What does it actually take to be a prophet? Spoiler: it’s not just hearing voices and shouting in the marketplace (though there’s some of that).

In this kickoff to our new series on the Trei Asar, the Twelve Prophets of the Tanakh, we set the stage before diving into the individual books. Think of this as Prophecy 101 with a side of cult talk, because honestly, the line between “biblical prophet” and “guy with millions of YouTube followers” is thinner than we’d like to admit.

In this episode, we get into:

• 📜 What prophecy actually is in Judaism, according to Maimonides, and why Moses was working on a totally different frequency from everyone else

• 👑 The three pillars of Jewish leadership (king, high priest, Sanhedrin), and where the prophet fit

• 🎤 Who got tapped to be a prophet, why some were reluctant

• 🚫 Why prophecy ended after Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, and what replaced it

• 🤔 What we’d actually do if a prophet rolled up today (hint: probably an institution)

• 😬 False prophets and cults like, Sabbatai Zvi, Jim Jones, the Moonies

Get ready to learn everything you ever wanted to know about prophecy but were afraid to ask.