• Six types of נבואה transgressions, three killed with חנק and three בידי שמים

The Mishnah lists different transgressions relating to נבואה, and the punishment of each. A Baraisa summarizes that three are killed by man (with חנק), and three are killed בידי שמים: (1)המתנבא מה שלא שמע – one who prophecies that which he did not hear, (2) ומה שלא נאמר לו – one who prophecies that which was not said to him, although it was told to another נביא, (3) והמתנבא בשם עבודה זרה – and one who prophecies in an idol’s name, even if his “prophecy” follows the correct law, מיתתן בידי אדם – their deaths are at the hands of man (with חנק). (4) הכובש את נבואתו – One who withholds his prophecy, והמוותר על דברי נביא – one who disregards a נביא’s words, ונביא שעבר על דברי עצמו – and a נביא who transgresses his own words, מיתתן בידי שמים – are killed by the hands of Heaven.

The Gemara gives צדקיה בן כנענה as an example of one who prophecies that which he did not hear. Although he was misled by a false spirit of נבות, he should have realized the prophecy was false, since all the “prophets” were using the same expressions, and סיגנון אחד עולה לכמה נביאים – one “signal” of נבואה can come to several prophets, ואין שני נביאים מתנבאין בסיגנון אחד – but two prophets never prophecy with one “signal,” i.e., using the same words.

• How one knows to trusts a נביא to be liable for disregarding him

The Mishnah taught that המוותר על דברי נביא – one who disregards a נביא’s words is liable to מיתה בידי שמים. The Gemara asks, מנא ידע דאיענש - how does he know the נביא is truthful that he should be punished for disregarding him? It answers: דיהב ליה אות – because he gives him a sign. The Gemara asks that the person who disobeyed מיכה was punished, although מיכה did not give him a sign!? It answers: היכא דמוחזק שאני – where he is already established as a true נביא, it is different, and he must by obeyed even without a sign. This must be so, for otherwise, אברהם בהר המוריה היכי שמע ליה יצחק – when Avraham was on הר המוריה, how could Yitzchak listen to him to allow himself to be sacrificed, since Hashem only spoke to Avraham? Also, in the incident of Eliyahu on הר הכרמל, how could they have listened to him to shecht korbanos outside the Mikdash? This proves that an established נביא must always be obeyed, even without a sign.

• Avraham’s test of עקידת יצחק was "אחר הדברים האלה"

The passuk says that Hashem tested Avraham with עקידת יצחק, "אחר הדברים האלה" – after “these things.” Rebbe Yose ben Zimra explains this means אחר דבריו של שטן – after the Satan’s words. When Avraham made a great feast after Yitzchak was weaned, the שטן said, “רבונו של עולם! You granted this old man a child at the age of a hundred years; from the entire feast that he made, did he not have a single dove to offer You as a korban?” Hashem replied: כלום עשה אלא בשביל בנו – Did he make the feast for any reason other than for his son? אם אני אומר לו זבח את בנך לפני מיד זובחו – If I tell him, “Sacrifice your son before Me,” he would immediately sacrifice him. Then, Hashem gave Avraham this test.

Hashem used the word "נא" (now), which Rebbe Shimon explains is אינו אלא לשון בקשה – nothing but an expression of a request. Hashem said, “I have tested you with many tests, and you withstood them all. עכשיו עמוד לי בנסיון זה – Now, stand strong in this test for Me, שלא יאמרו אין ממש בראשונים – so they do not say the earlier [tests] were insignificant.