|
THE SHIRLEY AND JACOB
FUCHSBERG JERUSALEM CENTER of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism |
|
HOME
|
| |
CONTACT US
|
| | PICTURE GALLERY | | | PROJECT ODED CLASSES | | | OVERSEAS STUDENTS IN ISRAEL | | | E NEWS: YEAR IN REVIEW 2010 | | | AUDIO CLIPS | | | VISITORS | | | KOL HAOT PROG FOR SYN MISSIONS | | |
 |
Parshat Vayishlah
Obadiah's one chapter prophecy bears a remarkable resemblance to portions of a prophecy (chapter 49) by Jeremiah, the great prophet of the destruction of kingdom of Judah: Ob. 1:1-5 Jer. 49:14-16; Ob. 1:5 Jer. 49:9; Ob. 1:6 Jer. 49:10; Ob. 1:7 Jer. 49 7. The similarity in these two prophecies raises a number of interesting questions about the connection between their two prophecies and the nature of prophetic messages in general. Did God present identical messages to different prophets? Did one prophet copy from the other? Modern scholars have taken up the second question, yet seem unable to determine which prophet borrowed from which due to variations in language found in each of the parallels which both seem equally authentic. (M. Kogan, Obadiah, Mikra L'am, pp. 6-7) Rabbi Isaac Abrabanel (15th century, Spain, Portugal, Italy), the great exegete and statesman, however, attempted to formulate his own answer to these questions. First, he makes a general statement about prophecy. He asserts that only select prophets like Moses had their prophecies dictated verbatim by God. Other prophets were granted a prophecy by God which they had to formulate into words. Consequently, prophets borrowed similar messages from other prophets. Abrabanel assumes that Obadiah is the earlier prophet who made his prophecy while Edom was involved in its betrayal of Judah, while Jeremiah's message was communicated after Edom's perfidy had already taken place. He bases this conjecture on the fact that Jeremiah's seems more developed than that of Obadiah. In addition, he brings as evidence for the theory of prophecy that he has developed here, a similar conclusion formulated in the Talmud: "R. Isaac said: The same communication is revealed to many prophets, yet no two prophets relate their messages in identical language. [So] Obadiah said, 'Your arrogant heart has deceived you' (Ob. 1:3), while Jeremiah said, 'Your horrible nature has seduced you; your arrogant heart has deceived you.' (Jer. 49:15)" (Sanhedrin 89a) What is interesting in this message is that the prophet's creativity is an indication of his authenticity. Prophets may share material but if they were to express themselves in exactly the same way, it would be an indication that one of them is not a prophet. True prophecy must exhibit the uniqueness of its purveyor.
The United Synagogue Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem offers students of all backgrounds the skills for studying Jewish texts. We are a vibrant, open-minded egalitarian community of committed Jews who learn, practise and grow together. Our goal is to provide students the ability and desire to continue Jewish learning and practice throughout their lives. Rashei Yeshiva: Rabbi Richard Lewis, Rabbi Joel Roth and Rabbi Pesach Schindler.
8
Agron Street, Jerusalem |
This
study piece is offered as a service of the United Synagogue Conservative
Yeshiva. It is prepared by 
