Nevuah #11 - The Punishment For Not Listening To A Navi - A Navi Who Withholds His Prophecy - Some Italian

The Rambam [Yesodei Hatorah 9/3] writes that if one doesn't follow the words of the Navi he is liable to the death penalty. The Minchas Chinuch famously asks: This would mean that one is חייב מיתה for every sin in the Torah because Moshe taught us the Torah and he was a Navi!!

The Rambam in the Moreh Nevuchim [2/ 34] says that every prophecy, except for that of Moshe Rabbeinu, comes through a special angel. If one doesn't listen to this angel it is an act of rebellion and he transgresses the mitzva of אליו תשמעון - listening to a Navi.

That would answer the M"C's question. One is only חייב מיתה when one doesn't listen to the angel and that would not apply to the prophecy of Moshe Rabbeinu.

This would also explain another perplexing Rambam. He writes [Sanhedrin 19/3] that if a Navi withholds his nevuah, he transgresses the sin of אליו תשמעון. Where does he get that from?? אליו תשמעון means that we must listen to a Navi but not that he must reveal his prophecy! The Lechem Mishna [Yesodei Hatorah 9/3] wonders about this and remains with a question ["bleibs shver" in Italian].

But based on the Rambam we understand very well that by not revealing his nevuah, he is rebelling against this angel and transgresses the mitzva of אליו תשמעון - listening to a Navi together with his angel.

Another possible explanation is that by withholding his prophecy he prevents the Jews from listening to a Navi and is thus עובר on אליו תשמעון.

A simple answer to the first question [why there is no חיוב מיתה on the נבואה of Moshe Rabbeinu] would be that the Torah is very specific about which punishments we receive for which aveiros and thus precludes a חיוב מיתה for every sin. So there is a veritable גילוי קרא, revelation from the pasuk, that the חיוב מיתה doesn't apply to the Torah of Moshe given over through nevuah.

Is this series on nevuah SOMETHING or what??!!!

Baruch Hu uvaruch Shemo!!!:-):-)

[עפ"י הספר דרכי עזרי סי' קנ"ד קובץ ישורון י"ג בשם האדר"ת עם תוספת משלי, ועי' בספר חבצלת השרון פרשת שופטים ובס' מצות המלך מצוה קע"ב מה שהאריכו בזה]