{"id":50547,"date":"2019-03-01T15:40:15","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T13:40:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=50547"},"modified":"2022-09-23T15:17:25","modified_gmt":"2022-09-23T12:17:25","slug":"who-shall-guide-us-then-and-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/who-shall-guide-us-then-and-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Shall Guide Us? \u2013 Then and Now"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[628,730,363,397,390],"acf":{"old_id":"50547","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33877,"related_cahpter":"166","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"The triumph of a democratic meritocracy: sages rule!","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the end of the Book of Deuteronomy, we will be told: \u201cNever again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses\u2014whom the Lord singled out, face to face\u201d (Deuteronomy 34:10). So, it is fitting that, in our chapter, Moses should detail how to identify and deal with any false prophet. \u201cIf there appears among you a prophet or a dream-diviner and he gives you a sign or a wonder, saying, \u2018Let us follow and worship another god\u2019 \u2014whom you have not experienced\u2014even if the sign or portent that he named to you comes true, do not heed the words of that prophet or that dream-diviner. For the Lord your God is testing you to see whether you really love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul\u201d (verses 2-4). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such a false prophet shall be put to death by stoning without consideration of any family or other personal relationships (verses 6-12). \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Significantly, the Rabbinic Sages downplayed the reliability of prophecy that was thought to have ceased with the last of the biblical prophets (Sanhedrin 11a). According to the Talmud Yerushalmi (Berakhot 9a), a rabbinic sage would have more authority than even a true biblical prophet. This is illustrated with a parable of a king who sent two imperial agents to a city. One was only to be accepted as the king\u2019s authentic representative upon showing that he bore the king\u2019s seal and signet. But the other agent was to be accepted without showing any such signs of having a royal commission. Similarly, the prophet must show a \u201csign or wonder\u201d (13:2). But the Rabbinic Sages required no such proof of their authority, other than the midrashic application to them of the verse: \u201cYou shall act in accordance with the instructions given you and the ruling handed down to you. You must not deviate from the judgement that they announce to you either to the right or to the left\u201d (Deuteronomy 17:11). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Babylonian Talmud (Baba Batra\u2019 12a) records this ascendency of the sages over the prophets in the pithy statement: \u201cA [rabbinic] sage is preferable to a [biblical] prophet (hakham &#8216;adif mi-navi\u2019)\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In our day, there are those who, like the biblical prophets, claim to speak for God. There are also many modern \u201csages\u201d, those who possess extraordinary knowledge and understanding of the various branches of human endeavor. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, who shall now guide us? To whom should we listen and from whom should we learn to become as knowledgeable and understanding as possible? It is the Rabbinic Sages themselves who point us in the right direction (Avot 4:1): \u201cWho is wise? One who learns from every man\u2026\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image: Akiva, from Mantua Haggadah, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=37267193<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":50548,"id":50548,"title":"dt13-sage","filename":"dt13-sage.png","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt13-sage.png","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/who-shall-guide-us-then-and-now\/dt13-sage\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"dt13-sage","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":50547,"date":"2019-03-01 13:40:03","modified":"2021-05-23 10:12:04","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":432,"height":646,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt13-sage-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt13-sage-201x300.png","medium-width":201,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt13-sage.png","medium_large-width":432,"medium_large-height":646,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt13-sage.png","large-width":432,"large-height":646,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt13-sage.png","1536x1536-width":432,"1536x1536-height":646,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt13-sage.png","2048x2048-width":432,"2048x2048-height":646,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt13-sage.png","post_full_size-width":432,"post_full_size-height":646,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt13-sage-281x420.png","home_baner-width":281,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Who Shall Guide Us? 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