Mitzvah #10

Not To test G‑d

 (Deuteronomy 6:16)

Category:

Negative

Definition:

û  Not to test a prophet too much; Once we are certain that he is a true prophet we should stop testing him and follow what he says in the name of G‑d without question.

û  Also included in this Mitzvah- Not to test G‑d with Mitzvot; One should not do a Mitzvah in order to receive a reward as the Torah tells us that ‘today we must do the Mitzvot and the reward is in the World to Come’. There is one exception to this rule- the Mitzvah of Tzedakah. G‑d begs us to test Him with this Mitzvah-to give at least 10% of one’s earnings to Tzedakah to become rich. (See later on in the Mitzvah of Tzedakah)

Reason:

Testing a prophet every time he comes with prophecy creates a place for disrespect towards the prophet from those who are jealous of his stature and will eventually lead to total disrespect for the Word of G‑d that he transmits.

Who/When/Where?

·        Must be kept by men and women

·        In any time and place that we have a prophet among us

How would I transgress it?

û  Asking the prophet to give a sign or miracle after he is proven to be a true prophet

Details:      

When someone acts in a manner that makes him eligible for prophecy and then comes to give over a prophecy (a message from G‑d), there are two methods to test if G‑d really spoke to him.

a)     If another prophet gives testimony that he is a prophet, similar to when Moshe told the Jewish people that Yehoshua (Joshua) is a prophet

b)    If he predicts something in the future and everything comes to pass. If even one small detail is off then we know for certain that he is a false prophet. However, this is only for a positive prediction. If he predicted negative things and they do not happen, he is still considered a true prophet because G‑d forgives those who return to Him and that might be the reason for the reversal of the negative prophecy.

Once a prophet is tested a few times we must listen to him when he speaks in the name of G‑d even though we cannot know for certain that G‑d really spoke with him. This is because we don’t listen to a prophet because of his ability to predict the future but rather because G‑d has commanded us to listen to a prophet when the above guidelines are met.

Consequences:

There is no consequence imposed by a human court because this is a Mitzvah that does not involve action.

Chassidic Perspective:

Every Jew was imbued with two souls, one that gives life to the physical body and the second, a part of G‑d.

When we test G‑d we are showing a lack of confidence in G‑d’s transcendence of nature.

G‑d is all-mighty and anything is within His power- to give or to withhold. Testing G‑d to see if He can give at a specific time is setting a limit on the abilities of G‑d.

The Mitzvah of Tzedaka is different. The highest level of Love of G‑d is “with all your might” which refers to money. Giving money for which you have worked hard to Tzedaka is going beyond all limitations (as explained in Mitzvah #4) including the limit of being unlimited. Achieving Bechol Me’odecha through giving Tzedaka reveals how G‑d is not limited by anything and can therefore come within limitation as well. This is achieved by revealing this part of your soul which is a part of G‑d.

(לקו"ש כ"ג פ' שלח שיחה ג', ד"ה שובה ישראל תשל"ו מלוקט א' 168-9)