Date: Tue, 16 May 2000 21:58:47 -0400 (EDT)
From: Russell Hendel <  rhendel@mcs.drexel.edu>
Subject: Re: Arguments of NonReligious Intellectual Jews


QUESTION: I claim that even if a monk resurrected the dead and EVEN
if the whole world had prophecies saying that this monk belonged to the
true religion, we still would be obligated not to listen to this monk.
Furthermore if this monk was a Jew advocating another religion then under
Jewish law he could be convicted of the death penalty. Since some disagreed
with these conclusions of mine, I therefore now cite sources to back me up.

ANSWER:
Dt 12:2-6 explicitly says: ...when a prophet arise who gives a SIGN or
WONDER that comes true ...and the prophet then asks us to follow other gods
...G-d is only testing you ...This prophet must be put to death

The Rambam codifies this in Foundations of Torah, Chapter 9: <  The
commandments of the Torah are eternal they can neither be diminished or
added to (Dt 13:1)(Rambam brings other verses) Therefore if a person,
Jewish or Non Jewish, arises and gives signs or wonders and asks us either
to add, or subtract commandments or explain them away as concessions to the
times..then that person is a false prophet and he is punished with death.>

Furthermore, based on Nu23:19, "G-d is not human..He doesn't change His
mind"---we infer that by **definition** of prophecy (the definition that
prophecy is an immutable command of G-d) it would not be possible to have a
prophetic vision where we are ordered to annul a commandment since that
would contradict previous prophecies of G-d.

Finally I point out that prophecy itself requires as a prerequisite a
thorough knowledge of Jewish law and decision making (Rambam, Foundations
7:1, (perhaps 4:13 also)).

Russell Hendel; RHendel@Towson.edu; Phd ASA
Moderator Rashi is Simple; Rashi Yomi
http://www.shamash.org/rashi/