During the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana (New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), Jews contemplate their individual estate before God but also the spiritual heritage of their people.

A turning point in the national saga occurred when the voices of Israel's biblical prophets were stilled. By traditional count, in biblical times God sent a series of 55 prophets -- 48 men and seven women -- who received divine revelation.

The disappearance of prophecy is addressed by Orthodox Rabbi Nosson Scherman in "The Prophets: Joshua and Judges," a commentary compiling views of classical rabbinic authorities. It's the first volume in one of the handsome Artscroll series from Mesorah Publications of Brooklyn, N.Y., a prime source for traditional Jewish scholarship and reference works.

"We have lost prophecy," Scherman admits. Why? The sages of Jewish tradition provided an intriguing explanation that Scherman summarizes as follows:

Modern people experience "an incomprehension bordering almost on disbelief" when they think about the numerous biblical and other accounts about idolatry. "We read of our ancestors worshipping clods of clay, statues of wood and gold. How could they be so foolish, we wonder."

Lure of idols

Yet in fact the ancients had that constant temptation, which is a major theme of the Hebrew Bible.

So, the tradition says, early in the Second Temple era after the Jewish exiles returned from Babylon, Israel's sages feared for the nation's future in light of the passion for idols in the days of Solomon's First Temple. They prayed that God would remove the lust for idolatry and God granted their request.

"In ancient times even some great men could not resist the lure of idols." Yet today, "idols are not worthy of notice because the passion for them was removed by divine intervention." Even without the benefit of God's tangible presence with the Temple, and without prophets, we "know that idolatry is ludicrous."

(So, too, Scherman remarks, it's likely that "many sins that are rampant in modern times were virtually nonexistent in those days." An interesting point. Can you think of some examples?)

So, where do the prophets fit in? With idolatry no longer a serious temptation, the scenario continues, God had to restore a balance so that humanity could freely choose between good and evil.

"God must allow evil to have an appeal strong enough to deceive sensible people. If the appeal of good is compelling beyond doubt and evil is foolish beyond temptation" then the choice is not really free but is like choosing between drinking fresh water and poison.

If the power of idols were removed while God's righteous prophets still walked the earth, nobody would ever doubt the truth. "If the truth was so obvious, why should anyone deserve to be rewarded for following its dictates?"

Therefore when idolatry was removed as a serious force in Jewish life, prophecy had to be removed as well. "Thus was the balance preserved. Undoubtedly the price has been heavy, but its fairness was determined by the One who balances human intellect and inclination."

God filled the vacuum in prophecy by allowing Israel's wise men "to glimpse the wonders of his Torah and glean its teachings." And the balance remains intact because any number of philosophies and scholars compete with the Torah's teachings.

What is role of prophets?

Scherman says the definition of a prophet is commonly misunderstood. Based on the biblical narratives, we naturally think of prophets having a public role in national life, teaching, leading, exhorting and chastising. But the vast majority of prophets had no such role, he writes.

What makes someone a prophet is that God has revealed himself to that person, "whether or not God commanded him to share the revelation with anyone else."

Nor did the prophets necessarily foretell future events, the function that typically comes to mind today. True, predictions that came true were one way biblical prophets showed their authenticity. Miracles were another, though not always. But those practices were secondary to the prophet's essential role as one who hears the voice of God.