Our sages grappled with this very question, particularly when considering the difference between how God communicates with the prophets of Israel and the prophets of other nations. Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrashic text on the book of Leviticus, dives deep into this intriguing topic.
The discussion kicks off with Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina and Rabbi Yisakhar of Kefar Mandi. Rabbi Ḥama suggests that God only appears to prophets of other nations with "truncated speech." He points to the verse "God happened [vayikar] upon Bilam" (Numbers 23:4). The word vayikar suggests incompleteness. In contrast, God communicates with the prophets of Israel with "complete speech," using the word vayikra, as in "He called [vayikra] to Moses."
Rabbi Yisakhar takes it a step further, arguing that vayikar isn't just incomplete, but actually associated with impurity. He connects it to the verse "Who will not be pure due to a nocturnal incident [mikreh]" (Deuteronomy 23:11). According to Rabbi Yisakhar, the prophets of Israel receive prophecy with an expression of sanctity, purity, and clarity. It's the same expression used by the ministering angels when they praise God: "One called [vekara] to the other and said: [Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts]" (Isaiah 6:3). The implication? The mode of communication itself reflects the relationship.
Rabbi Ilai bar Menaḥem adds another layer, citing Proverbs 15:29: "The Lord is far from the wicked, and He hears the prayer of the righteous." He equates "the wicked" with the prophets of other nations and "the righteous" with the prophets of Israel. God seems distant to one and immediately present to the other. As Rabbi David Luria points out, when it comes to prophecies to individuals from other nations, the verse first states that God came to them, and only then that He spoke with them. Whereas with the prophets of Israel, God appears immediately. Think Genesis 18:1, "The Lord appeared," or the aforementioned "He called."
Rabbi Yosei offers yet another perspective: God appears to the nations of the world only at night, "at a time when people are separated from one another." He references Job 4:12-13: "In thoughts from visions of the night, [when slumber] falls, a matter was smuggled to me…" The implication is that the message is veiled, obscured, perhaps even a little unsettling.
Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa and the Rabbis further illustrate this point with powerful analogies. Rabbi Ḥanina compares it to a king speaking to a friend through a curtain. With a close friend, the king folds the curtain to see them face-to-face. But with others, the curtain remains, creating a barrier. The Rabbis offer a similar analogy: a king with a wife and a concubine. He visits his wife publicly, but his concubine clandestinely.
These analogies underscore the idea that God's relationship with the prophets of Israel is more intimate, direct, and open than with prophets of other nations. God appears to Avimelekh, Laban, and Bilam in nocturnal dreams (Genesis 20:3, 31:24, Numbers 22:20), while to the prophets of Israel, God appears by day, as in Genesis 18:1 when God appeared to Abraham "at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day," or as in Exodus 6:28, "it was on the day the Lord spoke to Moses."
So, what does all this mean? Is God playing favorites? Perhaps it's less about favoritism and more about receptivity. Maybe the prophets of Israel cultivated a deeper connection, a clearer channel, allowing them to receive God's message more fully and directly. Maybe it's about the way we listen, the way we open ourselves to the Divine, that determines the clarity and intimacy of the message we receive. Something to consider, isn't it?