Pensée juive sur Isaïe 44:26

Maimonides, in his "guide for the perplexed 32, section two, states, that though a man may have acquired both the moral and physical qualifications necessary to become a prophet, this does not mean that he will in fact become a prophet. Baruch ben Neriah, illustrious disciple of the prophet Jeremiah is a case in point. (Jeremiah 45,5) He was told that this did not reflect on him personally, but rather on the fact that his contemporaries had not been found worthy to have a prophet in their midst. Our sages tell us that Hillel had twenty students, each of whom possessed all the qualifications necessary to receive the gift of prophecy; however, the time was not propitious for the dissemination of that gift to their fellow men. (Baba Batra 13) The likelihood of a person who lacks the personal qualifications demanded of a prophet to attain that stature, is as great as that of frogs turning into prophets. Our sages (Berachot 7) explain that Moses prayed to G'd to make the gift of prophecy exclusive to the Jewish people. (Exodus 33,16) They infer that this was the meaning of Moses' request, from the answer given "also the thing you have said, I will do." This proves that the request for the Jewish people to have the distinction of the gift of prophecy, had been granted. Even though this might appear as an unfair advantage for the Jewish people, at first glance, the fact is that G'd knew that none of the other nations was inherently able to produce the kind of personality which would qualify for the gift of prophecy. Just as even the most enlightened horse will never be a philosopher, so a gentile would never make a true prophet. What a gentile could achieve however, was the ability, aided by consultation of horoscopes coupled with close observation of the laws of nature, to foretell certain events, as has been discussed in chapter twenty six. Having said all this, it is difficult to understand the sages in our Midrash who claim that Bileam was a prophet, and that G'd had matched the gift granted the Jews by giving similar powers to Bileam. Also the well known interpretation of the verse "there never arose in Israel another prophet such as Moses." (Deut. 34,10) We are told that the words "in Israel," mean that among the gentiles there was another such prophet, namely Bileam. Avot 5, describes Bileam and his students as being possessed of the "evil eye", hardly the inspirational characteristic one expects of a prophet. The Talmud in Sanhedrin 105 states, that the verse in which Bileam describes himself as "of the eye that is opened" (Numbers 24,3) refers to the fact that he had only one eye with which to see. If so, how is it that a person of such visible deformity became a prophet? In chapter fifty six we explained that the term "prophet" when applied to gentiles normally applies to astrologers and the like, people who are considered by their countrymen as seers, though they are not prophets in the true sense of the word. Also, the seers referred to in Isaiah 47,13, had their power supply cut off when the tabernacle was erected, and G'd established a new order. When our sages employ the term "prophet" in reference to gentiles, it is just like when they use the term "king" for the lion or the ox, describing them as the leaders of their respective species. Proverbs 6,7 or 30,27 supports the view that animals have leaders just as humans have. The word "prophet" then is merely an umbrella term. Our sages have been careful never to use the term "prophet" for a gentile without pointing out that it is a gentile who is being discussed. The reason the Torah has devoted an entire portion to the doings of Bileam, is precisely in order to show us why the gentiles had no further prophets. If Bileam represented the finest among the gentiles, one can imagine what other gentile prophets might have been like. The human qualities that are such essential ingredients in the prophet's makeup, were so sadly missing. Whenever Moses and Aaron performed miracles, they were certain beforehand that their efforts would be crowned with success, since G'd had communicated the miracle to be performed. Especially close was Moses' relationship with G'd, as the Torah testifies (Deut. 34,11) "G'ds intimacy with him was of a face to face nature." On the other hand, such prophets as Samuel or Elijah were almost always in need of a prayer before they could perform a miracle that they had set their minds to perform. Samuel in particular typifies that kind of prophet as we find in Mitzpah (Samuel I 7,5-13) as well as on numerous other occasions. If Psalm 99, describes Moses and Aaron as G'ds priests, and Samuel as someone who "called upon His name, that describes the difference between them. The former was a priest around the clock, so to speak, whereas the latter needed to call on G'd from time to time to await the time and place acceptable to G'd. They did not know beforehand whether G'ds response to their calls would be positive. Samuel, as the leading prototype of that group of prophets, possessed a great amount of confidence. This is why the Psalmist says of him "whenever he called.. G'd would answer." Other prophets such as Elijah or Isaiah were often not free of doubt if their prayers would be answered immediately. Moses, on the other hand, did not only not entertain any doubt, but had been instructed beforehand to perform each miracle. That is why he was able to point out to Korach and Datan and Aviram, when the latter accused him of being power hungry, that he had not ever acted from his own initiative. (Numbers 16,28). The few instances when Moses prayed for specific solutions to such problems as the bitter waters at Marah, when he was taught to use a certain variety of wood to sweeten the water, or when he prayed concerning the exact time the frogs were to be removed from Egypt, had no direct relationship to the miracles performed. For this reason, these instances were preceded by prayer.

The more one elevates their morality¹¹¹Mussar is another word which defies simple translation. It is a moral discipline and practical instruction which are products of wisdom and understanding. For the biblical basis of this definition, see the Book of Proverbs, especially chapter 1, verses 2-3,7-8., so rises their will¹¹²See Shmonah Kvatzim 8:233 from R’ Kook on the link between human will, Divine will and prayer which illuminates this piece.. Even the natural will for life, and for everything connected to the will of the vital soul, things required by every man and desired by many animals, receive a refined form in the clarified soul. The highest exaltation, which comes through the elevation of the will at the hands of Godly consciousness and Divine intimacy, which penetrates ideas, intellect and emotion, aspiration and desire, the stormy and the calm, lifts up all the sparks of will to the pinnacle of elevation to unite them with the all-embracing aspiration of absolute wholeness of the Divine light which pours into the world to give it existence and life. When, through revealing the desire of the ‘righteous who is an everlasting foundation,’¹¹³See Mishle 10:25, Yoma 38b we arouse a will such as this, the will of one who lives their life in a luminous form lit by the light of the Life-giver of the world¹¹⁴See footnotes 20 and 40 for an explanatory texts on the Life-giver of the World - requests are fulfilled and rule over all is magnified because of the Divine light which flashes in the pure will in the fullness of wisdom and loving kindness. When one such as this reveals their will through the soul-revelation of prayer¹¹⁵See section 1:1 for an articulation of this definition of prayer, the light of the Life-giver of the world is revealed along the paths of their desire, which is itself revealed through outward expression and inner meditation in the intensity of life¹¹⁶It seems from many sources (one of which is found above in footnote 116) that R’ Kook believes once one uncovers their true will they have found a manifestation of the Divine will. See footnote 17 for a practice which can aid in uncovering this will. But if one succeeds the question remains – what if I discover that I disagree with G–d in my essence. I have heard this question from many of my queer students, and it seems to me that the only answer is to stand before G–d as you actually believe yourself to be, using prayer and His presence as a mirror to strip away all falsehood while insisting on unbroken relationship.. Then the aim of the all-encompassing good, as it relates to that particular which is right now the sole objective of the who one pleads, is revealed from the innermost place of the neshama. For the great neshama, every small request is encompassed within the greatest of desires. Each individual suffering, every pain and sickness, all sorrow and distress borne by any soul, when impressed upon the illuminated soul which is filled with the Divine good, ceases to be a small, individual suffering, and becomes a world spanning, universal sadness. And the removal of this suffering brings an encompassing light (Iyov 3:4) to the horizon of life and existence. According to the greatness of the will for Divine good in the soul of the one praying, and the degree to which the light of wisdom and the Divine might is nested in the depths of their heart, so prayer hits its mark, and the revelation of desire effects its action. “Who confirms the words of his servant, and performs the counsel of his messengers…” (Isaiah 44:26)