Q&A: May a Prophet Introduce Innovations?
May a Prophet Introduce Innovations?
Question
Hello, a friend asked me to pass along this question, and this is how he phrased it:
Maimonides, in chapter 9 of the Laws of the Foundations of the Torah, goes on at length explaining that a prophet is not permitted to introduce anything new—neither by adding to or subtracting from the commandments, nor by giving an interpretation that Moses did not give. The first question is: what does that mean? If, let us say, some of the commandments were given as an idealization of human culture, then surely culture is by definition subject to change. And if in the time of Moses our teacher it made sense that only the son would inherit the father's estate and not the daughter, today that has certainly changed. So why, then, should a prophet not be able to come and introduce something new in the name of God in accordance with the changing situation? Another point: Maimonides himself says that the commandment of sacrifices will be nullified in the future, since their whole purpose is as a substitute for idol worship. So why, then, can it not be that many commandments whose purpose is such-and-such should change based on the command of a prophet?
Answer
A. Interpretation and adaptation to the Torah are not change, and they happen all the time. In the third book of my trilogy I discussed at length changes in Jewish law and their relationship to the principle of the Torah's eternity. The idea that the Torah's eternity prevents change is nonsense. But the assumption that the commandments are an idealization of human culture (I don't really understand that expression) sounds very implausible to me.
B. Maimonides' reasons for the commandments are in any case puzzling and unconvincing. So drawing conclusions from them is absurd. He himself also drew no conclusions from them whatsoever (especially since we hold that one does not derive law from the reason for a verse).
Discussion on Answer
Not at all. But a value that strives toward goal x is implemented differently when the circumstances change.
If the goal is the worship of God as a system of laws that are not understandable, then we have no possibility of changing anything. So I ask again: what are the parameters for change?
And I'm answering again that you can read about it in my book. If you want me to copy the book here, I'll have to refuse. If you have a specific question, you're welcome to ask it.
All right, I'll go through the book. Thank you very much.
The lengthy discussion there is aimed mainly against Jesus, Christianity, and the New Testament.
But in any case, the point is correct: a person cannot come and say that God sent him to change or add a commandment in the Torah. Such a person is necessarily a false prophet.
I don't understand what possible changes there could be if not because of changes in culture and because the commandments don't hold up under changing circumstances…. And if so, then we are necessarily relating to the commandments as a cultural need….