Prophetic Actions Without Explicit Divine Sanction/1/he

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מעשי נביאים בלי צו מפורש מאת ה'

הקדמה

אוטונומיה של הנביא?

How much autonomy do prophets have?  Must they consult with Hashem regarding their every deed lest they veer from the Divine will, or may they act even without Divine sanction?  Can a prophet declare a miracle on his own, and expect that nature will be overturned at his word?  These questions are raised by the many instances where prophets seem to act, and even declare supernatural phenomena, without having previously received a Divine directive to do so:

  • משה והמכות – בשמות ח', Moshe tells Paroh to set a time for the plague of frogs to end, promising that it will terminate as requested.1 Nowhere, though, does the text share that Hashem directed him to make such a promise. How, then, could Moshe be certain that Hashem really wanted the plague to end, and that He would agree to do so?
  • משה והשלו – בשמות ט"ז, in the aftermath of the nation's complaints of hunger, Hashem promises to provide them with bread. When speaking to the people, however, Moshe adds that Hashem will provide them, not only with bread, but also with meat.
  • משה וקרח – During Korach's rebellion, Moshe appears to independently devise an "incense test" to prove whom God has chosen (במדבר ט"ז:א'-ז'), and later declares that the rebellion's leaders will die an unnatural death (במדבר ט"ז:כ"ג-ל"א). How could Moshe trust that Hashem would agree to his test and enact a miracle on Moshe's demand, especially considering that both were to cause death?
  • משה ובקשת בני ראובן וגד – When Reuven and Gad negotiate to settle the land east of the Jordan (במדבר ל"ב), Moshe grants them permission to do so without first consulting with Hashem. How did he know that this was Hashem's desire?
  • יהושע והשמש בגבעון – ביהושע י', Yehoshua makes the famous declaration "שֶׁמֶשׁ בְּגִבְעוֹן דּוֹם", resulting in the sun standing still.  The narrative concludes "וְלֹא הָיָה כַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לְפָנָיו וְאַחֲרָיו לִשְׁמֹעַ י"י בְּקוֹל אִישׁ".  This suggests that Hashem really did change nature only due to the bidding of Yehoshua, but also that this was a unique case and not replicated elsewhere.
  • שמואל מביא גשם – When Shemuel rebukes the people for requesting a king בשמואל א' י"ב, he tells them that as a sign of their sinful behavior, he will cry out to Hashem and He will bring a storm in the dry season. Here, too, the declaration is not preceded by a Divine command.
  • נתן ודוד – בשמואל ב' ז', when David expresses a desire to build the Mikdash, Natan tells him to do as his heart wishes  Not only does Natan say this on his own, but Natan is in fact proven wrong.  Did Natan sin in expressing his erroneous opinion independently? Can a prophet make a mistake?
  • ניסי אליהו – The vast majority of Eliyahu's actions appear to be initiated by him rather than Hashem.2  He declares drought (מלכים א' י"ז:א'), miraculously brings food to the widow of Tzarefat (מלכים א׳ י״ז:י׳-ט"ו), sets up the contest on Mt. Carmel (מלכים א' י"ח), and kills the officers of fifty with heavenly fire (מלכים ב' א':ט'-ט"ו), all seemingly without seeking Divine approval beforehand. He even acts against the Torah to build a private altar in a period when doing so was prohibited!
  • ניסי אלישע – Like his mentor, Elisha, too, appears to bring miracles of his own accord, without prior Divine consultation. Thus, he cures bitter waters (מלכים ב' ב':י"ט-כ"ב) and poisoned food (מלכים ב׳ ד׳:מ'-מ"א), miraculously provides for the בני הנביאים (מלכים ב׳ ד׳:א'-ו' ומ"ב-מ"ד),  promises the Shunamite a son (מלכים ב׳ ד׳:ט"ז), and both cures and brings צרעת (מלכים ב ה':א'-י"ד) .

How should all of these cases be understood? Should we assume that, despite the textual silence, the prophets must nonetheless be operating according to a received Divine directive? Or, does silence imply that really there was no Divine communication? If the latter, as Abarbanel asks, "what enabled these prophets... to work miracles without Divine commands"?  Moreover, how could they be certain that their decisions aligned with Hashem's desires?

עד כמה התיעוד שלם?

הצד השני של נושא זה הוא השאלה מה וכמה התורה בוחרת לתעד עבור הדורות הבאים. האם יש צורך לתעד גם את ההנחיות של ה' לנביא וגם את הביצוע של הנביא, או שמספיק אחד מהם? במקרים מסוימים, גם הציווי וגם הביצוע מוזכרים בטקסט.3  במקרים מועטים יותר, רק דברי ה' מוזכרים, וההנחה היא שההנחיות בוצעו, למרות שאין לכך אזכור בכתוב.4  במקרים שתוארו לעיל, המצב הפוך, וצו ה' הוא שחסר בטקסט. מדוע הטקסט לפעמים משתמש בשיטה אחת ולפעמים בשיטות אחרות? אם הכל קורה תמיד לפי רצונו של ה', מדוע דבריו אינם תמיד מוזכרים?

מה הצורך בתפילה?

In several of the above incidents the prophet feels the need to pray that Hashem bring the desired miracle:

  • Moshe prays that plagues be removed from Paroh at the set time, and he petitions Hashem to refuse the offerings of the 250 men during Korach's rebellion.
  • Shemuel prays for rain.
  • Eliyahu requests of Hashem that fire consume the offering on Mt. Carmel.5

If the prophets are acting via Divine command, why would they need to pray that His will be fulfilled?  If, on the other hand, they have powers to bring miracles on their own, why not simply do so?  Moreover, if a prophet is not sure that Hashem will acquiesce to change nature at his request (as implied by the need to pray), how can he declare publicly that a miracle is to occur?  If his words do not come true, does he not risk being labelled a false prophet?

"מֵקִים דְּבַר עַבְדּוֹ"

ישעיהו מ"ד מדבר על יחסו של ה כלפי נביאי אמת ונביאי שקר:

(כה) מֵפֵר אֹתוֹת בַּדִּים וְקֹסְמִים יְהוֹלֵל מֵשִׁיב חֲכָמִים אָחוֹר וְדַעְתָּם יְסַכֵּל. (כו) מֵקִים דְּבַר עַבְדּוֹ וַעֲצַת מַלְאָכָיו יַשְׁלִים הָאֹמֵר לִירוּשָׁלַ‍ִם תּוּשָׁב וּלְעָרֵי יְהוּדָה תִּבָּנֶינָה וְחׇרְבוֹתֶיהָ אֲקוֹמֵם.

איוב כ"ב:כ"ח מצהיר בדומה: "וְתִגְזַר אֹמֶר וְיָקׇם לָךְ."  בפסוקים אלה, ה' מבטיח לקיים את דברי נביאיו, דבר שרומז שלעתים נביא יכול לדבר בלי ציווי מפורש מה', ושבכל זאת ה' ידאג שהנבואה תתגשם. האם זה נכון לגבי כל הנביאים? באיזו נסיבות? האם הפסוקים רומזים כי נביא יכול אפילו "להכריח" את הקב"ה לעשות משהו שהוא אחרת לא התכוון לעשות?

נושאים תיאולוגיים נוספים

  • Prophetic fallibility – The possibility that a prophet might act on his own raises the question of whether in so doing, it is possible for him to err, misrepresent Hashem's will, or even act against it.  If prophets can make mistakes, how can they be trusted?
  • מעשים נגד התורה – Eliyahu is singular in the above cases in transgressing a Torah law in order to bring the people back to faith.  Even if in general a prophet can act on his own, does transgressing a law require Divine sanction, or might this, too, be left to the discretion of the prophet?
  • פעילות בשם ה' ללא צו מפורש – In several cases, prophets not only seem to speak or act on their own initiative, but do so in God's name, invoking Divine authority for their message or action.  Is a prophet allowed to attribute his personal decisions to Hashem?  לדיון נרחב, ראו פעילות בשם ה' ללא צו מפורש של ה'.
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