Jason A.

Miller
jamiller@jtsa.edu
(917) 673-0600
Conservative Judaism Magazine
Book Review

The Jewish Prophet:

Visionary Words from Moses and Miriam and to Henrietta Szold and A. J. Heschel
Rabbi Dr. Michael J. Shire
Jewish Lights, 2001

With this wonderful book from British author Michael Shire, I found myself in a

dilemma. Should I keep this volume on my bookshelf in the art section or the leadership

section? Should I place it with other books about biblical figures or with biographies of Jewish

philosophers? This book is the definition of “multi-faceted.” One can read it from cover to

cover in one sitting, or use it as a reference about the lives of important individuals of the Jewish

faith.

This beautifully illustrated collection of Jewish prophecy in the biblical, medieval, and

modern periods features the lives and teachings of thirty women and men. Some of these

individuals are well known prophets of the Jewish people, while others are not traditionally

labeled as such, but after reading their stories, it is clear why such an appellation is appropriate.

There is no doubt that Moses and Isaiah are prophets, but it is not until reading this book that the

prophetic contributions of such individuals as Leo Baeck and Solomon Ibn Gabirol are realized.

What is more is that Shire has included over 100 full-color illustrations from medieval Hebrew

manuscripts acquired from the British Library. Enjoying the rich, colorful illuminations brings

to mind Shire’s beautiful Illuminated Haggadah with reproductions of medieval haggadot from

the same collection.

Throughout Jewish history, members of our faith have bravely stood up to speak God’s

message and connect our people closer to God, even when their vision was unpopular among the

masses. Each of the thirty individuals described by Shire has contributed in their own unique
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Conservative Judaism Magazine
Book Review
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way to the continuity of the Jewish people over the ages. Each selection contains a brief account

of the prophetic life of the individual, including how the prophet was viewed both in his own

time as well as posthumously. Shire includes some of the prophets’ most meaningful words;

selected from biblical literature, speeches, correspondence, and published material.

The Jewish Prophet serves as a stunning inspiration for us today when we no doubt could

benefit from prophetic leadership. The book is a lasting tribute to the energy these prophets

displayed in their own life, and serves as a beacon for us to continue their passion to make the

world a better place – l’taken olam b’makhut shadai. Each of these women and men possessed

the leadership skills necessary to encourage the members of the community to lead a moral and

spiritual life. Throughout their prophetic reign, they went to great lengths to criticize the evils of

society and root out corruption among those in power, often at tremendous risk.

The author acknowledges that some may perceive “prophet” as a controversial

appellation for several of his choices; however, each of these leaders demonstrated a special

category of kedushah and action that greatly benefited the Jewish people. Perhaps this outlook is

most evident in Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s classic study of the prophets, in which he

wrote that “the prophet’s eye is directed towards the contemporary scene; the society and its

conduct are the main theme of his speeches. Yet his ear is inclined to God.” Shire, like Heschel,

understands that a different understanding of prophet includes figures who witness the world

around them with outstanding passion. Heschel understood that the prophet is a person rather

than a microphone. The prophets’ had the difficult task of serving as a refuge when the Jewish

community was in distress; using his voice and vision to sustain the faith of the people.
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Conservative Judaism Magazine
Book Review
Page 3

It is all too easy for us to paint the prophets with a broad stroke of the brush. In this

volume, however, Shire has depicted thirty prophets as unique individuals whose prophesies are

as diverse as the times in which they lived. Dr. Ismar Schorsch writes, “since religion is the

human response to the experience of the sacred, the range of dispositions determines the variety

of responses. Some perceive God visually and others auditorily, some rationally and others

mystically, some through music, others through poetry. The endlessly fascinating testimonies in

Torah and Tanakh, Talmud and Midrash to this human encounter of the Divine celebrates the

tapestry of human typologies. Or in the words of the Rabbis: ‘The same signal came to many

prophets, but no two prophets delivered it the same way’ (B.T. Sanhedrin 89a).”

Certainly, Shire is not the first to consider some of these unlikely individuals to be

prophets. Janusz Korczak, the physician, educator, and children’s rights campaigner set up a

children’s hospital to care for the sick and dying he found in the street, and risked his own life to

provide medicine and food for these children. He could have escaped from the Nazis, but instead

he chose to remain with his two hundred orphans who eventually perished with him in the gas

chambers. Indeed, to the orphans in Korczak’s care, he was a caring and devoted prophet.

In a 1904 article in the Viennese ‘Our Hope’ Magazine, Theodor Herzl wrote that “in

Zionism, as I understand it, there is contained not only the striving for a legally assured

homeland for our poor people but also the striving for moral and spiritual perfection.” To the

younger generations of Israeli citizens today, working in hi-tech, serving in the army, or helping

tourists discover the Jewish homeland, Herzl will forever be more than a journalist or political

leader. He will be a prophet of great inspiration.

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Conservative Judaism Magazine
Book Review
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Shire is not the first to dub Heschel a prophet. Biographers Edward K. Kaplan and

Samuel H. Dressner write in their chronicle of Heschel’s life, Abraham Joshua Heschel:

Prophetic Witness, that he was “not only one of the outstanding Jewish thinkers of the Twentieth

Century, but a prophet as well. He fulfilled dual roles as a social activist and interpreter of

Jewish piety.” With his words, Heschel motivated thousands to open their hearts to God’s holy

presence.

This offering from Shire, who is vice-principal of the Leo Baeck College in London, will

be a most important addition to the Jewish classroom. Under a new light, students will be re-

introduced to many of the significant figures in Jewish history whom they have been studying

like Samuel, Micah, Hillel, Yochanan Ben Zakkai and Akiva. They will also encounter the fresh

words and visions of such notable prophets as Bachya Ibn Pakuda, Baruch Spinoza, Rav Kook,

Henrietta Szold, and David Ben Gurion. We will come to appreciate these “prophets of our

time” more after reading about their notable prophetic accomplishments, which are even more

impressive considering the amount of adversity they faced.

This special book will quickly alter the belief of anyone who considers the concept of

navi to have ended with the canonization of the Torah. The exploration through the lives of

these thirty visionaries is testimony to the fact that the navi has walked in our time as well as the

times of old. Heschel writes, “The prophet's word is a scream in the night. While the world is at

ease and asleep, the prophet feels the blast from heaven.” Dr. Shire invites us in to explore the

wildly chaotic, yet intensely interesting life of the prophet. We might go into this exploration

hoping to learn more about their lives, but we inevitably come out having learned more about our

own lives.
 Jason A. Miller
Conservative Judaism Magazine
Book Review
Page 5

Jason A. Miller is a third year rabbinical student at the Jewish

Theological Seminary of America, who is also pursuing a master’s
degree from the Davidson School of Jewish Education. In the fall,
he will begin a two-year internship with Rabbi Alan Silverstein at
Congregation Agudath Israel in Caldwell, New Jersey.