prophesied and did not stop.

Rava holds in accordance with the opinion of Rav Hamnuna and explains the baraitain accordance with the opinion of Rav Hamnuna. In the case of one who prophesies to abolish a matter from the Torah, whether it is with regard to idol worship or with regard to the rest of the mitzvot, he is liable to be executed. What form of death penalty is imposed? One Sage, the Rabbis, rules in accordance with what he holds, i.e., stoning, and one Sage, Rabbi Shimon, rules in accordance with what he holds, i.e., strangulation. If he prophesies to fulfill part or to nullify part of a Torah law other than idol worship, Rabbi Shimon deems him exempt from execution, and the same is true of the Rabbis, who also hold that he is exempt. And with regard to idol worship, even if he says: Worship it today and nullify it tomorrow, everyone agrees that he is liable to be executed. What form of death penalty is imposed? One Sage, the Rabbis, rules in accordance with what he holds, i.e., stoning, and one Sage, Rabbi Shimon, rules in accordance with what he holds, i.e., strangulation.

Ameimar said: And a Sage is greater than a prophet, as it is stated: “And a prophet has a heart of wisdom” (Psalms 90:12), i.e., he is wise. When comparisons are drawn, who is compared to whom? You must say that the lesser is compared to the greater. Here too, prophecy is compared to wisdom, thus indicating that wisdom is greater than prophecy.

(185) What, now, is the difference between those who study the Torah and faithful prophets? The former are ever superior, since they stand on a higher level. Those who study the Torah stand in a place called Tifereth (Beauty), which is the pillar of all faith, whereas the prophets stand lower in the place called Nezah (Victory) and Hod (Majesty); and those who merely speak in the spirit of holiness stand lower still.

(186) He who studies the Torah needs neither peace offerings nor burnt offerings, since the Torah is superior to all and the bond of faith; wherefore it is written “Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace” (Prov. 3, 17), and also, “Great peace have they which love thy law and they have no occasion for stumbling” (Ps. 119, 165).’

And know that prophecy does not help in the explanation of the Torah and in the extrapolation of its derivative commandments through the thirteen principles. [Rather,] that which Yehoshua and Pinchas would do in the matter of research and reasoning, that is [also] that which Ravina and Rav Ashi did. But the advantage of the prophet and his effect on the commandment – if you should ask; as my soul is alive – that is one of the great and powerful fundamental principles upon which religion and its foundation relies.

The Sages taught in a baraita: Forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses prophesied on behalf of the Jewish people, and they neither subtracted from nor added onto what is written in the Torah, introducing no changes or additions to the mitzvot except for the reading of the Megilla, which they added as an obligation for all future generations.

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.

Rabbi Yirmeya said, and some say that it was Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba who said: The Seers, i.e., the prophets, were the ones who said that the letters mem, nun, tzadi, peh, and kaf [mantzepakh], have a different form when they appear at the end of a word. The Gemara asks: And how can you understand it that way? Isn’t it written: “These are the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai” (Leviticus 27:34), which indicates that a prophet is not permitted to initiate or change any matter of halakhafrom now on? Consequently, how could the prophets establish new forms for the letters? And furthermore, didn’t Rav Ḥisda say: The letters mem and samekh in the tablets of the covenant given at Sinai stood by way of a miracle? The Gemara answers: Yes, two forms of these letters did exist at that time, but the people did not know which one of them was to be used in the middle of the word and which at the end of the word, and the Seers came and established that the open forms are to used be in the middle of the word and the closed forms at the end of the word. The Gemara asks: Ultimately, however, doesn’t the phrase “these are the commandments” (Leviticus 27:34) indicate that a prophet is not permitted to initiate any matter of halakha from now on? Rather, it may be suggested that the final letters already existed at the time of the giving of the Torah, but over the course of time the people forgot them, and the prophets then came and reestablished them.

If so, what is meant by the Torah's statement [Deuteronomy 18:18]: "I will appoint a prophet from among their brethren like you, and I
will place My words in his mouth and he will speak..."? He is not coming to establish a [new] faith, but rather to command the people [to fulfill] the precepts of the Torah and to warn against its transgression, as evidenced by the final prophet [Malachi], who proclaimed [Malachi 3:22], "Remember the Torah of Moses, My servant."
Also, a prophet may command us to do something which [is neither permitted nor forbidden by Torah law] - for example, "Go to such and such a place," "Do not go there," "Wage war today," or "Do not do so," "Build a wall," or "Do not build it."
[In these instances,] it is a mitzvah to listen to him. Anyone who violates his directives is liable for death at the hand of God, as [Deuteronomy 18:19] states: "And a person who will not heed My words which he speaks in My name, I will seek [retribution] from him."

When does the above apply? With regard to all other mitzvot. Regarding the worship of false gods, however, he should not be heeded, even for a limited time. Even if he performs great wonders and miracles and says that God commanded him to worship false gods only on this day or only during this hour, he is considered to have "spoken perversely against God."
Concerning this, the Torah has commanded [us, Deuteronomy 13:3-6]: "If a sign or miracle is performed... [and he tells you, `Let us serve other gods...'] Do not listen to the words of this prophet... for he has spoken perversely against God, your Lord." He is coming to deny the prophecy of Moses. Therefore, we may definitely conclude that he is a false prophet, and everything that he did was performed through sorcery and magic. [Hence,] he should be [executed by] strangulation.

I will raise up for them from among their own people a prophet like yourself, in whose mouth I will put My words and who will speak to them all that I command; and anybody who fails to heed the words [the prophet] speaks in My name, I Myself will call to account. But any prophet who presumes to speak in My name an oracle that I did not command to be uttered, or who speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet shall die.” And should you ask yourselves, “How can we know that the oracle was not spoken by ה׳?”— if the prophet speaks in the name of יהוה and the oracle does not come true, that oracle was not spoken by יהוה; the prophet has uttered it presumptuously: do not stand in dread of that person.

(1) Any prophet who arises and tells us that God has sent him does not have to [prove himself by] performing wonders like those performed by Moses, our teacher, or like the wonders of Elijah or Elisha, which altered the natural order. Rather, the sign of [the truth of his prophecy] will be the fulfillment of his prediction of future events[...] We do not tell him: "Split the sea for us, revive the dead, or the like, and then we will believe in you." Instead, we tell him, "If you are a prophet, tell us what will happen in the future." [...] Should even a minute particular of his "prophecy" not materialize, he is surely a false prophet. If his entire prophecy materializes, we should consider him a true [prophet].

(2) We should test him many times. If all of his statements prove true, he should be considered to be a true prophet[...]

(4) [The above principles do not apply to] prophecies of retribution which a prophet will utter - e.g., "So and so will die," "This or that year will be a year of famine or a year of war," and the like. If his words do not come true, this does not nullify the validity of his prophecy[...]This is because] the Holy One, Blessed be He, is slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and forgiving of evil. [...] If [a prophet] promised that good would come and such and such will occur, and the good about which he prophesied did not materialize, he is surely a false prophet. Any good which God decrees - even if [the decree] is provisional - will never be nullified. [...]

(5) When a prophet proclaims that another individual is [also] a prophet, we accept the latter as a prophet without requiring [any further] investigation. [...] Once a prophet has made known his prophecy, and his words have proven true time after time, or another prophet has proclaimed him a prophet, if he continues in the path of prophecy, it is forbidden to doubt him or to question the truth of his prophecy. It is forbidden to test him more than necessary. [...] Rather, once an individual is established as a prophet, we should believe in him and know that God is in our midst. We should not doubt or question him, as implied by [Ezekiel 2:5]: "They shall know that a prophet was in their midst."

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: From the day that the Temple was destroyed, prophecy was taken from the prophets and given to imbeciles and children.

After that,I will pour out My spirit on all flesh; Your sons and daughters shall prophesy; Your elders shall dream dreams, And your youths shall see visions. I will also pour out My Spirit upon male and female slaves in those days.

Exodus 11,1. Hashem spoke to Moses and Aaron to ‎say to them: speak to the Children of Israel; saying: “this is ‎the category of living creature that you are allowed to eat, ‎etc.;” we must first concentrate on the meaning of the words ‎לאמר אלהם‎, a combination not found elsewhere in the Torah.‎
In order to get a better understanding of the legislation ‎that follows it is worthwhile to look at Rashi on Exodus 2,27 ‎where Moses’ sister Miriam asks the daughter of Pharaoh if she ‎should call for her a Hebrew wet nurse to suckle the infant Moses. ‎‎Rashi explains that Moses had refused to be nursed by any ‎of the Egyptian wet nurses, the reason being that in light of his ‎destiny of communicating closely with G’d in the future, it was ‎not appropriate that his body should have absorbed life-‎sustaining milk from a ritually impure wet nurse.‎
Nachmanides adds that what the Torah forbade the Jewish ‎people to eat are those creatures that are cruel and insensitive by ‎nature, and if we were to absorb their meat some of it would leave ‎such tendencies behind in our bodies. The Jewish people being a ‎holy nation must preserve this status and display love and ‎compassion rather than cruelty or insensitivity to the needs of ‎other creatures. We have it on the authority of the prophet Joel ‎‎(Joel 3,1) that there will come a time when all members of the ‎Jewish people will become endowed with prophetic powers and in ‎order for G’d to communicate with them directly their bodies ‎must retain the capacity to at all times respond lovingly to the ‎needs of others. It would be most inappropriate for the mouth ‎that has been fed ritually unclean and therefore abhorrent ‎creatures, to be addressed by the Divine Presence. An allusion to ‎this future state of affairs is contained in the words ‎לאמר אלהם‎, ‎‎“to speak to them,” at this point before the Torah lists the living ‎creatures that are repeatedly referred to as abhorrent, and ‎therefore not fit as food for the Jewish nation, [although, ‎after the deluge all of them had become permitted for the ‎descendants of Noach. Ed.]

I have seen those who seek to ascend, but they are few. They long to climb up, but the ladder is hidden from their view. They contemplate the books of the ancients, seeking to discover the paths of life; the way upon which to tread and the deeds that will uplift their soul to its supernal root, so that they may adhere to Him, who is Eternal Perfection, blessed is He; similar to the prophets who spent all their days adhering to their Maker. Through that adhesion the Holy Spirit rested upon them and showed them the path where light dwells, enlightening their eyes in the secrets of Torah, as King David, peace be upon him, said, “Unveil my eyes, that I may behold wonders from Your Torah.” The Holy Spirit guided them on a straight path to the “Inhabited City” that is prepared for those who ascend. After the prophets came the ancient Chassidim. These were hermits who sought to follow in the footsteps of the prophets and emulate them. Living in caverns and deserts, they secluded themselves from society. Some remained secluded in their homes but behaved like those in the deserts. Day and night they never ceased praising their Creator through studying His Torah and singing the Psalms of King David, peace be upon him, which gladden the heart. This they did constantly, until their mind adhered to the supernal lights with powerful and mighty yearning. This was their practice all their days, until they rose to the level of receiving the Holy Spirit, prophesying unceasingly.

The forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses were like windows of the heavens, and God appeared through them and their holy words, His Holy Spirit shining from then on to all the generations, so that even now one can receive this spirit according to his level. The other prophets prepared their generation to receive and absorb God’s spirit through their efforts (and those of the forty-eight). Through them, they could see God and hear His voice, even in the world itself.

This was the function of the prophet for Israel. Since his ' path of avodah was to purify his body till it became a soul, and to continuously cleave to God, without any separation between the material and the holy, he became the ‘place’ whereupon earth and sky kissed. The prophet was a heavenly window, through which the light of God spread to Israel, filling their hearts and even their bodies. Just as when God spoke, the prophet not only accrued knowledge—that God did or did not desire something —but also light and understanding of God which filled him to the extent that the verse says (Jeremiah 20:9) “and it was in my heart as a burning fire….”—so too with Israel: when the prophet spoke to them, it was not merely to impart instructions and chastisement. After all, they could determine how they had sinned till that point through their own minds, and many know the laws of the Torah. Nonetheless, they do not want [to fulfill them], or they want to but are unable to compel themselves to do so. [How many there are who recognized their lowly state and are concerned about it, but still find it difficult to rule their spirit and raise themselves from their lowliness!] It was only when the light of God was spread to Israel by the prophets and filled them, that they were able to observe their own lowliness, and via the spirit of God which filled them they were strengthened and sanctified.