The Haftarah of Mattot – the first Chapter of Jeremiah –
introduces the prophetic mission of Jeremiah, the prophet who
foretold the destruction of the First Jewish Commonwealth and
subsequently comforted and sustained his defeated nation. Like
other prophets before him, Jeremiah felt he was inadequate to
his assigned task. But God would accept no excuses, declaring
(Jeremiah 1:5), “Before I formed you in the belly, I knew you;
and before you emerged from the womb, I sanctified you; a
prophet to the nations I have appointed you.” These words of God
to Jeremiah raise two fundamental questions: 1) Does a person
become a prophet only if God chooses him, or can he attain
prophetic vision by his own efforts, through intensive study and
self-improvement? 2) What happened to free will? Can’t Jeremiah,
or any prophet, choose not to be a prophet? On the first of
these questions, Maimonides (Rambam, 1135-1204) opines that
prophecy is impossible without training, and it is only through
intensive study and self-perfection