Kommentar zu Dewarim 18:15

מקרבך מאחיך כמני [THE LORD THY GOD WILL RAISE UP UNTO THEE A PROPHET] FROM THE MIDST OF THEE, OF THY BRETHREN, LIKE UNTO ME — This means: One who is as I am, from your midst, of your brethren, יקים לך WILL HE RAISE UP UNTO THEE in my stead, and so likewise from prophet to prophet throughout all ages.

PROPHET WILL THE ETERNAL THY G-D RAISE UP UNTO THEE, FROM THE MIDST OF THEE, OF THY BRETHREN, LIKE UNTO ME. The purport of the expression from the midst of thee is to allude that prophecy is present only in the Land of Israel.²⁰¹Mechilta, at the beginning of Seder Bo. It is for this reason that Scripture speaks with reference to the Land in this term — The burden concerning the valley of ‘chizayon’ (vision),²⁰²Isaiah 22:1. and as our Rabbis have mentioned.²⁰³Pesiktha Eichah Rabbathi, 24: “It is the valley from which all seers (prophets) arose.” A similar meaning is conveyed by the expression of thy brethren, that G-d has granted you eminence over all peoples and He will put His spirit only upon you. “Like unto me, for I am from the midst of thy brethren.²⁰⁴I.e., “Just as I, Moses, am an Israelite, so will the future prophets be.” Rashi’s intent is to exclude the erroneous interpretation, like unto me in the same degree of prophecy, for the Torah has already testified, And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses (further, 34:10). The comparison means, therefore, “just as I am an Israelite etc.” (Mizrachi). — He will raise up unto thee in my stead, and so likewise from prophet to prophet.” And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “Like unto me, who am a prophet of G-d, and not a diviner [by clouds], nor any [other] diviner.”
It is possible that the expression from the midst of thee means that you can trust his words since he is from your brethren, from the midst of thee. Similarly, in my opinion, like unto me means that he will be established to be a prophet of the Eternal²⁰⁵I Samuel 3:20. and you will believe in him just as you believe in me. I will yet explain this.²⁰⁶In the following verse.

אליו תשמעון, if his instructions which appear to deviate from Jewish norms are meant as a temporary measure, addressing a specific emergency.

נביא מקרבך מאחיך כמוני, such prophets establish the authentic nature of their mission by commanding you to observe the laws of the Torah, not like false prophets or dreamers purporting to have been told that you should practice some idolatrous rites. When the Torah wrote in Deut. 34,10 that there never again arose a prophet of the stature of Moses, what is meant is the manner in which Moses was familiar with G’d on an unprecedented level, speaking to Him at any time, and being addressed by Him without introductory formalities, i.e. פנים אל פנים, “face to face,” as the informal nature of two friends speaking with one another. The verse does not mean that subsequent prophets would have less faith in G’d than Moses had had. Concerning that aspect of Moses as a prophet, he told the people that prophets after him would display similar faith in the Lord, i.e. כמוני. They too would faithfully deliver messages from G’d, neither withholding part nor adding something of their own and passing it off as a Divine message.

נביא מקרבך, “a prophet from your midst, etc.” According to Nachmanides the superfluous word מקרבך, “from your midst,” [seeing that the word מאחיך “from your brethren,” already tells us that he will be Jewish. Ed.] is a hint that prophets will only arise in the land of Israel. Similarly, the addition of the word

נביא מקרבך מאחיך כמוני, “A prophet, from among your brethren, like me.” Moses referred to Joshua, seeing he said: “listen to him.” We find that the Book of Joshua 22,11 reports: “the Children of Israel listened to him.”
Alternatively, the word נביא in our verse is to be understood as a plural, in which case the additional definition כמוני,” such as myself,” is to exclude prophets who are from the descendants of Esau or Ishmael. We do find that the Israelites described the Edomites, the descendants of Esau as אחיך, “your brethren,” (Numbers 20,14) and therefore there could have been a misunderstanding. The word כמוני, precludes prophets of any but Jewish birth. Prophecy does not exist amongst those nations.
There are a total of four distinctions which have been reserved exclusively for the Jewish people; the gift of prophecy; the Torah; Eretz Yisrael; resurrection of the dead. I plan to elaborate on this when discussing the last Parshah on the Torah, seeing that three out of these four distinctions are mentioned in that portion.
Another meaning of the word כמוני, is restrictive. Any prophet should emulate me by neither adding nor subtracting anything from the Torah except if he is an established prophet and does so only as a temporary emergency measure. If the prophet declares any Torah law as permanently abrogated the people must not follow his instructions seeing that our faith in prophets is not based on the miracles they perform (Sanhedrin 90, Maimonides Hilchot Yessodey Hatorah 9,1). The reason we acknowledge Moses as a true prophet is that he communicated to us the word of G’d as spelled out in the Torah (Exodus 19,5) (G’d speaking) “Here I come to you in the thick cloud in order that the people hear when I speak to you and they will have enduring faith in you (Moses).” This is the way Maimonides understood this verse.

Just as I from your midst, etc. The question is: [How can the verse say “like me” when] it is written (Devarim 34:10), “There has not ever arisen a prophet within Yisroel like Moshe”? Therefore he explains [that the verse means], “Just as I am in your midst and of your brethren.”

V. 15. ׳נביא מקרבך וגו die Sendung von Propheten verheißen und besprochen wird, so liegt, glauben wir, dieser Sendung nicht das Motiv und der Zweck zu Grunde, in Israel die Stelle der מעוננים und קוסמים der anderen Völker zu vertreten, ein Zweck, für welchen das תמים תהיה עם ד׳ אלקיך in Israel jedes Bedürfnis verneint (vergl. Raschi zu V. 14). Unser Leben, all unser Tun und Lassen, ist vollständig durch das Gesetz und dessen von Gott geordnete Lehrer und Richter geregelt und befriedigt. Nicht etwa, um über die Rätlichkeit und Tunlichkeit unserer Vorhaben oder überhaupt über uns Verborgenes Auskunft von ihm zu erfragen, um unserem Verlangen nach einem dem Menschen versagten Wissen zu genügen, nicht um durch ihn zu erfahren, was wir wissen möchten, sondern um uns zu sagen, was Gott will, dass wir wissen sollen, dazu sendet Gott seinen Propheten: nicht unser OrganGottes Organ ist der Prophet; nicht אותו תשאלון, sondern אליו תשמעון, nicht ihn sollt ihr befragen, ihm sollt ihr gehorchen, spricht unser Text. Gott bedarf seiner zur Vollbringung seiner Zwecke an uns und durch uns. Und nun hören wir unseren Mosche:

מאחיך כמוני, “from amongst your brethren, someone like me;” Moses refers to Joshua in this verse.

מאחיך, that He will not endow gentiles with His holy spirit.

Similarly, from prophet to prophet. Meaning in order that the verse should not be misunderstood that it is speaking about a specific prophet who will arise after Moshe in the future, as the heretics explained, Rashi adds and says, “Similarly from prophet to prophet” [i.e., continuously]. His proof is that the [verse’s] intent is to distant people from auguries and sorcerers and it is saying that you do not need auguries and sorcerers because there will always be prophets from your midst in every generation so that you will not need auguries.

נביא מקרבך מאחיך כמני, die Männer, die Gott euch als seine Propheten senden wird, werden Männer aus eurer Mitte sein, sie werden mitten unter euch leben, es wird sie kein geheimnisvolles Dunkel umschweben, ihr werdet sie kennen nach ihrer Lebensweise und Herkunft, sie werden unter euch geboren sein, unter euch aufwachsen, sich unter euch im Leben erprobt haben, ihr werdet ihren Vater und ihre Mutter, ihre Geschwister und Verwandte kennen, sie werden מקרבך מאחיך sein, sie werden mit keinerlei übermenschlichen Prätensionen an euch herantreten, sie werden Menschen sein und nichts als Menschen sein wollen, כמני, wie ich, der ich der erste war, den Gott an euch gesendet (vergl. Schmot S. 54 f.). Und wiederum: כמוני, in derselben Stellung und zu denselben Zwecken wie ich. Sie werden nichts sein sollen, als Boten des göttlichen Wortes an euch.

אליו משמעון, “you are to be obedient to him.” Compare what is written in Deuteronomy 34,9, “all the Israelites listened to him” (were obedient).

כמוני, ”just like I;” Rashi understands the comparison Moses drew as not applying to the level of his prophetic insights but to the previous word מאחיך, i.e. “such a prophet will be of Jewish origin just as I am.” Ibn Ezra understands the word כמוני as Moses contrasting his prophecy, divinely inspired, with that of מעוננים and מנחשים that the Torah had just told us not to make use of. Nachmanides suggests that it is possible to explain the word מקרבך as meaning that such a prophet will be trustworthy, dependable, seeing that he is one of your own, just as you have learned to rely on what I have told you.

Und יקים לך nicht יקים ישלח לך: er wird ihn dir aufstellen, aufrichten, feststellen, wird ihn mit solchen Mitteln ausrüsten, dass er dir מקויים und מוחזק, dass er dir sich beglaubigen und als Bote Gottes sich dir bevollmächtigt erweisen könne (siehe Vers 22).

אפלו אומר לך עבור על אחת מכל מצות שבתורה בגון אליהו בהר :אליו תשמעון הכרמל הכל לפי שעה שמע לו (Jebamot 90 b und Sanhedrin 89 b). Wenn er dir bereits als gottgesandter Prophet, מוחזק, bewährt ist, so hast du ihm selbst dann zu gehorchen, wenn er, wie Elijahu am Karmel, im Interesse eines von dem Augenblick geheischten Zweckes, למגדר מלתא, zur Gesamtbefestigung des Gesetzesgehorsams, die einmalige Übertretung eines göttlichen Gesetzes fordert. Bei der zur Beschämung der Baalspriester und zur Überzeugung des zwischen Gott und Baal schwankenden Volkes geschehenen Opferdarbringung auf dem Karmel war das Bamaverbot, שחוטי חוץ והעלאה בחוץ (Kap. 12. 13 und Wajikra Kap. 17) zu übertreten.