What Is Prophecy and Why Don’t We Have It Nowadays?

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Prophecy, called nevuah in Hebrew, is found in numerous places in Tanach. It is considered a basic tenet of Judaism, but how exactly do we define prophecy and why is it not found in contemporary times?

Rav Yaakov Weinberg zt”l defines prophecy as “the reality of man receiving a direct and clear message from God. In terms of Torah, prophecy involves receiving the actual words of the Almighty. In terms of the Prophets, however, prophecy involves receiving a vision, a mental image, with its exact interpretation. In both cases, a clear, distinct message emanates from God and is perceived by man.” This is based on the Rambam¹ where he describes prophets as those who are, “men of great ability and perfection whose souls are primed to receive pure intellectual form. Their human intellect cleaves to this active intellect and receives a profound emanation. These [men] are prophets and this [process] is prophecy.” Prophecy is an interaction between Hashem and a human being in a way that relates to intellect in its active form.

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz delineates four levels of prophecy. The first being a voice from Heaven, which was heard by Chazal during the times of the Gemara and during the times of the Beit HaMikdash. The second level being that of the Urim v’Tumim wherein an indirect Divine revelation came through the letters that made up the names of the 12 shevatim on the gemstones on the choshen of the Kohein Gadol. The third level relating to that of a holy spirit, defined by Rav Chaim Vital (Shaarei Kedusha 5) as a moment when a “spirit of holiness rests” upon a person. The fourth level is prophecy itself, when a person would strip away one’s soul completely from physicality whereas he or she is removed from his own thoughts and imagination that live within the animal world. Rav Chaim Vital expresses this as the preparation to be a vessel for prophecy. The opening up of oneself enables one to transform his power of imagination and connect to The Source.

One clear moment of prophecy was experienced by the Jewish people as a whole at Har Sinai during the giving of the Torah. “And they said to Moshe, ‘You speak with us and we will listen, and don’t have Hashem/Elokim speak with us lest we die” (Shemot 20:16). The direct communication from Hashem was too much for them to bear, and Chazal relate how each commandment that Hashem gave over to them caused them to die and required Hashem to resurrect the dead directly. It is understood through this instance, that prophetic visions and communications have prerequisite qualifications, and this level of connection with Hashem is not for everyone.

Rabbi Eli Hadad of Yeshivat Etzion states, someone who is distinguished by great wisdom and strong moral character, who is not overcome by passions, and who has a broad and sedate mind, according to the Rambam² is at the level to receive prophecy. He elaborates further, that this is a natural phenomenon. “On such a man the Holy Spirit will immediately descend” (Rambam, Moreh Nevuchim 2:32). According to this understanding, then prophecy is the highest level that a human can attain. In this state, he or she reaches perfection where he or she is able to be among angels and is considered an “ish.” “And you shall prophesy with them, and shall be turned into another man [ish]” (I Shmuel 10:6).

Yet, prophecy is received through allegory and image – not direct speech – and there are varying levels of prophets (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah 7:2). The accounts that are related in Tanach are the interpretations of those visions. Not all prophets, nor prophecies, are created equal.

It would follow that there is a difference between the prophecy of Moshe Rabbeinu and Yaakov Avinu. Yaakov Avinu’s perception of the ladder with malachim ascending and descending (Bereishit 28:12) stands in stark contrast to Hashem calling out to Moshe from the burning bush (Shemot 3:4). This is how we determine that Moshe Rabbeinu’s connection to Hashem existed on a plane all of its own. Whereas, in all of the books of Prophets, the prophecies that are related are through allegory and images. The interpretation of such prophetic visions are immediately clear to the prophet, and he understands his mission. Examples of this include the animals that Yechezkel saw (Yechezkel 1), the boiling pot and almond branch of Yirmiyahu in 1:11-13, and Zachariah’s eifah measurement in 5:6.

If there was prophecy during the time of Tanach and some level of prophecy during the times of the Beit HaMikdash and Gemara, then when and why did it cease? “Since the destruction of the First Temple there have been no prophets in Israel. But during the age of the redemption, prophecy will return to those who are properly prepared to receive it” (Rambam, Igeret Teman 3).

When visiting certain Gedolei Hador, it is clear that they are on a different spiritual level. Their insight and ability to respond to questions and situations presented with assurances and guarantees demonstrates this clearly. Rabbi Jack Abramowitz brings down that the Gemara³ tells us, “Dreams are one-sixtieth of prophecy.” He continues, “Similarly, the Midrash⁴ says that dreams are the “unripened” form of prophecy. It is evident that dreams can be a form of prophecy from Devarim 12:6: “If there is a prophet among you, I (God) make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.” There is a taam, a small taste, of prophetic abilities that is present today in a much diluted form of dreams and insights through an attuned sense of connection with Hashem.

Rabbi Jack Abramowitz elaborates that “ one of the reasons we don’t have prophecy today…[is because] the dark cloud of exile hangs over us, impairing spiritual reception, even for those who might otherwise possess the capacity. This was foretold in such verses as Amos 8:12, “They will run back and forth seeking the Word of God but they will not find it” and Eicha 2:9 “…and prophets receive no vision from God”. This ability will, however, be restored to us in the Messianic era.”

The Abravanel states in agreement that “prophecy, in the future, will involve divine revelation for all” based on the verses which lay it out as “Thereafter it will be that I will pour My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy…also upon the slaves and upon the maidservants in those days”⁵.

The darkness of our current exile and our inability to separate our physical selves from our spiritual soul stifles our reach towards prophetic levels. However, as our prophecies teach us, we will once again see prophecy present itself and in a way that it has never been achieved before.