lit. "the Holy
Spirit" Although the phrase Ru'ah ha-Kodesh occurs
in the Bible (cf. Ps 51:13 ; Isa 63:10), it's specific
connotation as divine inspiration is wholly
post-biblical.
In rabbinic thought it is the spirit of prophecy which
comes from G-d, a divine inspiration giving man an
insight into the future and will of G-d. Traditionally
the Pentateuch was given directly by G-d to Moses, but
the other canonical writings were all produced under the
inspiration of Ru'ah ha-Kodesh.
This the determination of what should be included as
canonical scripture turns on whether or not a given work
was composed with the aid of the Holy Spirit (see Tosef.,
Yad 2:14 ; Song R 1:1 no. 5).
This power was given to the prophets in unequal measure
(Lev. R 15:2), and could be passed on to a disciple,
Joshua inheriting it from Moses, and Elisha from Elijah (Deut. 34;9 ; II Kings 2:9-10).
Ru'ah ha-Kodesh part 2 || Ru'ah ha-Kodesh part 3
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