The Prophets, the Rabbis, and Abraham Ibn Ezra

 Maimonides pushed hard to restrict interpretation of Torah laws to the hands of the ruling rabbis.  The Scriptures reject his view,  and surprisingly, so do certain other great rabbis.

 

In the Book of Zechariah, the prophet is asked a legal question regarding the new fasts which were instituted after the destruction of the 1^st Temple.   In ch.7  of Zechariah, the question is asked of the Prophet, and the answer is give directly to him from God (v.4)

In the following  verse, 5 we see an unexpected reply:

 

אֱמֹר֙ אֶל־כָּל־עַ֣ם הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים לֵאמֹ֑ר כִּֽי־צַמְתֶּ֨ם וְסָפ֜וֹד בַּחֲמִישִׁ֣י וּבַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י וְזֶה֙ שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה הֲצ֥וֹם צַמְתֻּ֖נִי אָֽנִי׃

Say to all the people of the land and to the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and seventh months all these seventy years, did you fast for my benefit?

 

This is the spoken word of God, who is asking these people  if they fasted for Him!

The great commentator, Abraham Ibn Ezra writes the following commentary:

 

על כן צמתוני –

 

צמתם בעבורי או לכבודי, כי אני לא צויתי אתכם לצום.

 

The explanation is that God did not command them to fast!

This commentary of Ibn Ezra sounds more like a Karaite commentary than a rabbinic one – it is essentially saying that the added fasts have to no basis in Torah law.

 

However, the  language he uses has even deeper implications.

Deuteronomy 18  provides a dual approach towards Prophecy and claims of prophecy. On the one hand, we must follow what a prophet says, and on the other, a false prophet who can claim  many things, is not only to be ignored, but also to be killed.

The methodology of testing a prophet is an interesting subject unto itself, and beyond the scope of this article.  However, a very poignant verse appears here  in the Torah:

Deut 18: 20

 אַ֣ךְ הַנָּבִ֡יא אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָזִיד֩ לְדַבֵּ֨ר דָּבָ֜ר בִּשְׁמִ֗י אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־צִוִּיתִיו֙ לְדַבֵּ֔ר וַאֲשֶׁ֣ר יְדַבֵּ֔ר בְּשֵׁ֖ם אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וּמֵ֖ת הַנָּבִ֥יא הַהֽוּא׃

But any prophet who presumes to speak in My name an oracle that I did not command him to utter, or who speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet shall die.”

 

אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־צִוִּיתִיו֙    is the phrase which is adapted and adopted by Ibn Ezra on his commentary to Zechariah 7:5 .

 

The implication is not just that the added fasts are false – it is also applying the verse from Devarim 18:20  about the false prophet, to the rabbinic claim that the Oral Law, and its additions to Torah law fall under the category of the false prophet.

 “But any prophet who presumes to speak in My name an oracle that I did not command him to utter, or who speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet shall die.”

 

The false claims of extra scriptural prophecy by the Pharisees is akin to any other false prophecy.   This stunning admission by Ibn Ezra may be his most revealing comments on the entire Tenach – although the rest are also very informative and praiseworthy!