Prophecy in the Geulah - Rabbi Menachem Cohen shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You’re listening to “Lema’an Yishme’u,” a podcast from Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 Hello and blessings to everyone. May each and every one of you have blessing and success, with Hashem’s help. Today, with Hashem’s help, we’re going to talk about one of the most important subjects for every one of us. First of all, we’re familiar with the whole subject of Geulah—it’s the central subject. Every one of us, the entire Jewish people, says and knows that this is one of the principles of faith: “I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, and though he may delay, I will nevertheless await him every day, that he may come.” And as the Rambam says, “Whoever does not believe in him, or does not await his coming, denies the Torah and Moshe Rabbeinu.” So certainly every Jew, every one of us, looks forward to and awaits the true and complete Geulah, and does everything possible to bring the Geulah in actual practice. In fact, in our prayers we ask for it all the time and say, “We hope for Your salvation all day long.” In the Shemoneh Esrei, six of the blessings concern the request for Geulah: “Restore our judges as at first,” “Redeemer of Israel,” and so on, as well as “Return in mercy to Jerusalem, Your city.” We’re constantly asking for the Geulah. And the Rebbe says that one of the central things we can do to bring the true and complete Geulah is this: “The most direct, easiest, and fastest way to bring the Geulah is to study matters of Geulah and Moshiach.” So today, with Hashem’s help, we’ll study matters of Geulah and Moshiach—and, of course, what they teach us for today, in actual practice, because action is the main thing. Our central subject today is prophecy: the concept of prophecy in general, prophecy in the Geulah and in connection with the Geulah in particular, and especially the Rebbe as the judge of our generation, the counselor of our generation, and the prophet of our generation. So we’ll begin by looking at what this concept of prophecy actually is. For many people, prophecy sounds like something—

02:13 Speaker 2 Something—how should I put it? Something spiritual, lofty, profound, that perhaps existed once in the past. We know about prophets: Moshe Rabbeinu was the greatest of all the prophets. We have the books of the Prophets—Shmuel the Prophet, Yechezkel the Prophet, Yeshayahu the Prophet. That was in the past. We study their books; we know the books of the Prophets contain exceptionally lofty things. But what exactly does it mean today? First of all, we need to know that the commandment to listen to a prophet is a positive mitzvah from the Torah, as it says: “I will raise up a prophet for them from among their brethren, like you; to him you shall listen.” In addition, among the thirteen principles of faith, the Rambam includes the belief that G-d grants prophecy to human beings. In other words, prophecy is a real phenomenon. And once we know that a prophet is a true prophet, we are obligated to listen and do everything the prophet says, without questioning his words at all, because they are not his own words. The word for prophet, navi, is connected with niv sefasayim, “the utterance of the lips.” The prophet’s entire role is to convey with his lips the words Hashem has spoken to him. Essentially, the prophet takes what Hakadosh Boruch Hu tells him. Hakadosh Boruch Hu tells him one thing or another, and he must say it. We know about Yonah the Prophet, who wanted not to say it, and as a result was punished and swallowed, until he had to deliver the words of prophecy and tell the people of Nineveh everything he had been sent to say. We read the whole story in detail in the Book of Yonah, in the Yom Kippur haftorah. So the prophet’s words are truly the word of Hashem, as it says: “The spirit of Hashem spoke through me, and His word was on my tongue.” The prophet’s role

04:05 Speaker 2 is to speak the word of Hashem. That is why we often say that the Rebbe is a prophet, and that our Rebbeim are considered prophets. People sometimes ask: Wait—what? Who? Why? The point here is not to take someone and elevate or glorify him. The point is to say what the role of our Rebbeim—and especially of the Rebbe, shlita, Melech HaMoshiach—actually is. What is that role? It is to convey the word of Hashem. As Moshe Rabbeinu said, “I stand between Hashem and you to tell you the word of Hashem.” There is no sense of “me” here. As Moshe Rabbeinu said, “What are we, that you complain against us?” That is not the emphasis here. Who? What? Why? Who is great? Who is this? No. The emphasis is that with the Rebbe, we see an example of what a prophet is: there is no “me” here; there is the word of Hashem. As the Rebbe himself mentions in one of his letters, an answer from the Rebbe falls under the description, “The spirit of Hashem spoke through me, and His word was on my tongue.” This is not about coming along and saying, “I said this,” or anything like that. No—it is Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The prophet’s role, in particular, is to convey the word of Hashem. That’s it. What Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants is what is conveyed and what takes shape in practice. So the Rambam, in Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah, sets out the criteria for prophecy. He says that a prophet must be someone on a very high spiritual level, someone who withdraws into solitude.

05:44 Speaker 2 In other words, he is not caught up in worldly concerns. His whole concern is to devote himself to the word of Hashem, and so on. The Rambam says there that a prophet must be on a very high spiritual level. Once he has reached that level, if he says certain things and we see that they actually come to pass, then we know that he is a true prophet. Alternatively, if a true prophet says that someone else is a prophet, then that second person is a prophet too, and we must listen to him even before he performs a sign or a wonder. What will happen with prophecy in the true and complete Geulah? Will we have prophets or not? We know that today—well, we’ll soon discuss the particular time, the special period in which we find ourselves right now. But in general, in the past there were prophets, many prophets among the Jewish people, during the time of the First Beis Hamikdash and the Second Beis Hamikdash. Later, after the destruction, it says that prophecy ceased. There was less of it than before. It did not disappear completely, but an actual prophet became much rarer. As it says, “clear glass ceased,” right? That does not mean it disappeared completely, but that it became much less common than it had been in the past. The same is true of prophecy: it became much less common. But what will happen in the Geulah? We’ll soon discuss the time in which we find ourselves now, but what will happen in the true and complete Geulah? In the true and complete Geulah there will be an unprecedented new development in prophecy: the entire Jewish people, everyone, will become prophets. That is what the Midrash says about Tehillim, chapter 14, verse 7—it says—

07:32 Speaker 2 The verse says, “Would that all of Hashem’s people were prophets.” Moshe Rabbeinu said this when Eldad and Medad were prophesying in the camp. Moshe’s attendant came and told him, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” Moshe Rabbeinu answered, “Are you jealous on my behalf? Would that all of Hashem’s people were prophets, that Hashem would place His spirit upon them.” That is what Moshe Rabbeinu said. There is another verse: “Who will bring salvation for Yisroel from Tzion? When Hashem restores His people, Yaakov will rejoice, Yisroel will be glad.” And there is yet another verse in which Hakadosh Boruch Hu says to Moshe Rabbeinu, “Would that their hearts remained this way, to fear Me all their days.” After Moshe Rabbeinu told Him that the Jewish people were afraid and were asking, “You speak to us, and we will listen,” and so on, Hakadosh Boruch Hu told Moshe Rabbeinu that their request was good: “They have spoken well in all that they said.” Yes, they were asking Moshe to speak to them instead. Why was that good? “Would that their hearts remained this way, to fear Me all their days”—that they should have fear of Hashem at all times. So the Midrash says this: At present, neither the words of the teacher—what Hakadosh Boruch Hu said, “Would that their hearts remained this way, to fear Me all their days”—are fulfilled, nor are the words of Moshe Rabbeinu, the student, fulfilled. “Would that all of Hashem’s people were prophets” is not fulfilled either. That is at present. But in the future, both the words of the teacher and the words of the student will be fulfilled. There will be “Would that their hearts remained this way, to fear Me all their days”: fear of Hashem will be complete and perfect. It says of the future, “Into the clefts of the rocks, for fear of Hashem and the splendor of His majesty.” There will be complete fear of Hashem at all times, and along with that, the words of the student will also be fulfilled—the words of Moshe

09:27 Speaker 2 Rabbeinu, when he said, “Would that all of Hashem’s people were prophets.” All of Hashem’s people really will be prophets in the future. That is what the prophet Yoel says: “And afterward, I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophesy.” So in the true and complete Geulah, all the Jewish people will be prophets. In fact, one of the new things about the Geulah is that this prophecy among the Jewish people will not be something extraordinary. Today, as we said, the Rambam explains that a person needs a number of qualities to merit prophecy. He must be very wise, strong in his character, someone whose inclination does not overpower him, and so on. But in the future, with the Geulah, prophecy will be a simple, natural faculty. That is how it is explained. The Rebbe mentions this in a maamar in Sefer Hamaamarim Melukat, volume 2, page 50. Prophecy will be a natural faculty belonging to every Jew. Just as the eye sees and the ear hears, so too every person will be a prophet, man or woman, receiving instructions from Hakadosh Boruch Hu and knowing exactly what He is telling them. It will be natural. Today, we need to reach certain levels for that. As we said, a person must be on a very high spiritual level. But in the future, it will be natural and straightforward, as it says in the book of Yoel: “And afterward, I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophesy.” It says there that everyone will have this—even “your sons and daughters,” even “all flesh.” Everyone will become prophets. So it will be something natural, something straightforward. This fact, this reality that all the Jewish people will be prophets, also raises an interesting question. The Rambam says that prophets had a regular practice of wearing a special linen ephod to let the Jewish people know they were prophets

11:27 Speaker 2 and that they could be asked about future events. Just as the Kohen Gadol wore an ephod as part of his priestly garments and people would consult him through the Urim and Tumim, so too the prophets had a linen ephod. “And David was girded with a linen ephod,” as the Rambam says. Since the Rambam includes this in a book of halachah, there is a halachic requirement for a prophet to wear a linen ephod. But in the Geulah, on the one hand, it would seem that everyone will need to wear a linen ephod. On the other hand, the whole point of the linen ephod is to let everyone know that there is a prophet here—but in the future, everyone will be a prophet. Prophecy will rest upon everyone. From that perspective, there would be no need for a linen ephod at all. A third possibility is that some will wear one, because there will still be differences between prophets. It says that prophets have different levels: one prophet is greater than another. Some will be on a lower level and some on a higher one. So perhaps it will be the greater prophets who wear a linen ephod, so people will know that if a matter calls for a higher level of prophecy, they should turn to those greater prophets, the ones wearing the ephod. In any event, this first of all shows us the great quality of the future and what will be new then. And we say that even today we need to prepare: not to compromise, to become worthy, so to speak, to learn what Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants and to do His will, knowing that this is something that could become a reality at any moment. Everyone will be prophets. That is what will happen in the Geulah. What about now? As with many things that will happen in the Geulah, this requires preparation beforehand. Even during the time of exile, there are many

13:18 Speaker 2 things we need to do now. The Rebbe says that if everyone suddenly became prophets, that would be a change in the natural order of the world. And the Rambam says that the natural order of the world will not change. So for such a lofty revelation of prophecy to take place in the Geulah, there must already be preparation and a beginning of it now. Where do we find that preparation and beginning? In the very period we are living in now. This is where it begins. The Rambam explicitly writes that prophecy will return to the Jewish people even before the Geulah. In Iggeres Teiman, the Rambam says: “We have a great and wondrous tradition. I received it from my father,” says the Rambam, “and my father received it from his father: prophecy will return to Yisroel.” When? In the year 4976 from Creation. “And there is no doubt,” says the Rambam, “that the return of prophecy is a precursor to Moshiach.” How did the Rambam arrive at that date and that period? He explains that the verse says, “At this time it will be said to Yaakov and Yisroel what G-d has wrought.” That is what Bilam said. Bilam the wicked, who was also a prophet, said, “At this time it will be said to Yaakov and Yisroel what G-d has wrought.” As explained, Bilam said this halfway through the years of the world. What does “halfway through the years of the world” mean? There is the period from Creation until Bilam made that statement. Once the same amount of time has passed again—once as many years have passed since Bilam as had passed from Creation until his time—then “it will be said to Yaakov and Yisroel what G-d has wrought”; prophecy will return to Yisroel. When is that? Let’s do the calculation. As we said, when did Bilam deliver his prophecy, “At this time it will be said to Yaakov and Yisroel”? How long ago was it? What was the date, what was the year? In the year 2...

15:21 Speaker 2 2488 from Creation. That is, 2,488 from Creation, because that was the year they entered the Land. The Jewish people left Egypt in 2448 from Creation, and they spent forty years in the desert. In the final year, as is brought down—and there are sources for this—the whole story with Balak and Bilaam took place very close to their entry into the Land. That is why Balak was afraid the Jewish people were about to enter his territory, and why he brought Bilaam. It was right around the year they entered the Land of Israel, a year before. So how long were the Jewish people in the desert? Forty years. 2488. Take 2488 from Creation and multiply it by two: you get 4976. In 4976, the Rambam says, prophecy would return to the Jewish people. This was a tradition the Rambam had received. He says that this was already the time for prophecy to return to the Jewish people, and indeed, from the year 4976, prophecy began to return to the Jewish people. In those years, the Rambam himself also had experiences of prophecy, and there are sources and proofs that the Rambam believed that if the Geulah had come in his time, he would have brought it about. Rabbi Ezra the Prophet also lived in those years. He appears among the Tosafists in Tractate Gittin; he is referred to there as Rabbi Ezra the Prophet. He was a prophet. The Raavad says in one place—in Hilchos Lulav, chapter 8, halachah 5—regarding a hadas whose top was cut off, whether it is kosher or invalid: the Rambam writes that it is kosher, and the Raavad writes, “Ruach hakodesh has already appeared in our study hall, and we have demonstrated that it is invalid.” In other words,

17:22 Speaker 2 there was ruach hakodesh here. The Raavad was a prophet; he had prophecy. There were quite a few others who were prophets at that time as well. Prophecy really had begun to return. It began to return after a long time when there had been no prophecy—at least not openly—since the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. And several generations later, open prophecy was seen again with the holy Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid of Mezritch, who had prophecy. The Tzemach Tzedek writes about them that we saw them see from one end of the world to the other, literally with their own eyes. And he says about the Alter Rebbe, the author of the Tanya, that we heard him foretell the future with pinpoint accuracy. In other words, they had prophecy. They knew exactly what was going to happen, and it was not because of themselves. It was not something personal. It was because Hakadosh Boruch Hu revealed Himself to them and told them exactly what was going to happen. We heard them foretell the future with pinpoint accuracy—precisely. So the matter of prophecy was already present with them. Later, in our generation too, among our Rebbeim in general and especially in our present generation, we merited a great prophet who himself testified that he is a prophet: the Rebbe shlita of Lubavitch, Melech HaMoshiach. We see many prophecies from the Rebbe, all of which came true, one by one. For example, the Six-Day War, several decades ago. In 5727, the entire Jewish people and the whole world were worried and afraid. The State of Israel had been established only a number of years earlier; the Jewish community in the Land of Israel was part of a young state. There was fear of an attack from Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria. All the neighboring countries were coming to fight. It seemed clear that a national disaster was coming. There was no doubt about it.

19:36 Speaker 2 The only question was how great the disaster would be. Would everyone be wiped out entirely, or would there perhaps be thousands upon thousands killed? They had already prepared mass graves for those expected to die. Just think about it: today, when people warn that a war may be coming, everyone is anxious. Back then, it was not a matter of a war that might happen. It was clear there would be a war, against several major countries all around them, and there was tremendous fear. A week before the Six-Day War, the Rebbe said—to the children at a procession, and to everyone listening and everyone who heard—that we were on the verge of a great victory. There was no reason to worry, no reason to be afraid or to frighten others. There would be no disaster, G-d forbid; on the contrary, they would come through it well. And indeed, we saw how, within six days of war, the Jewish people prevailed. At that time the Rebbe launched the tefillin campaign, calling on each person to take responsibility and help another Jew. The Rebbe said that tefillin have the power to instill fear in the enemy: “All the peoples of the earth will see that the name of Hashem is called upon you, and they will fear you.” This was the first campaign the Rebbe launched. Already in the first days, hundreds of thousands more Jews put on tefillin, and it has continued to grow and bring light to this day. We saw how these actions instilled fear in the enemy. All those countries lost, and the Jewish people won—a great victory within six days. It reached the point where a ceasefire had to be requested so that all the enemy forces would not be completely destroyed. We see this great victory, and we see how the Rebbe came and foretold it. Open prophecy. There is one more thing. I did not hear it myself, but this is what people say—at any rate, it is

21:51 Speaker 2 something I heard secondhand: that the Rebbe also said that since tefillin are put on six days a week, the victory would take six days. And indeed, it was the Six-Day War; victory came within six days. That is a prophet. The Rebbe is a prophet. Another example is the Gulf War. During the Gulf War, too, all the Jewish people—everyone—were frightened. Saddam Hussein threatened to burn half the country, and everyone knew he had weapons, including biological and chemical weapons. Everyone was afraid. And the Rebbe shlita, Melech HaMoshiach, said there was no reason to be afraid or worried. The Rebbe said that the Land of Israel was the safest place. People asked the Rebbe whether to travel to Israel. Certainly. Should they leave? The Rebbe said no, it was not advisable to leave. Why leave? Stay in the Land; do not be afraid or worried. The Land of Israel is the safest place in the world. The Rebbe cited the Midrash, which says that in the year when Melech HaMoshiach comes, all the nations of the world will be in turmoil and panic, and the king of Persia will provoke an Arab king. That is exactly what happened: Iraq and Edom—Edom being America—provoked each other. All the nations of the world are in turmoil and panic, and the Jewish people are in turmoil and panic, saying, “Where can we turn? Where can we go?” And Hakadosh Boruch Hu says to the Jewish people, “My children, do not be afraid. Why are you afraid? Everything I have done, I have done only for you. The time of your Geulah has arrived.” This was indeed the time we are in now: the time of the Geulah has arrived. These events in the Persian Gulf are also among the signs of the Geulah. All these wars are signs of the Geulah. There is no reason to worry. And indeed, the war began. People were afraid and worried; there were missiles, threats, and air-raid sirens. But we saw tremendous miracles. Of the thirty-nine missiles that came, no one died as a result of the missiles. There was someone

23:51 Speaker 2 One person died, and they say there is a question whether it was because of the gas mask or something else he injected himself with. But thirty-nine missiles, and not one person killed. There is a question about one person, yes. But these are the greatest miracles. They are truly miracles upon miracles. We see the Rebbe’s prophecy: Eretz Yisroel is the safest place in the world. To give you an idea, one missile landed in Saudi Arabia and killed several dozen people. One missile. Here there were thirty-nine missiles, and no one was killed. And here we see the Rebbe’s prophecy. What the Rebbe says is prophecy, and there was no need to use gas masks. Atomic, biological, chemical—they also showed that neither biological nor chemical weapons were used. These are miracles and wonders. We see it in the prophecy: the Rebbe speaks prophetically, and the words of a prophet come true. The same thing happened with Russia. The Rebbe said to start preparing places for immigrants from Russia three years before the Communist bloc collapsed—that there was a need to prepare places and that many Jews would come. And what happened? Who expected it? No one thought it would happen. And then it happened. Suddenly it was, “Wait, what’s going on? We don’t have enough room to absorb all the Russians. We don’t have enough jobs; we don’t have enough apartments.” All at once, people realized that if they had listened to what the Rebbe was saying prophetically about what was going to happen, the situation would have been much better. So he is a prophet. What the Rebbe says is prophecy. I’ll tell you just one small personal story. My mother told me—she says, “I know with certainty that the Rebbe is a prophet. I don’t need any more proof.” She herself says,

25:36 Speaker 2 “My father wanted to travel to the Rebbe. On one occasion, [unclear]. I didn’t want him to go, but I told him, ‘You know what? Write to the Rebbe and ask.’ He said, ‘No, you don’t ask the Rebbe whether or not to come to him. You write to the Rebbe and ask for a bracha.’ ‘Fine, write and ask for a bracha.’” And indeed, he wrote and asked for a bracha, and then the answer came from the secretariat. The secretary called, and my mother answered the phone. The secretary said, “The Rebbe said, ‘He may travel only with his wife’s consent.’” She says, “That is proof for me. There’s no doubt about it: the Rebbe is a prophet. How did the Rebbe know all of this in the first place—that I didn’t want him to go?” That’s it; that’s prophecy. What the Rebbe says is the words of a prophet. It is accurate to a hair’s breadth. The Rebbe knows everything exactly. The Rebbe foresees the future, and the Rebbe tells us in the clearest possible terms, “Hinei zeh Moshiach ba”—“Behold, Moshiach is coming.” The true and complete Geulah is at the threshold. A prophet whose prophecy has become known—as the halacha says, once a prophet’s prophecy has become known and his words have been believed time and again, it is forbidden to second-guess him or question whether his prophecy is true. So after everything the Rebbe said, all his prophecies, came true exactly, it is clear that the Torah’s instruction, “You shall listen to him,” applies to him. And especially, we must believe and heed the Rebbe’s prophecy concerning the complete Geulah, as the Rebbe himself says: “To publicize to all the people of the generation, and to publicize to everyone, that we have merited that Hakadosh Boruch Hu has chosen and appointed a person with free choice who will be ‘your judge and your adviser’ and the prophet of the generation, who will give instructions and advice on all matters of Torah and mitzvos to the entire Jewish people and to each individual—up to the principal prophecy, the prophecy of immediate Geulah: right away, immediately, ‘Behold, Moshiach is coming.’” Well, that is the prophecy. The Rebbe’s words have the status of prophecy. As we said, the true and complete Geulah is at the threshold, so we really need to. What this

27:32 Speaker 2 means for us in practice is, first of all, simply the privilege we have to step forward and act. We have merited that Hakadosh Boruch Hu has chosen and appointed a person with free choice. It is the privilege of each and every one of us to devote ourselves, to do what needs to be done, and to listen to the Rebbe’s advice. Ultimately, it is for our benefit, to our credit, for our sake—so that we don’t make mistakes or become confused. Boruch Hashem, we have a prophet who directs us in what to do and how to do it. And when we follow his instructions, we both fulfill the Torah’s mitzvah, “You shall listen to him,” and merit to do what is needed in the best and most successful way. Many others do not see things correctly. But when we look with the Rebbe’s clear vision—which is not only the Rebbe’s, but the word of Hashem, the words of Torah, Hashem’s words to a prophet—we know that we can go forward confidently, doing what needs to be done without fear or confusion. And with Hashem’s help, we will merit the true and complete Geulah right away, as the Rebbe says: “Behold, Moshiach is coming.” On this subject of prophecy, I’ll touch on a few points that people often come and ask about. First, we need to know this: the Alter Rebbe writes in one of his maamarim that a true sage might know of a certain date for the coming of Moshiach, but it will not come to pass. The date is indeed correct, but in the spiritual worlds. In practice, the Geulah will not come. That is, because the sage saw it on a spiritual level, it will come to pass—it is true—but it will come to pass spiritually. For example, the date of 5603 came to pass spiritually with the printing of Likkutei Torah and Torah Or around that time, and so on. But once it passes into speech, into a prophet’s spoken words, it will certainly come to pass without any change. So

29:30 Speaker 2 it will be no surprise when the Geulah comes right away. It will no longer be a change in the world’s normal course; these things have already been said in prophecy. Now, here we need to pay attention. Some people ask, “Wait, what’s going on? We’re already thirty years past that prophecy. What’s happening?” First of all, in practice, these prophecies, these matters of Geulah, are already coming to pass. The Rebbe says—and we see it in practice—that the world is changing: “Nation shall not lift sword against nation,” and “They shall beat their swords into plowshares.” The nations of the world themselves are coming forward and saying that this is what they want. It is a change unlike anything that ever happened before! The nations of the world always fought one another cruelly; they always treated one another cruelly. The Jewish people treated one another well, but the nations of the world were always cruel to one another. Today there is a change. Today the whole world comes and says: We want Geulah. We want to take swords and “beat them into plowshares”; we want to use them for good purposes. We want to do good things with them. The same is true of the ingathering of the dispersed Jewish people, including the immigration from Russia. These are all signs of the Geulah. We can already see the signs of the Geulah unfolding before our eyes. This prophecy has already begun to come true in actual practice. We can already see aspects of the Geulah before our eyes. In addition, we truly know that it is coming right away, and we need to be ready and do everything we can. When the true and complete Geulah arrives, we will be able to look back and see that it was actually so quick, much quicker than we thought. That addresses the question of the time that has passed. Of course, we also need to turn to Hakadosh Boruch Hu and ask Him that these things happen in actual practice already, that we already, these things are within the realm of

31:19 Speaker 2 Prophecy—so it must come to pass in actual reality, without any change, and there is no doubt that it can happen at any moment. There is no specific date, but we can see it unfolding, and we know it is going to happen in actual reality because these are words of prophecy. In addition, some people have asked: How can there be prophecy outside Eretz Yisroel at all? Regarding the prophet Yechezkel, the Gemara asks how he could have prophesied, since there is no prophecy outside Eretz Yisroel. And the Gemara answers that he had already prophesied in Eretz Yisroel. There are several explanations of this in the Gemara. So, seemingly, the Rebbe’s prophecy was outside Eretz Yisroel. How is prophecy outside Eretz Yisroel possible? First of all, the answer is in halachah. Halachah does not say that prophecy outside Eretz Yisroel is impossible. It says, as we mentioned, that a person must be exceedingly wise, strong in his character traits, and so on. But it does not say that prophecy must take place specifically in Eretz Yisroel and not outside it. Presumably, there is more holiness in Eretz Yisroel, so prophecy is more likely there. Outside Eretz Yisroel there is less holiness, so there is less prophecy. But there can certainly be prophets outside Eretz Yisroel. And as we mentioned, among the Tosafists and others—yes, Rabbi Ezra the Prophet, who was among the Tosafists, and the Raavad—they were not in Eretz Yisroel, and they too had prophecy. We see several other instances as well. In the end, since there is no halachic definition or restriction here, it is the Rambam who determines these matters from a halachic standpoint. The Rambam does not mention any such restriction concerning places outside Eretz Yisroel, so there is no such restriction, and a prophet can exist outside Eretz Yisroel. The Baal Shem Tov was also outside Eretz Yisroel, as were the Maggid and the Alter Rebbe.

33:16 Speaker 2 And yet, as we mentioned, we have seen that they were prophets and that prophecy began to return to the Jewish people—whether in Eretz Yisroel or outside it, there is no halachic restriction. It is like many other things. Many things appear in the Gemara and elsewhere but do not appear in the Rambam, so there is no problem with this. A second point, another thing I was asked: Some people come and say, “A prophet has to say, ‘Thus says Hashem.’ He did not say, ‘Thus says Hashem,’ so this is not prophecy.” I must say, regrettably, that this claim has no source whatsoever. Nowhere does it say that a prophet must specifically say, “Thus says Hashem.” On the contrary, one could say, at least by way of a play on words, that it says all the prophets prophesied with “thus,” while Moshe Rabbeinu prophesied with “this”—“This is the word.” And the same applies to Melech HaMoshiach. With the Rebbe, we see that he prophesies with “this”: “Behold, here comes Moshiach.” And it says, yes, that in the future there will be “this” twice: “Behold, this is our G-d”; “This is Hashem, for Whom we hoped.” So even now we see the prophecy expressed with “this”: “Behold, here comes Moshiach.” In any event, anyone who looks can see it clearly. In the sicha on Parshas Shoftim 5751, the Rebbe explains that prophecy exists already now, that it existed with the Frierdiker Rebbe, and that it continues now among his students. We see this with the Rebbe, and the Rebbe says to publicize that there is a prophet. We have merited that Hakadosh Boruch Hu chose a person with free choice, and the Rebbe says what his prophecy is: “Behold, here comes Moshiach.” And the other things he says as instructions and advice are words of prophecy. These are not words of prophecy addressed to someone else, but words of prophecy addressed to him—that is what the Rebbe says. They are not merely words of prophecy said for that prophet’s own sake. So these are words of prophecy

35:02 Speaker 2 in every respect. Even if he did not use the expression “Thus says Hashem” or another expression, once the prophet says these are words of prophecy, we can be certain and confident, and know that this prophecy will come true. And this prophecy is already beginning to come true; we can already see the signs of the Geulah. And we will also see the true and complete Geulah in actual reality, immediately. Really, really, really. L’chaim, l’chaim. Long live our master, teacher, and Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, forever and ever. Greetings and blessings. We are continuing our discussion of prophecy. Several people wanted—and still want—to clarify a few points about it. The conclusion, the central point, is that in our generation we have merited that Hakadosh Boruch Hu chose and appointed a person with free choice, who is himself incomparably greater than the people of the generation, as the Rebbe says, to give instructions and advice to all the Jewish people, up to and including the principal prophecy: immediate Geulah. And right now, immediately, “Behold, here comes Moshiach.” This follows from what the Rebbe himself says. The Rebbe is a prophet, and the Frierdiker Rebbe is also a prophet. And, as we mentioned, the Tzemach Tzedek says this about the Alter Rebbe as well. Now someone asked: What happens if a person does something other than what the prophet tells him to do? Is he liable to death? First of all, in general, it says that someone who disobeys a prophet’s words is liable to death at the hands of Heaven. People do not do anything to him, but he is liable to death at the hands of Heaven. There have been instances in history when people did not listen to a prophet, as with Shaul, for example. We see that after Shmuel told Shaul to go and kill all the Amalekites, Shaul thought he was carrying out Hashem’s word, but he spared some of the sheep and cattle, and spared Agag, king of

37:04 Speaker 2 Amalek. As a result, he was punished. But it was not a death sentence. His punishment was that the kingship was taken from him and passed to Dovid. Shaul acted according to his own reasoning. From a logical standpoint, it seemed to him: Look, there are some things—why take the sheep and simply kill them? Wouldn’t that be a shame? He had compassion on the people, and on the sheep and cattle. Take them and offer them as sacrifices to Hashem. After all, a sacrifice takes the lowest things and elevates them to Hashem. So why not do that? Let us take the very lowest things, the sheep and cattle of Amalek. But that was still not what Hashem wanted. Why? Because it was not what the prophet had said. Since the prophet said to do something specific, you have to do what the prophet says—not because he is the prophet, but because that is what Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants. As Shmuel said to Shaul, “Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and heeding than the fat of rams.” Sacrifice is good, and so is the fat of rams, but obedience is better than sacrifice, and heeding is better than the fat of rams. And so I will read what Dovid says. This was not at that time, but it says that later, many years afterward, Dovid danced and leaped with all his might when they brought the—the Torah, the Ark of the Covenant, to the place where the Beis Hamikdash would stand. Dovid danced toward its place, where it was meant to be for the Beis Hamikdash. Dovid danced and leaped with all his might before Hashem. Michal, Shaul’s daughter, who was his wife, watched and despised him in her heart. She said, “Wait, what is this? Is he crazy? Why is he dancing now?” Like one of the empty-headed men, she said to him: “You just danced like one of the empty-headed, reckless men.” And then King Dovid told her: “That is why Hakadosh Boruch Hu chose me over your father’s entire house.” Why? Because with her father, Shaul, everything was according to

38:52 Speaker 2 Intellect. Saul, as Chassidus explains, represents the level of understanding—acting according to reason. He comes and serves Hashem: when it makes sense, fine; when it doesn’t, he doesn’t do it. King David doesn’t go by reason. Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants something, so we do it. That is the central point of kabbolas ol: “We will do, and we will listen.” First, we act. “To obey is better than sacrifice, to heed than the fat of rams.” And this is what King David teaches us: his whole approach was complete self-nullification before what Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants. That is how he acted, and that is why he merited kingship. We see the same thing with King Moshiach: doing what needs to be done without making too many calculations, because those can lead to all sorts of things. But let me return to what we said about Saul. Saul was not punished with death, even though death at the hands of Heaven is, in principle, the punishment for someone who does not listen to a prophet. The kingship was taken from Saul. Now, especially in our time, we are not talking about death. That is not the emphasis. We don’t see it emphasized in the Rebbe’s sichos either. As we said, there is also the halachah: that really is the law for someone who does not listen to a prophet. But in the Rebbe’s sichos, in what the Rebbe tells us, the emphasis is not on negative things. On the contrary, the Rebbe always emphasizes kindness and mercy, the merit and the positive side of everything. The emphasis is on the good: when you act, you have the merit of knowing that Hakadosh Boruch Hu chose us of His own free will. It is our privilege to listen to the instructions and advice the prophet gives us, because our lives will be better that way. And I’ll finish with a short story the Rebbe told.

40:34 Speaker 2 There was once a man who was not particularly observant. He had no beard, along with other things that were not so fitting for a chossid and a G-d-fearing Jew. But he knew one thing. He went to a certain place, and suddenly questions began reaching the Rebbe—the Frierdiker Rebbe, in this case. All kinds of questions came in. One woman asked whether to buy a particular house or not. Another asked whether to do something or not. All kinds of questions. Where did they come from? The Rebbe said it came from one very simple thing that this Jew knew: there is a Rebbe in the Jewish people. Anyone who wants to do what needs to be done and proceed with confidence should ask what the Rebbe says before acting. Then he will know that what he is doing is the best and right thing to do. So when we truly listen to the words of the prophet, listen to the Rebbe, listen to our Rebbeim, listen to the words of the prophet, it brings us goodness, success, and blessing in every good thing. And most importantly, it brings us Geulah—personal Geulah and Geulah for everyone, the complete Geulah, very soon, immediately, right now. L’chaim, l’chaim, and blessings. And with Hashem’s help, from this class we will go on to the true and complete Geulah, to the building of the Third Beis Hamikdash, immediately, right now.