Role of the Prophet

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1. Eliyahu on Mount Carmel (Part 10)

   Why is Eliyahu's Prayer Not Answered Immediately?

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   The lack of immediate rain demands that Eliyahu pray intensely for rain on behalf of the nation thus reversing his original role as the one who decreed the drought. He no longer assumes the one-sided role as God's emissary to Israel; he changes his position and becomes Israel’s emissary before God. Eliyahu’s prayer for rain parallels his prayer for the son of the widow.

2. Eliyahu in Horev (Part 3)

   The Double Revelation of God's Angel to Eliyahu (Part 3)

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   The narrative draws a clear parallel between Eliyahu and Moshe after the Sin of the Golden Calf at Horev. Eliyahu is expected to examine the ways of Moshe. Even when the prophet comes to convey stern reproof, when he is with God his task is to be a spokesperson for Israel's defense. Eliyahu, in contrast, has the opposite intention.

3. Eliyahu in Horev (Part 4)

   "He Announced Rebuke at Sinai, and Judgments of Vengeance at Horev"

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   God asks Eliyahu “why are you here?” The question can be interpreted to mean: why are you here in the desert away from the nation? Or, according to another possible interpretation: Why are you here at Horev, where Moshe asked for mercy for the nation, when you come with the opposite intention? According to both interpretations, Eliyahu holds fast to his point of view, disregarding the events on Mount Carmel as passing. Not only is he unable to ask for mercy for the nation, he also asks for the nation to be punished.

4. Yeshayahu 5-6

   Matan Al HaPerek

   Neta Shapira

   During Yeshayahu’s lifetime, one of the main sources of livelihood for the Kingdom of Yehuda was its lush vineyards. The prophet therefore utilizes wine-related imagery in his prophecies to attract the attention of his listeners and help them to identify with his messages. In the parable of the vineyard (1-7), Yeshayahu utilizes different rhetorical methods to convey God’s deep disappointment in the nation and to inform them of the severe consequences for their behavior. The perek then continues with a series of prophecies, all beginning with the word “Ah/Woe,” which fluctuate between rebuke and lament and which describe the nation’s adulterated distinctions between good and bad. The end of the perek prophesies the impending arrival of the great enemy. The Assyrian foe has yet to be mentioned by name, however its ominous shadow continues to approach the Kingdom of Yehuda.

5. Haggai: The Practical Prophet

   Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky

   As opposed to many other prophets, Haggai describes no visions. Instead, he conveys a plain, clear message to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash. This stands in sharp contrast to Haggai’s colleague Zekharia who witnesses numerous visions conveying obscure meanings. Zekharia writes in poetry, Haggai in prose. For this reason, Haggai is called “the Navi” - God’s mouthpiece.

   Haggai tells the people that if they abandon the building of God’s house, they cannot expect material comfort and success in their own homes. Whereas most prophets emphasize personal repentance from moral shortcomings, Haggai calls for a national return to the task of rebuilding the Temple.

   The disparity in message between Haggai and earlier prophets – Haggai being a more practical book with more modest aims and a relatively upbeat message – is reinforced by another key distinction: the people actually obey Haggai’s prophecy! Precisely because Haggai’s message was more specific and optimistic, less radical and cataclysmic, his message was more readily embraced by the people than the doomsday scenarios prognosticated by his predecessors.

6. Nehemya Wards Off his Enemies

   Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky

   Prophecy is on the wane. In this transitional moment, the book of Nehemya invokes the term “navi” in both ambiguous and shifting ways. Prophecy still exists, but it casts a far shorter shadow than in earlier ages.

   During the time of the patriarchs and Moshe, prophecy certainly existed. Indeed, Moshe himself was the greatest of prophets. Nonetheless, Moshe’s primary mode of leadership was not necessarily exercised in the way of the later prophets. The same may be said of the patriarchs. Similarly, as the Biblical period ebbs away, prophecy continues to exist, but no longer represents a major mode of Jewish leadership. It is appropriate, therefore, that just as the earliest usages of navi are unclear, so too in Ezra-Nehemya, we find ambiguous usages of the word that gradually transition away from prophecy.

   While divine reward and punishment still figure heavily in Ezra-Nehemya, Sanbalat and Tovia’s concern for tarnishing Nehemya’s reputation has a strikingly modern ring to it; they wished to embroil him in scandal. As before, here too we find evidence that the transition to a post-prophetic period is well underway.

7. Introduction to the Prophets

   Shiur #01

   Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom

   In this introduction, I will present an overview of nevua (prophecy) throughout the biblical period. As such, it will be overly broad, with a goal to refining our understanding of the role of the prophets whose works we will study together. I will examine eight possible definitions of prophecy, each of which is reasonable and anchored in traditional sources. This will provide an overview of the range of nevua within biblical history. 

   The “anti-establishment” prophets come in two large waves – one prior to the demise of the northern kingdom of Israel, the other prior to the fall of the southern kingdom of Judea. The prophets whose works we will study, Hoshea and Amos, belong to this era and type. Both prophesied during the mid-late 8th century BCE and stood independently of the court and delivered their prophecies against the elite of the Samarian (and, in a few cases, Judean) society.