Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 84
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
(דברים יג ג) וּבָא הָאוֹת וְהַמּוֹפֵת, אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי: רְאֵה עַד הֵיכָן הִגִּיעַ הַכָּתוּב! סוֹף עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, יִנָּתֵן לָהֶם מֶמְשָׁלָה אֲפִלּוּ עַל חַמָּה וּלְבָנָה כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת – אַל תִּשְׁמַע לָהֶם! מִפְּנֵי מָה? – ״כִּי מְנַסֶּה ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֶתְכֶם לָדַעַת הֲיִשְׁכֶם אוֹהֲבִים״.
(Devarim 13:3) "And there shall materialize the sign and the wonder of which he spoke to you, etc.": R. Yossi Haglili said: See how far Scripture penetrated to the ends of the psyche of the idolators and gave them dominion — Even if they cause sun and moon, stars and constellation, to stand still, pay them no heed. Why? (Ibid. 4) "For the L-rd your G-d is trying you to know whether you love the L-rd your G-d, etc."
אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָה: חַס וְשָׁלוֹם שֶׁמַּעֲמִיד הַמָּקוֹם חַמָּה וּלְבָנָה כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת לְעוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה! הָא אֵינוֹ מְדַבֵּר אֶלָּא בְּמִי שֶׁהָיוּ נְבִיאֵי אֱמֶת מִתְּחִלָּה וְחָזְרוּ לִהְיוֹת נְבִיאֵי שֶׁקֶר, כַּחֲנַנְיָה בֶן עַזּוּר!
R. Akiva said: G-d forbid that He should cause them to stand still for the idolators. The verse speaks only of one who was a true prophet in the beginning, (at which time he caused them to stand still, and then became a false prophet, like Chananiah ben Azur (viz. Jeremiah 28).
(דברים יג ד) לֹא תִשְׁמַע אֶל דִּבְרֵי הַנָּבִיא הַהוּא – וְלֹא הַחוֹזֵר בּוֹ,
"Do not pay heed to the words of that prophet": and not (i.e., you may pay heed to the words of) one (such as he) who retracts (his false prophecy).
אוֹ אֶל חוֹלֵם הַחֲלוֹם הַהוּא – וְלֹא הֶחָשׁוּד לְמַפְרֵעַ,
"or that dreamer of dreams": and he is not suspected retroactively.
כִּי מְנַסֶּה ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֶתְכֶם לָדַעַת הֲיִשְׁכֶם אֹהֲבִים.
For the LORD your God is testing you to see whether you really love etc.