B. A prophet by definition must receive a message from G-d, but not everyone who claims to receive a message from G-d is by definition a prophet. For example, one who claims s/he received a message from a god with a physical form, or a message to serve idols or otherwise change Torah law, is definitely not a prophet. (See What are the requirements of a true prophet? and What is a false prophet?)

C. Often, the purpose of a prophecy was to make course corrections in the direction of Jewish society, or in the direction of society at large. When G-d wanted to talk to the people, He’d tell the prophet and the prophet would tell the people. Isaiah took up the cause of keeping Shabbat. Jonah was dispatched to Nineveh to encourage its inhabitants to repent. Other prophets addressed other issues. But all did so at G-d’s behest, like a broomstick in a homeowner’s hands.

A prophet by definition must receive a message from G-d, but not everyone who claims to receive a message from G-d is by definition a prophet.

1. The in-box Prophecy was the transmission of a high-megawatt signal from G-d, one that would often overload the mental equipment of the receiver, the prophet. Prophecy would manifest itself suddenly, without any warning signals.¹ Prophecy frequently caused fainting, temporary loss of reasoning capabilities, involuntary muscular spasms and seizures² . Some prophets were capable of receiving the signal in their sleep, having extremely enigmatic, riddle-like dreams which they would decode upon awakening.

And, despite what Hollywood would have you believe, no prophet ever had on-demand conversation with G-d, verbal, mental or otherwise. The one exception was Moses, who, as the Torah puts it, talked to G-d “like a man talking to his friend.”

2. The messenger Hollywood hoopla strikes again—while prophecy was a magical thing, magical things were part of daily life in the era of prophecy, so prophets were not like some bosses—thundering titans who terrified the multitudes with sheer charisma and spectacular weather. Prophecy was nothing out of the ordinary, and neither were prophets. They were ordinary citizens—students, craftsmen, seniors—who, by virtue of their innocence and heightened sensitivity to spirituality, were selected by G-d to receive a prophecy. Some, like Jonah, knew what it was, but tried to run from it (a Torah prohibition).

The prophet would appear before a rabbinical board who would verify his experience as an authentic G-dly signal.

Generally, a social mechanism was employed for the correct routing and delivery of a prophecy. The prophet would appear before a rabbinical board who would verify his experience as an authentic G-dly signal. Once done, the word would be spread utilizing the news media: horse-delivered, hand-written scrolls, which would be read in town squares throughout the country.

3. The message Being from G-d, the message relayed by the prophet was one of G-d’s Will. It consisted of any of the following: reprimands for societal straying, glimpses into the future of the Jewish People, maintenance of a particular Mitzvah of the Torah, or the Torah itself, which was transcribed by Moses via prophecy.

Sometimes, the prophecy was simply intended to allow the prophet, who was a righteous and worthy individual, to glimpse the Divine. Sometimes, G-d used the prophets to deliver private messages to individuals; other times, G-d would use the prophets to deliver public messages to the nation. In these cases, the instruction would sometimes, amazingly, contain orders to temporarily violate the Torah, but the instruction was always—repeat, always—only temporary and Torah law reverted to full force once the order was carried out.

Prophecy involved several Mitzvahs: 1) The populace was required to obey the prophet’s instructions, even when they entailed temporarily violating the Torah (they are G-d’s will, after all); 2) The populace was not to doubt or excessively test G-d’s promises or warnings; 3) The prophet was to personally carry out G-d’s instructions, to practice what he preached; and 4) The prophet was not to suppress the prophecy he received. Violation of any of these is a Torah prohibition.