Ruah HaQodesh as Holy Spirit in Feminine Prophecy
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ShareRuah HaQodesh as Holy Spirit in Feminine Prophecy from ancient, medieval and modern sources to frame the Safedian Prophetess (Francisa Sarah et al) and her experience of the Holy Spirit
Yosef Yitzhak Sambari, Sefer Divrei Yosef, pp. 364-6:
"In those days there was a woman, wise and great in her deeds in the upper Galilee, of Safed, and her name was Francisa. She had a maggid to tell her and to inform her what would happen in the world. And the wise of Safed tested her a number of times to know if there was truth in her words, and [of] everything that she said nothing failed [to come to pass]..."
Philo Judaeus (15–10 BCE, Alexandria-45–50 CE, Alexandria):
[49] For no pronouncement of a prophet is ever their own; one is an interpreter prompted by an Other in all their utterances, when unknowingly one is filled with inspiration, as the reason withdraws and surrenders the citadel of the soul to a new visitor and tenant, the Divine Spirit which plays upon the vocal organism and dictates words which clearly express its prophetic message.
Moses Maimonides (135, Córdoba—1204, Egypt):
מִיסוֹדֵי הַדָּת לֵידַע שֶׁהָאֵל מְנַבֵּא אֶת בְּנֵי הָאָדָם. וְאֵין הַנְּבוּאָה חָלָה אֶלָּא עַל חָכָם גָּדוֹל בַּחָכְמָה, גִּבּוֹר בְּמִדּוֹתָיו, וְלֹא יְהֵא יִצְרוֹ מִתְגַּבֵּר עָלָיו בְּדָבָר בָּעוֹלָם אֶלָּא הוּא מִתְגַּבֵּר בְּדַעְתּוֹ עַל יִצְרוֹ תָּמִיד. וְהוּא בַּעַל דֵּעָה רְחָבָה נְכוֹנָה עַד מְאֹד. אָדָם שֶׁהוּא מְמֻלָּא בְּכָל הַמִּדּוֹת הָאֵלּוּ שָׁלֵם בְּגוּפוֹ, כְּשֶׁיִּכָּנֵס לַפַּרְדֵּס וְיִמָּשֵׁךְ בְּאוֹתָן הָעִנְיָנִים הַגְּדוֹלִים הָרְחוֹקִים, וְתִהְיֶה לוֹ דֵּעָה נְכוֹנָה לְהָבִין וּלְהַשִּׂיג וְהוּא מִתְקַדֵּשׁ וְהוֹלֵךְ וּפוֹרֵשׁ מִדַּרְכֵי כְּלַל הָעָם הַהוֹלְכִים בְּמַחֲשַׁכֵּי הַזְּמַן, וְהוֹלֵךְ וּמְזָרֵז עַצְמוֹ וּמְלַמֵּד נַפְשׁוֹ שֶׁלֹּא תִּהְיֶה לוֹ מַחֲשָׁבָה כְּלָל בְּאֶחָד מִדְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים וְלֹא מֵהַבְלֵי הַזְּמַן וְתַחְבּוּלוֹתָיו, אֶלָּא דַּעְתּוֹ פְּנוּיָה תָּמִיד לְמַעְלָה קְשׁוּרָה תַּחַת הַכִּסֵּא לְהָבִין בְּאוֹתָן הַצּוּרוֹת הַקְּדוֹשׁוֹת הַטְּהוֹרוֹת, וּמִסְתַּכֵּל בְּחָכְמָתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כֻּלָּהּ מִצּוּרָה רִאשׁוֹנָה עַד טַבּוּר הָאָרֶץ וְיוֹדֵעַ מֵהֶן גָּדְלוֹ, מִיָּד רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ שׁוֹרָה עָלָיו. וּבְעֵת שֶׁתָּנוּחַ עָלָיו הָרוּחַ תִּתְעָרֵב נַפְשׁוֹ בְּמַעֲלַת הַמַּלְאָכִים הַנִּקְרָאִים אִישִׁים וְיֵהָפֵךְ לְאִישׁ אַחֵר וְיָבִין בְּדַעְתּוֹ שֶׁאֵינוֹ כְּמוֹת שֶׁהָיָה אֶלָּא שֶׁנִּתְעַלָּה עַל מַעֲלַת שְׁאָר בְּנֵי אָדָם הַחֲכָמִים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּשָׁאוּל (שמואל א י ו) "וְהִתְנַבִּיתָ עִמָּם וְנֶהְפַּכְתָּ לְאִישׁ אַחֵר":
It is [one] of the foundations of [our] spiritual system that the supernal divine source channels prophecy through a person. Prophecy is bestowed only upon a very wise sage of a great integrity, never overcome by their natural inclinations. Instead, through the mind, one always overcomes their natural inclinations. A person must [also] possess a broad and acute cognition, and so full of all these qualities is physically sound [for prophecy]. When a person enters paradise and is drawn into these great and sublime concepts, if s/he possesses an acute cognition to comprehend and grasp [them], s/he will become holy. One shall advance and retreat from the masses trapped in the darkness of temporality [rather than the eternal flow]. One must continue to diligently train oneself not to become distracted by fruitless things or the vanities and current intrigues. Instead, one's mind should constantly be directed upward, bound neath [the divine] throne [of glory, striving] to comprehend the holy and lucid forms ,gazing at the wisdom of the blessed Holy One, in its entirety, from the most elevated [spiritual] form until the navel of the earth, appreciating the Spiritual Grandeur [emerging] from it all. [After these preparations,] the holy spirit will immediately rest upon such a person. When the holy spirit rests upon a person, one's soul becomes intermingled with the angels [ishim], so then one will be transformed into a different person and will understand with a different kind of knowledge. One will ascend beyond the level of other sages, as [the prophet, Samuel] told Saul:
"[The spirit of God will descend upon you] and you shall prophesy with them. And you will be transformed into a different person." (I Samuel 10:6).
Moses De León (1250, León—1305, Arevalo) *1296 Castille:
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח (תהילים כ״ד:א׳) לְדָוִד מִזְמוֹר לַה׳ הָאָרֶץ וּמְלוֹאָהּ תֵּבֵל וְיוֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ. הָא תָּנִינָן לְדָוִד מִזְמוֹר דְּאָמַר שִׁירָתָא וּלְבָתַר שָׁארַת עֲלֵיהּ רוּחַ קַדִּשָׁא, מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד דְּשָׁארַת עֲלֵיהּ רוּחַ קַדִּישָׁא וּלְבָתַר אָמַר (לה) שִׁירָתָא.
R. Yehudah opened: "Of David, a psalm. The earth and her fullness are YHVH's, the world and her inhabitants" (Psalms 24:1). We have learned: “Of David, a psalm”—
he exclaimed a song, then the Holy Spirit dwelled upon him. “A psalm of David”—
the Holy Spirit dwelled upon him, then he exclaimed a song. (Zohar I: 67a, tr. D. Matt, Pritzker vol. 1, p. 393)
R. Ḥayyim ben Joseph Vital (Safed—1620, Damascus/Syria):
ויזהר מכל מדות בלתי הגונות כי הן מזהמות את הנפש היסודית, ובפרט מהגאוה עד קצה האחרון עד אשר יהיה כאסקופה התחתונה שהכל דשין עליה, ותהיה מוטבעת השפלות בלבו ממש, עד אשר לא ירגיש בשמחה מהמכבדו ובחרפה מהמגדפו ויהיו שניהם שוים בעיניו. ומהכעס אפילו שיכוהו על לחייו, כי אין דבר מונע רוח הקודש יותר מהכעס, ומן ההקפדה בתכלית האחרון אפילו עם בני ביתו. ומן העצבות בתכלית האחרון, כי אין נבואה שורה כלל אפילו על הראוי אליה מתוך עצבות. ויהיה שמח בחלקו אפילו בשעה שיסורין באין עליו, כמו שכתוב (דברים ו' ד') ואהבת את ה׳ אלקיך בכל לבבך וגו'.
A person likewise should be on guard from any fallen traits, for they contaminate one's psychic impulse. One should particularly guard oneself from egotism to the utmost degree, to the point that one should be like the lower stoop upon which everyone treads. Lowliness should literally be embedded in one's heart, to the point that one neither feels any joy when honored, nor any disgrace when shamed. Both should appear to be equally inconsequential. Moreover, utterly distance oneself from anger, to the point that even if someone slaps their face, one does not become angered. This is because nothing obstructs the Holy Spirit (Ru’ah HaQodesh) more than anger. Likewise distance oneself from pedantry, even in relation to members of his own household. Similarly, utterly avoid melancholia, being that prophecy cannot rest upon a person who is melancholic, even if one is worthy of it. One should rather be content with their lot, even when suffering befalls that person, as explained about the verse, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your being.”
Rabbi Ḥayyim
Vital, Sefer HaChezyonot, (Jerusalem 1954), pp. 10-11: "...[Francisa Sarah] was an extremely wise and righteous woman."
R. Isaiah Horowitz (Ottoman Palestine, 1611 –1631)
וזהו שאמר זוכה להקביל רוח הקודש, כי כשהוא מתקן השכינה למעלה בסוד "ויעש דוד [את] השם," אז כבוד השכינה חופף עליו ומברכתה יבורך הוא למטה, ולפי תוספות הקדושה שגרם למעלה יומשך ג"כ עליו רוח הקודש,...
When [Rabbi Acha] said that true performance results in someone being endowed with Holy Spirit, he meant that if someone rectifies the Feminine Indwelling Presence in the supernal spheres, as scripture states: "So David reinforced the name" (II Samuel 8:13) then the Glory of the Feminine Indwelling Presence will come to rest on such a person so that the additional dimension of holiness such a person has contributed to the heavens will be drawn down below and the Holy Spirit shall rest upon such a person,...
Yael Levine Katz, "Mystical Safed Women":
"Francisa Sarah is unique in the annals of Jewish history. The revelation of maggidim—angelic spirits who speak to kabbalists—is known to have been granted only to a select few. For example, such powers were ascribed to Rabbi Yosef Caro, kabbalist and author of The Code of Jewish Law. Francesa Sarah, who also lived in Safed in the 16th century, is the only woman known to have possessed a mentor-angel [maggid] to foretell the future." >In one instance, she sent for the sages [having been informed from 'behind the holy curtain'], warning them that unless they declared a fast day, prayed and gave charity, they would perish in a plague. The rabbis heeded her, and immediately decreed a fast. When everyone was gathered on the fast day and one of the rabbis rose to speak, she received a revelation that he would die in eight days as an atonement for the sins of the congregation. Exactly eight days later, [R. Moses de Curiel] passed away. >One Safed scholar, although skeptical of her powers, consulted her as to whether he would succeed in a certain endeavor. Upon recognizing the veracity of her vision, “he bowed low in homage to God, who imparted of His wisdom to such a woman of valor.” >Rabbi Vital notes, however, that while most of her visions came true, her revelation that the Messiah would come did not materialize."
Alexandra Cuffel, "Gendered Visions and Transformations of Women's Spirituality" (JSQ, Vol. 19, No. 4, 2012), pp. 367-8:
"In Vital's brief account of Francisa, her reputation— she is described as a pious woman [hasidah] who sees waking visions and hears voices— serves to emphasize the reliability of her predictions, which in turn augment Vital's own reputation. It is he who seeks highly regarded witnesses with connections to the heavenly realms to uphold the aura of mystery, high spiritual stature and potential messianic status that he attributes to himself
in his autobiography. Francisa is one among many visionaries, female and male, upon whom he seizes for this project. That she is a woman is not a deterrent."