2

IX. But when is it so'?-[It is so] with regard to all other commandments; as to matters of idolatry, however, we do not hearken unto him, not even temporarily. And were he even to perform great signs and wonders, yet if he say that the Lord commanded him that some idol should be worshipped, though for that day only, or for that hour only-then behold! this man has spoken to turn you away from the Lord, and with respect to such a one the Scripture commands

xxiii. 2).' Rabbi Nathan, on meeting Elijah, asked him: 'What did the Holy One, blessed be He! do at that time?' (viz. at the time when the voice from Heaven was thus disregarded and opposed by the above-stated argument); when he (Elijah) answered him: He laughed and said: My children have triumphed over Me! My children have triumphed over Me!""

1DIAX 027 722 literally: In what [respect] are these words said?

2

אמר רבי אבהו אמר רבי יוחנן בכל אם יאמר לך נביא עבור על דברי תורה שמע לו חוץ מעבודת אלילים שאפילו מעמיד לך חמה באמצע הרקיע אל תשמע

לו

"Rabbi Abuhu said in the name of Rabbi Jochanan: In every respect if a prophet bid thee transgress the words of the law, hearken unto him; except in matters relating to the worship of idols, in which case, though he were to cause the sun to stand still before thee in the midst of the firmament, thou must not hearken unto him."-Bab. Talmud, Treatise Sanhedrin, Section 10.

implying that all doubts and scruples which may present themselves in cases of law, ought to be determined by a plurality of votes. Onkels too

after [the opinions or בתר סגיאי שלם דינא :by אחרי רבים להטות renders

votes of] many, determine the law-case.

S

and says: And the sign or the wonder come to pass... Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet...Because he hath spoken TO TURN YOU AWAY FROM THE LORD YOUR GOD, (Deut. xiii. 2, 3, 5). For behold! this man came to give the lie to the prophecy of Moses; and therefore we know for a certainty that he is a false prophet, and that that which he performed was [performed] by enchantment and witchcraft; he [therefore] must be strangled'.

PRECEPTS RELATING TO THE FOUNDATIONS

OF THE LAW.

CHAPTER X.

ANY prophet that may arise for us, (i. e. for our benefit) and say: that the Lord has sent him -need not perform any sign, like one of the signs of Moses our Rabbi, or like the signs of Elijah or Elisha, which consisted in a change in the course of nature'; but his sign ought [to consist in this, namely], that he foretell things which are to happen in the world, and that his words be verified; for it is said: And if thou say in thine heart: How shall we know the word, &c3. (Deut. xviii. 21).

II. Therefore if a man come, who is worthy of prophesying through the operation of the Lord,

2

literally: In which שיש בהם שינוי מנהגו של עולם

there is an alteration in the manner, (i. e. the usual course) of the Universe.

3 And if thou suy in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?—When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, &c. (Deut. xviii. 21, 22). From which the inference is drawn, that if the words spoken by a prophet in the name of the Lord, actually come to pass, he must be a true prophet.

and moreover if he come neither to add nor to diminish, but to serve the Lord by [fulfilling] the commandments of the law, they must not say unto him: divide the sea before us; or call a dead body into life before us, or [do any of] the like things, and then we will believe thee; but they must say unto him: If thou be a prophet, foretell things that are to happen; and so he tells them, and we wait to see, whether his words will come to pass, or whether they will not come to pass. And, should even the least thing [of what he foretold] fail', it will be evident that he is a false prophet; but if all his words come to pass, he must be looked upon by us to be a faithful man. We must however examine him many times, and if all his words are found to be true, then behold! that man is a true prophet, just as it is said of Samuel: And all Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord3, (1 Sam. iii. 20).

III. But do not the observers of times and the diviners also foretell that which is to happen? -what difference then is there between the prophet and them?-Now [the fact is, that as to] observers of times, diviners, and such men, some of their words may be fulfilled, and some of them

literally fall.

:

2 y literally: he shall be in our eyes.

3 The verse preceding this is: And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, AND DID LET NONE OF HIS WORDS

FALL TO THE GROUND.

may not be fulfilled, just as it is said: Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee FROM [these things] THAT shall come upon thee, (Isai. xlvii. 13.); [here the prophet purposely introduces the word] ND FROM [SOME things'] THAT [shall come upon thee], and not [the words] ALL [things] THAT [shall come upon thee]. And indeed it is also possible that none of their words should be fulfilled at all, but that they should have been altogether mistaken, just as it is said: That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad, (Isai. xliv. 25). But as to the prophet, all his words are fulfilled, for it is said : That there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, (2 Kings x. 10). And

* Our Author, by taking the letter in the word ND to convey a partitive sense, like the in and she took [SOME] of the fruit thereof, (Gen. iii. 6,), understands the prophet to say that though the astrologers, stargazers, &c. might at times have been able to foretell or prevent by their enchantments SOME few of the things which are to happen in this world, (for that they should be able to foretell or prevent all and every thing that was to happen, was quite out of the question, this being altogether beyond their power); yet by the will of the Almighty, they were now in this instance to be stripped even of the limited and scanty knowledge which they once possessed, so that they should not be able to decipher one single letter of that which is written in the book of fate. The text in question would therefore, according to our Author's opinion, admit of the following version: Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up and save thee even from PART of that which shall come upon thee.