[Avodah] Rambam Prophecy

[Zvi Lampel]

Wed, 26 May 2021 "Rich, Joel" <JRich at Segalco.com> wrote:
> The Rambam discusses prophecy  "Prophecy is bestowed only upon a very wise
> sage of a strong character"  When one looks as Tanach, one doesn't get the
> sense that this was always clearly the case.  Anyone have any sources that
> deal with this?

Rambam himself in Shemonah Perakim, chapter 7, explains (Translation
mostly from: Gorfinkle, Joseph Isaac, New York : Columbia University Press,
1912):

    No prophet received the gift of prophecy unless he possessed all
    the mental virtues and a great majority of the most important moral
    ones.... It is not, however, an indispensable requirement that a
    prophet should possess all the moral virtues, and be entirely free
    from every defect...

    Solomon had the moral defect of lust, which is plainly evident
    from the fact that he took so many wives, a vice springing from the
    disposition of passion which resided in his soul.
    Even David... we find guilty of cruelty, and, although he exercised
    it only against the heathens, and in the destruction of non-believers,
    being merciful towards Israel, it is explicitly stated in Chronicles
    that G-d, considering him unworthy, did not permit him to build the
    Temple, as it was not fitting in His eyes, because of the many people
    David caused to be killed.

    ... Elijah gave vent to his anger, and although he did so only against
    unbelievers, against whom his wrath blazed up, the sages declared that
    God took him from the world, saying to him, "He who has so much zeal
    as thou hast is not fit to guide men, for thou wilt destroy them..
    Likewise, we find that Samuel feared Saul, and that Jacob was afraid
    to meet Esau...

    Any of [the prophets] who had two or three qualities which did not
    maintain the proper medium, as is explained in Chapter IV, is said
    to have seen G-d from behind two or three partitions....In fact, we
    find that some moral vices cause prophecy to be entirely withdrawn.

The Rambam provided citations from pesukim and Chazal for each of his
assertions, but I ellipsed most of them in favor of brevity.

Zvi Lampel