EE & R, 2_1: Knowing Hashem: Prophecy: A Definition

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2. Knowing Hashem – The Path to Knowing God

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The defining aspect of original Judaism was prophecy. Therefore, in order to fully grasp the meaning of Judaism’s apparent cessation, we must comprehend the phenomenon of prophecy itself. What is the core of the prophetic connection with the divine? What constitutes the essence of this interaction?

Prophecy is familiarity with Hashem, experience of Him.

This is evident in the verse that describes the young prophet Shmuel who, as a novice, didn’t realize he was prophesying when the voice of Hashem called his name: “Now Shmuel did not yet know Hashem, nor had the word of Hashem been revealed to him” (1 Samuel 3:7). The key phrase is “know Hashem”.¹ Prophecy is having da’as² of Hashem. Likewise, in this verse: “When there is a prophet among you, I, Hashem, make Myself known unto him”³ etc. (Numbers 12:6). Da’as, as we shall see, means familiarity; a proper grasp of this rich concept will enable us to perceive how it is applied to Hashem.

Usually translated “knowledge,” da’as actually encompasses much more than mere intellectual knowledge. Da’as refers to a deep and experiential understanding that goes beyond factual information: a relationship, a connection, an intimate familiarity with something or someone. “And Adam knew Eve his wife”⁴ (Genesis 4:1) means that Adam had intimate experience of Eve. Thus, to have da’as of Hashem means to experience Him intimately.

How does one know Hashem?⁵ The same way one might know another person: not by knowing the essential nature of his or her being, philosophically speaking, but rather by knowing their ways, their character and their cares. This is made plain from the language of Moshe’s request of Hashem: “If I have found favor in Your eyes, let me know Your ways that I may know You” (Exodus 33:13). As Maimonides commented: “His saying, ‘Let me know Your ways that I may know You’ indicates that… when he would know the ways, he would know Him.”⁶ The prophet Jeremiah said the same: “The wise person should not boast in his wisdom; the strong should not boast in his strength; the wealthy should not boast in his wealth. The one who boasts should boast in this: that he understands and knows Me – for I am Hashem, who acts with kindness, justice and righteousness in the land” (Jeremiah 9:22-23). To know Hashem is to know His actions and their reason, and this is the only legitimate cause for pride.

Prophecy, which is knowledge of Hashem – which is knowledge of His ways – grants its adepts the most perfect knowledge of all of being. One who knows Hashem’s ways knows everything, for all of existence is only Hashem and His deed. Know His character – what motivates Him, so to speak, what He cares about – and you know everything there is to know. Knowledge of Hashem is thus identified with Knowledge itself, as in this verse: “There is no knowledge of God in the land… My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge…” (Hosea 4:1-6). Profound knowledge of Hashem is the only legitimate source of pride because it orients a person towards the entirety of existence and guides them to live in harmony with it. As the Sages expressed it:

“Da’as” – this refers to one who is familiar with his Creator.⁷

To have da’as is to be familiar with the nature of reality, to know the flavor of being. In the extreme, it encompasses knowing all that was and will be: Know Hashem’s character, and you will know all that He wills and all that He would do.

This is the essence of the lost Judaism. Now that we know what is lost, we can analyze its cessation: Why and how did it end? Will it return? And what is the reason for its historical progress and regress?⁸

Summation:

The core of original Judaism was prophecy, which means having a deep and intimate connection with Hashem. This connection is not just about knowing information but rather experiencing and understanding Hashem on a personal level. It is like getting to know someone by understanding their ways, character and what they care about.

Prophets have a special knowledge of Hashem’s ways, which means they understand His actions and the reasons behind them. This knowledge is considered the most perfect knowledge, since if you know Hashem’s ways, you essentially know everything.

The loss of prophecy in Judaism raises questions about its historical progress and regress.

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1. In Hebrew: “ידע את השם”

2. דעת – knowledge.

3. In Hebrew: “אליו אתודע”.

4. In Hebrew: “והאדם ידע את חוה אשתו”.

5. I will utilize the conventional translation of “knowledge” for “da’as.” Whenever knowing Hashem is discussed herein, the intention is to this encompassing concept of da’as. “How does one know Hashem?” means: “How does one attain da’as of Hashem?”

6. The Guide of the Perplexed, 1:54.

7. Midrash Rabbah, Naso 10:1.

8. Note that the description of Judaism’s essence given in this chapter is of the human experience thereof. It is a description of an ongoing relationship with Hashem, whose presence is manifest among His people; therefore, what was described is prophecy, not the one-time revelation of Torah-law and its enduring fulfillment by its adherents.

Prophecy is to know Hashem and His ways, to know how He would act and how to align one’s action with His will. It is dynamic. Torah-law, on the other hand, is static and unchanging. The eternal law is not adjusted to circumstances, while prophecy is a state of constantly expanding knowledge. For Hashem to dwell in our midst and be manifest, which is the essence of Judaism, is thus identical with ongoing prophecy, not with the revelation of the Torah, the heavenly law that binds us whether we understand it or not, irrespective of any animated, personal familiarity with Hashem.

The nature of the relationship between Torah and prophecy is one of this work’s major themes and will be made clear further in this work.