Friday, May 22, 2009

Apocalypse? Bring it on!

More and more these days, I empathize with the doubters in the days of Yirmeyahu. One of the navi Yirmeyahu's biggest struggles was with some of the people of his time thinking him a navi sheker. This may be due, in part, to his opening prophecy, which seems to be about an invasion from the mishpechot Tzafon that was historically likely when he gave it, but did not come to pass. (See Yeshaya Leibowitz about this.) And see Yirmeyahu's contention with Chanania ben Azzur, and throughout the struggles against false prophets with opposite messages.

So some people doubted that Yirmeyahu's predictions of doom and gloom would come to pass. And so we see, in sefer Yirmeyahu, 17:14 and on:
יד רְפָאֵנִי ה וְאֵרָפֵא, הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי וְאִוָּשֵׁעָה: כִּי תְהִלָּתִי, אָתָּה.14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for Thou art my praise.
טו הִנֵּה-הֵמָּה, אֹמְרִים אֵלָי: אַיֵּה דְבַר-ה, יָבוֹא נָא.15 Behold, they say unto me: 'Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now.'
טז וַאֲנִי לֹא-אַצְתִּי מֵרֹעֶה אַחֲרֶיךָ, וְיוֹם אָנוּשׁ לֹא הִתְאַוֵּיתִי--אַתָּה יָדָעְתָּ; מוֹצָא שְׂפָתַי, נֹכַח פָּנֶיךָ הָיָה.16 As for me, I have not hastened from being a shepherd after Thee; neither have I desired the woeful day; Thou knowest it; that which came out of my lips was manifest before Thee.
יז אַל-תִּהְיֵה-לִי, לִמְחִתָּה; מַחֲסִי-אַתָּה, בְּיוֹם רָעָה.17 Be not a ruin unto me; thou art my refuge in the day of evil.
יח יֵבֹשׁוּ רֹדְפַי, וְאַל-אֵבֹשָׁה אָנִי--יֵחַתּוּ הֵמָּה, וְאַל-אֵחַתָּה אָנִי; הָבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם יוֹם רָעָה, וּמִשְׁנֶה שִׁבָּרוֹן שָׁבְרֵם.18 Let them be ashamed that persecute me, but let not me be ashamed; let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed; bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.
I would understand this as that the people are sick of hearing his prophecies, and tell him to "put up or shut up." Thus, he characterizes it in pasuk 15 as 'Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now.'

That is, you keep telling us to repent to avoid the impending doom. We challenge you to produce it? Where is the word of the LORD you keep promising us? Bring it on!

His response to them is they surely will not like it, when it actually does come. And feeling hurt by this challenge, he turns to Hashem and actually asks him to bring these prophecies into being. That'll show them!

In pasuk 16: "As for me, I have not hastened from being a shepherd after Thee; neither have I desired the woeful day; Thou knowest it; that which came out of my lips was manifest before Thee." That is, he didn't ask for the job, nor avoids it. He is only repeating to the Israelites what Hashem is telling him to say. And when saying the dire prophecies of doom, it was not because he desired the woeful doe. But if Hashem does not bring it, he will be labeled a false prophet. (Even though there are terutzim of Hashem reconsidering threats of woe.)

In pasuk 17: "Be not a ruin unto me; thou art my refuge in the day of evil." That is, LORD, don't fail me now! Come through for me!

And in pasuk 18: "Let them be ashamed that persecute me, but let not me be ashamed; let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed; bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction." Who will win this contest? Yirmeyahu, when Hashem brings upon them the day of evil. Then they will be ashamed, and not he.

But a navi sheker who thinks himself a navi emet could grapple with the same issues, and likely get similar reaction from the people. Should a reaction to a navi sheker from the populace be condemned? I would guess not.

3 comments:

E-Man said...

Can a navi that says follow the Torah or bad things will come, ever really be considered a navi sheker? All he is saying is follow the Torah? I always thought a navi sheker was specifically someone trying to cause beni yisroel to sin.

yaak said...

To answer e-man's question:

Rambam Hil. Avodah Zara 5:12יב [ח] אחד המתנבא מה שלא שמע במראה הנבואה, או מי ששמע דברי נביא חברו ואמר שדבר זה לו נאמר והוא נתנבא בו--הרי זה נביא שקר, ומיתתו בחנק.

joshwaxman said...

as far as i understand it, a navi sheker is someone who prophesies in the name of avodah zara or prophesies something Hashem did not command him to. See Devarim 18:20:

אַךְ הַנָּבִיא אֲשֶׁר יָזִיד לְדַבֵּר דָּבָר בִּשְׁמִי, אֵת אֲשֶׁר לֹא-צִוִּיתִיו לְדַבֵּר, וַאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר, בְּשֵׁם אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים--וּמֵת, הַנָּבִיא הַהוּא
"But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die."

The two central sources in Torah for navi sheker is Devarim 18 and Devarim 13. They delineate the cases in which Bnei Yisrael can *determine* for certain that someone is a false prophet. Which is important to do. But still, even if one cannot determine it, but the person is not really speaking in the name of Hashem, he is a navi sheker.

(See also how Tzidkiyah ben Kenaana was falsely prophesying based on a misleading spirit.)

And see Rambam who says that even if a prophet takes sides in a halachic dispute, he is a navi sheker. (Much as the autistics have taken sides in the sheitel debate.)

kt,
josh

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