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Various Topics Discussed
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Someone asked: "Someone asked "In Shoftim 14:6, 14:19, 15:14, speaks about ruach HaShem coming over Samson , what is the difference between that and the ruach HaKodesh (spirit of holiness)? "I understand it is God and not a separate entity or anything christian life but why the difference, I see one giving the person strength and the other one being used for prophecy in visions...
In Shmuel 10:6 it says: "And they came there to the hill, and behold, a band of prophets (came) toward him, and the spirit of God passed upon him, and he prophesied in their midst. "If the ruach HaShem is not for prophesying wouldn't that go against this statement?" The term RU'ah ha-kodesh includes the word "the" (which רוּחַ יְיָ RU'ah hashem does not). רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶש / RU'ah HaKodesh should be translated as "a spirit of [the] holiness" or "a spirit of [the] sanctity." Christians often mistranslate it as "holy spirit" but in literal translation it is "spirit [of] the holiness." The term רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶש / RU'ah HaKodesh does not appear in the Hebrew bible. The other term you mentioned, רוּחַ יְיָ / RU'ah Hashem means a spirit of G-d, which is similar in meaning to the term שְׁכִינָה Sh'chinah, or "Holy Presence." So one term is a spirit of holiness the other is a spirit of G-d... The prophets, judges, and Samson were endowed with the "spirit of G-d", that is often referred to in translations as "a spirit of the Divine Presence." This aspect of רוּחַ (RU'ah) relates to inspiration - the endowment of "spirit" from G-d to a person confers extraordinary gifts (prophecy, wisdom, strength, etc.) on such a person. Y'shayahu / Isaiah 63:10-11 and T'hillim / Psalms 51:13 are relevant examples. Being connected to G-d and inspired by Him is lower than prophecy. Prophecy is G-d communicating directly with a human. For prophecy to happen you need both, where with only a spirit of holiness that direct communication is not present. The T'nach (Hebrew Bible) is broken into 3 major divisions, each one with a lesser level of connectednesss to G-d. In Torah Moses communicated directly with G-d as we might have a conversation one on one. In Nevi'im (Prophets) G-d communicated with the prophets directly, but not "one on one" (face to face), but through dreams and visions -- a step away from the prophecy of Moses. Prophecy (remember) is direct communication with G-d with a message the prophet is to relay to the then living generation... The communication to their own generation is a key part of prophecy... Then there is the third part of the T'nach: Ketuvim (Writings). This is not prophecy. These were all written by humans in their own words, but inspired and connected to G-d. Very holy people wrote those works, many of whom were prophets (but were not prophesying here)... For prophecy to exist you must be a very holy person. In his Mishneh Torah the Rambam (Maimonides) wrote "Prophecy is bestowed only upon a very wise sage of a strong character, who is never overcome by his natural inclinations in any regard. Instead, with his mind, he overcomes his natural inclinations at all times. He must [also] possess a very broad and accurate mental capacity...if he possesses an accurate mental capacity to comprehend and grasp [them], he will become holy. "When a prophet is informed of a message in a vision, it is granted to him in metaphoric imagery. Immediately, the interpretation of the imagery is imprinted upon his heart, and he knows its meaning." Yesodei haTorah - Chapter Seven. Prophecy itself is direct communication from G-d with a message for the then living generation... You may be very holy, you may be of strong character and all the rest -- you may be connected even to the spirit of His Presence... and still prophecy may or may not be present... Having an ability is not the same as something actually happening. It's a bit like saying a female between the ages of 15 and 35 can become pregnant. It doesn't mean she is pregnant... It simply means that the environment is correct for pregnancy to happen. With someone imbued with a spirit of connectedness to G-d you have the right environment for prophecy. This doesn't ensure that G-d will actually communicate with that person directly which is the very definition of prophecy. Being inspired by the spirit of G-d simply means that the environment is correct for prophecy to happen... The Rambam describes the nature of prophecy, follow the link.
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