Messianic Judaism Quest

The assertion that any individual in the present day can claim primacy over Moshe Rabbenu or over the Biblical prophets is truly unbelievable and can only lead to a chaotic spiritual environment which might reflect the picture painted in Shoftim (Judges) that “every man did what was right in his own eyes.”

The unequaled nature of Matan Torah must be recognized as a unique experience in the history of Israel. 600,000 Jewish males were present, thunder and lighting were experienced, Hashem literally spoke and as the Torah states, the people saw the voices. All other events and prophets must me processed through the framework of this experience.

Classical Judaism recognizes this as a moment unequaled, even if a different revelatory process through the study of sacred texts continues.

The claim of purported present day prophets must be measured in accordance with the model of the prophets found in the Hebrew Scriptures. A call to Teshuvah- i.e. repentance and “perfection” must be the critical factor.

A purported intervention in the sphere of Halakhah should be a quick signal of something problematic.

Hence Maimonides argues that a prophet may order a community to break the Shabbat by lighting a fire for the sake of forging weapons to fight a enemy of Israel. He may initiate other temporary transgressions of established Torah law.

Even in the midst of this, the prophet cannot however dismiss even the slightest of commandments. To do so oversteps his sphere of authority.

How this manifests itself in a community of those who trust in Yeshua is a matter of complicated discussion, but our goal here is to draw the general framework for understanding critical issues.

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