[Avodah] false/true prophecy

[Simi Peters]

The source R' Aryeh is referring to is in Melahim I 22, not 18.

I believe that R'Aryeh's reading is mistaken.  See Radak (on pasuk 20) who says that Mikhayhu ben Yimla is speaking figuratively and that he did not see the spirit volunteer to go mislead the false prophets.  

>From context, it seems pretty clear that Ahav has a stable of prophets that he keeps around to tell him what he wants to hear, and Mikhayhu ben Yimla is mocking their "prophecy" by ascribing it to a spirit in the Heavenly Court (identified by Hazal as the spirit of Navot) that sets out to deliberately deceive them.  In fact, read carefully, Mikhayhu's choice of images is meant to caricature the ridiculous scene of 400 false prophets doing a street theater rendition of prophecy for Ahav on the threshing floor by comparing it to the true judgment of the Heavenly Court as to Ahav's guilt.  Hazal's identification of the spirit with Navot is meant to show us that Ahav is being punished for the sin of kerem Navot.  (The Malbim has a nice analysis of how the false testimony that killed Navot is being repaid by the false prophecy of the phony prophets.)  It is hard to see how the spirit of Navot could literally be a prophecy (true *or* false) in anyone's brain or mouth.  Clearly the use of the image is figurative.

Kol tuv,
Simi Peters
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/attachments/20110203/96933bc6/attachment.htm>