  In effect, then, the sage makes use of the king's doubts about God's communicating with ordinary human beings to persuade him that God might plausibly do so with super-human beings. It is not that the prophets, who exemplify the latter category, are not flesh and blood, but rather that the qualities which distinguish their souls (recalling the Khazar's concluding remarks to the philosopher in K 1:4) raise them far above that level so as to belong, quite literally, to one that is essentially different from and higher than all the others, namely, “the divine order.” Once this is granted, there is no longer any insurmountable barrier between God, angels, and human beings of a certain kind that would preclude, in principle, contact or communication between them, even though their respective powers and ranks within the same order differ greatly. In this sense, prophets belong to the divine order and speak on its behalf, just as the messenger in the sage's parable comes from India with the king's letter and appropriate gifts because he belongs to that kingdom and was duly commissioned by its ruler. By the same token, however, the king's appointed messengers might also be dispatched to other members of the kingdom with announcements, instructions, reproaches, or other communications for their benefit. Indeed, all of these would be evidence of the king's attachment to them. They, in turn, as subjects of the king, could be expected to have access to him, and if they also had all of the requisite qualifications, they might also become messengers, i.e., prophets, themselves. By extrapolating thus from the sage's parable, it becomes clear why Israel alone is designated as the choicest of Adam's descendents and the recipient of God's instructions. Israel, too, belongs to the divine order or kingdom and comes under God's own dominion.