בס”ד
In The Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, the fifth and sixth fundamentals of the faith are:
5. Not to prophesy falsely in the name of G-d.
6. Not to prophesy in the name of an idol, or to convince others to worship an idol or to transgress any of the seven Commandments.1
Types of False Prophets
The phenomenon of false prophecy is timeless and applies to both Jews and non-Jews. False prophets can be categorized into different types based on their sources of inspiration and the messages they convey. Some claim to speak in the name of G-d, attempting to mislead the faithful by distorting divine intentions or providing false prophecies. Others may invoke the names of idols and promote teachings that are in conflict with the Torah. Understanding the distinctions among these false prophets is essential for discerning authentic spiritual guidance from deception.
Recognizing a False Prophet
The Tanakh provides us with clear guidance on how to identify a false prophet speaking in the name of G-d. This is particularly evident in Deuteronomy 18:21-22 which states:
| 21 And if thou say in thy heart: ‘How shall we know the word which the L-RD hath not spoken?’ | כא וְכִי תֹאמַר, בִּלְבָבֶךָ: אֵיכָה נֵדַע אֶת-הַדָּבָר, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-דִבְּרוֹ ד’ |
| 22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the L-RD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the L-RD hath not spoken; the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him. | כב אֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר הַנָּבִיא בְּשֵׁם ד’, וְלֹא-יִהְיֶה הַדָּבָר וְלֹא יָבֹא–הוּא הַדָּבָר, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-דִבְּרוֹ ד’: בְּזָדוֹן דִּבְּרוֹ הַנָּבִיא, לֹא תָגוּר מִמֶּנּוּ. |
From this passage, one might conclude that if a prophet speaks in the name of G-d and their prediction does not come true, then they are a false prophet. However, it is essential to note that this guideline applies only to positive prophecies.
The Validity of Prophecies
Rabbi Moshe Weiner writes in The Divine Code:
“Any good that G-d proclaims publicly (through a true prophet) will not be nullified, even if it is conditional, and this is a valid test for a false prophet.”2
This principle, however, does not apply to judgments or punishments that a true prophet delivers on behalf of G-d. A prominent example is the prophet Jonah, who was sent to deliver a message to the people of Nineveh, as we read in Jonah 3:4
| 4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he proclaimed, and said: ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.’ | ד וַיָּחֶל יוֹנָה לָבוֹא בָעִיר, מַהֲלַךְ יוֹם אֶחָד; וַיִּקְרָא, וַיֹּאמַר, עוֹד אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם, וְנִינְוֵה נֶהְפָּכֶת. |
In verse 10, we see that G-d did not destroy Nineveh:
| 10 And G-d saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and G-d repented of the evil, which He said He would do unto them; and He did it not. | י וַיַּרְא הָאֱלֹקים אֶת-מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם, כִּי-שָׁבוּ מִדַּרְכָּם הָרָעָה; וַיִּנָּחֶם הָאֱלֹקים, עַל-הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר-דִּבֶּר לַעֲשׂוֹת-לָהֶם–וְלֹא עָשָׂה. |
Why did this happen? After all, Jonah was a true prophet. We know this from his father’s name, “Yonah ben Amittai”—with Amittai, meaning “truth.” When a prophet is mentioned with his father’s name, it generally indicates that the father was also a prophet. Furthermore, G-d is the ultimate truth. Rabbi Moshe Alshich3 explains that when the people of Nineveh heard G-d’s judgment, they immediately believed in Elokim and His words of judgment. They recognized G-d from the judgments He had proclaimed over Egypt and Sodom and Gomorrah, and they repented.
When individuals or groups demonstrate genuine repentance, G-d forgives them, as illustrated in Exodus 34:6-7
| …The L-RD, the L-RD, G-d, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; … | ד’ ד’, אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן–אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם, וְרַב-חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת. ז נֹצֵר חֶסֶד לָאֲלָפִים, נֹשֵׂא עָוֺן וָפֶשַׁע וְחַטָּאָה… |
The Role of G-ds Mercy and the Unchangeability of the Torah
Rambam asserts in Misneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 10:4 that when such a prophecy—like that of Jonah—does not come to fruition, it does not undermine the prophecy’s validity. G-d can, in His grace, annul or postpone a judgment.4
If a prophet arises, whether in the name of G-d or an idol, and teaches that any of the laws of the Torah—either one of the 613 commandments for Jews or any of the 7 Noachide laws and their details—are nullified, or if he attempts to add a law, he is a false prophet. The Torah remains unchangeable after being given at Sinai, as we read in Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah (9:1):
“It is clear and explicit in the Torah that it is [G-d’s] commandment, remaining forever without change, addition, or diminishment, as [Deuteronomy 13:1] states:
| 1 All this word which I command you, that shall ye observe to do; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. | א אֵת כָּל-הַדָּבָר, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם–אֹתוֹ תִשְׁמְרוּ, לַעֲשׂוֹת: לֹא-תֹסֵף עָלָיו, וְלֹא תִגְרַע מִמֶּנּוּ. |
“All these matters which I command to you, you shall be careful to perform. … This teaches that we are commanded to fulfill all the Torah’s directives forever.”
False Prophets
It is relatively straightforward to identify a false prophet who speaks in the name of an idol and whose prophecy does not come true. However, the situation becomes more complex when such a prophecy does come to pass. What if the prophet urges us to follow their idol or instructs us to alter the Torah, especially since their prophecy has indeed materialized?
In Deuteronomium 13:2-4 we read:
| 2 If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams–and he give thee a sign or a wonder, | ב כִּי-יָקוּם בְּקִרְבְּךָ נָבִיא, אוֹ חֹלֵם חֲלוֹם; וְנָתַן אֵלֶיךָ אוֹת, אוֹ מוֹפֵת. |
| 3 and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto thee–saying: ‘Let us go after other G-ds, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them’; | ג וּבָא הָאוֹת וְהַמּוֹפֵת, אֲשֶׁר-דִּבֶּר אֵלֶיךָ לֵאמֹר: נֵלְכָה אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יְדַעְתָּם–וְנָעָבְדֵם. |
| 4 thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreams;… | ד לֹא תִשְׁמַע, אֶל-דִּבְרֵי הַנָּבִיא הַהוּא, אוֹ אֶל-חוֹלֵם הַחֲלוֹם, הַהוּא: |
In His wisdom, G-d may use a false prophet to test us, strengthening our faith and trust in Him, as we see in the continuation of verse 4:
| … for the L-RD your G-d putteth you to proof, to know whether ye do love the L-RD your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul. | …כִּי מְנַסֶּה ד’ אֱלֹקיכֶם, אֶתְכֶם, לָדַעַת הֲיִשְׁכֶם אֹהֲבִים אֶת-ד’ אֱלֹהקיכֶם, בְּכָל-לְבַבְכֶם וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁכֶם. |
Prophetic Revelation our days
Today, anyone claiming to be a prophet is a false prophet, because The Sages taught (Sanhedrin 11a:7): After the last of the prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, died, the Divine Spirit of prophetic revelation departed from the Jewish people. But nevertheless, they were still utilizing a Divine Voice, which they heard as a kind of echo of prophecy.
In the future, prophecy will be restored with the coming of the Messiah, as we can read in Joel 3:1-2
| 1 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; | א וְהָיָה אַחֲרֵי-כֵן, אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת-רוּחִי עַל-כָּל-בָּשָׂר, וְנִבְּאוּ, בְּנֵיכֶם וּבְנוֹתֵיכֶם; זִקְנֵיכֶם, חֲלֹמוֹת יַחֲלֹמוּן–בַּחוּרֵיכֶם, חֶזְיֹנוֹת יִרְאוּ. |
By Angelique Sijbolts
With thanks to Rabbi Tani Burton for his feedback
Sources:
- The Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Part I, 4th edition p. 33 ↩︎
- The Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Part I, ch. 2, topic 7, 4th edition p. 54 ↩︎
- Alshich on Yonah, the Silkin Edition, chapter 3, p. 73 ↩︎
- There is a discussion among the Sages about whether the repentance of Nineveh was complete and sincere. The Mabit, for example (Mabit, Beit Elokim, Sha’ar HaTeshuva, chapters 12-14), indicates that the repentance of Nineveh was not complete. They only regretted the mistakes they made in the past but did not promise to refrain from repeating their mistakes in the future.
↩︎
See also the video of Rabbi Tovia Singer: Are Miracles Performed in the Name of Jesus? Rabbi Tovia Singer Responds
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