ABSTRACT

Is being wealthy a sign of divine providence? In this passage from the Babylonian Talmud, which binds material privilege to both prophecy and receiving the divine presence, the answer seems affirmative. Although some texts from the land of Israel state that Moses became wealthy from the chips of the tablets, the Babylonian Talmud goes further. According to this text, Rabbi Yohanan, declared affluence as a prerequisite for prophecy, without which the Shekhinah—the divine presence—cannot arrive. Maimonides draws on this source as well (see B4 ).