Moses Breaking the Tables of the Law (1659), by Rembrandt. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Prophecy features in many religions and societies. But trying to understand it in Judaism presents a challenge because the role of the prophet, or prophetess, changes over Biblical times, and there are different ways of defining it.

The Torah describes Abraham as a Navi, a prophet, but defined only as someone who cures. Moshe is the greatest Navi, but without defining what the word meant. In Moshe’s case, it meant being so close to God that communication was direct, open, and in some way verbal. Miriam and Deborah are described as prophets, but again without definition. But what can be deduced is that whereas Priests were exclusively male and hereditary, prophets could be women of exceptional gifts, an early example of meritocracy and feminine exceptionalism.

But over the course of the Torah, we also see prophets dividing their time between speaking to power and authority, and also caring for the poor and the dispossessed. The prophets Gad and Nathan are known for standing up to King David. Elijah and Elisha stood up to the pagan kings of the North, and suffered as a result.

And then there were false prophets — hundreds of them over the years. But the only test of a legitimate one was that he or she came to reinforce commitment to Torah:

If there appears among you a prophet or a dream-diviner, who gives you a sign or a portent, saying, “Let us follow and worship another god” — whom you have not experienced — even if the sign or portent comes true, do not pay attention to the signs, you are being tested. You should follow God whose commandments you should observe” (Devarim 13:2-5).

There is a clear implication that signs and predictions, even if they come true, are not to be trusted. Of course, at that time, oracles and soothsayers were pretty universal. You might even say that the Urim and Tumim of the priest’s breast plate were, during the First Temple, an example. Maimonides in his Introduction to the Mishnah is highly dismissive of anything that looks like magic or witchcraft.

Throughout the Torah, the great prophets were those who came to reinforce the law and commitment to it. But contrary to later Christianity, the prophets’ dreams of an ideal world and an end to wars, were directed to the times in which they lived, and made no mention of Messianism.

So, when did prophecy end? According to the Talmud, “When the last of the prophets, Chaggai, Zechariah, and Malachi died, and the Holy Spirit departed from Israel” (TB Yoma 9b et.al). Although the Talmud also says that subsequently there was what was called a Bat Kol, a Heavenly voice, that could occasionally come down to inspire or direct the rabbis. But elsewhere the Talmud says that after the destruction of the (Second) Temple, prophecy was taken away from prophets and given to fools and children

What takes the place of prophecy nowadays? Some might say that the answer is the idea of Messianism (rather than trying to discover a Messiah in our days). Messianism shares with prophecy the desire to bring about a better, even perfect, world. Some in the Talmud suggest that can only happen when things get so bad they cannot get any worse. Let us hope they are wrong.

The author is a rabbi and writer, currently based in New York.