How to Become a Prophet or Prophetess

Prophecy is a “learned” skill. It can be taught. Here are the steps you need to become a prophet or prophetess.

Whether you are a man or a woman, the process is the same.

It’s important for the aspiring prophet or prophetess to understand both what prophecy is and what it is not.

I wrote a separate article titled What is Prophecy? A Jewish Perspective.

What Prophecy is Not

Prophecy is not a mere mental state or some vague feeling of ecstasy.

If we are going to become one of God’s instruments, we must prepare ourselves.

Relatively few prophets ever received a message that was meant for other people.

The aspiring prophet must be willing to do the work needed to grow spiritually, to develop a closer relationship with the Creator.

Prophecy School

In the times of Elijah and Elisha there were schools for aspiring prophets.

The actual event recorded here is not important for our purposes. Note that there were “sons of the prophets” both in Beit El and in Jericho.

Radak explains that these “sons of the prophets” were “students of prophecy.”

There were 2 separate schools for prophets in Israel at that time and probably more that aren’t mentioned in the Bible.

What might have been part of the curriculum in these schools?

The Rambam’s 3 Levels

Rambam in The Guide for the Perplexed explains that there are 3 major levels of prophecy. I’ve written more details about these levels in my article Types of Prophets in the Bible.

The Rambam explains that a person who achieves either of the 2 lower levels is not yet a prophet. However, the lower levels are necessary steps that most people must master before becoming a prophet.

Let’s look at what is required to achieve each level.

Level 1: Divine Assistance

This level is also called Divine Guidance. In Hebrew it’s called “the spirit of the Lord” or “ruach HaShem.”

This level is available to all people. The prerequisite to reach this level is fear / awe of God. This is hinted at in this verse from Psalms:

This verse is quoted by the Gemara in Sotah 4b. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz in his commentary explains “‘The secret counsel of the Lord is with them who fear Him,’ teaching that those who fear God are privy to knowledge beyond their personal experience.”

As Tanna DeBei Eliyahu goes on to explain, Deborah experienced this level of Divine Assistance as she and her husband began their prophetic careers. In other words, this was the first step in a process of spiritual growth.

Level 2: Divine Inspiration

The Rambam calls this second level “ruach hakodesh.” It is hinted at in David’s prayer of repentance in Psalm 51:

The Gemara in Avodah Zarah 20b lists 10 steps that a person must follow to reach Divine Inspiration. As the Gemara makes clear, these steps are in a particular order. Success with one of the steps is necessary before trying to master the next step.

Here are the steps in Hebrew followed by an English translation and brief explanation:

1. Torah – Torah must be carefully studied and observed
2. Zehirut – Vigilance to not violate negative commandments
3. Zerizut – Alacrity and diligence to observe positive commandments
4. Nekiut – Cleanliness from sin in all its forms
5. Perishut – Abstinence from permissible things that may lead one astray
6. Tohorah – Purity and refining of thoughts and actions
7. Chasidut – Piety, dedication to God
8. Anavah – Humility, regarding oneself as unimportant
9. Yirat cheit – Fear of sin
10. Kedushah – Separation from the material

Each of these traits requires much more explanation. Fortunately for us, the Ramchal wrote a book called Mesilat Yesharim – The Path of the Just. In it he explains each of these traits and how to acquire it.

Ramchal states near the end of Mesilat Yesharim: “From this point he will be elevated to an even higher plane, that of Ruach HaKodesh [“Divine inspiration”], where his understanding will transcend the limits of human capabilities.”

There are many levels of Divine Inspiration, the highest of which is just short of Prophecy.

Level 3: Prophecy

Prophecy is a gift from God, but it requires spiritual preparation.

Also, there are some general requirements that are beyond the control of the aspiring prophet.

1. The generation must be worthy having a prophet.

The Gemara (Sanhedrin 11a) relates that Hillel the Elder and Shemuel HaKatan were worthy of prophecy, but their generations were not.

2. The prophet’s first experience of prophesy must be in the Land of Israel.

3. Usually, both parents of the aspiring prophet must be Jewish.

This is the general rule, but there are exceptions. The best known exception is the prophet Obadiah who was an Edomite convert.

Rambam in The Guide to the Perplexed (2:36:3) lists additional required attributes to become a prophet. The aspiring prophet or prophetess must:

• be in complete mental and physical health
• study and acquire wisdom
• have an intellect that is as perfect as possible
• have his passions under complete control
• not seek after pleasure for its own sake
• have no desire for power and dominion

Becoming a prophet is no small task and there are many potential spiritual pitfalls. Therefore, the aspiring prophet should have an experienced prophet to serve as a guide. That was part of the reason for the schools of prophets that used to exist.

No Guarantees

There is one important idea for the aspiring prophet to understand. Even if a person succeeds in achieving all of the steps mentioned above, there is no guarantee that he will be granted prophecy.

Here is how the Rambam explains it:

Prophecy is a gift from God that He bestows on those who He requires to fulfill His will in this world.

One More Thing

One issue I have not talked about in this article is whether or not prophecy exists in today’s world. That is an important topic that is discussed here.

Even if a person may never become a prophet, there is no doubt that it is still worthwhile to strive for these levels of spiritual growth.

Further Reading

This article is part of a series on the subject of prophecy. A good place to start is with the article What is Prophecy – A Jewish Perspective.

At the end of that article you will links to all of the other articles.

A Note on the Translations

The translation of Bible verses is based on the Judaica Press Tanach.

The translation of Gemara is based on the Soncino Talmud.