Hulda the Prophetess

Introduction

In the year 622 B.C.E., Josiah, King of Judea sent his servants to renovate and rededicate the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was in an awful state, having been defiled for years by the religious decadence of Josiah’s idolatrous father and grandfather. In the renovation process , a long forgotten Torah scroll was found. When the servants brought it and read it to the King he was dismayed by the harsh punishments described for those who had transgressed the will of God. Realizing that he and his constituency were in that category, Josiah rents his garments and sought a higher religious authority to offer him counsel. He sent Hilkiah the high priest and Shafan the scribe to consult  the prophet–  who case turned out to be the prophetess – Hulda.[1]IIK22:14-20

Hulda confirmed the king’s suspicions that God’s wrath would be upon them, but assured him that he would be spared since he had repented.

The text is short and there is little biographical information about Hulda, leaving the reader with two major questions. Who was this women? And why did the king chose to consult her?

Scripture identifies Hulda by telling us her husband’s name. This may imply that her position required her to be married. Hulda’s  husband, Shalum’s position in the royal court, we are told, was shomer habegadim. Although literally this translates as the keeper of the wardrobe, it seems to be the biblical equivalent of the royal chamberlain, or royal steward. Her husband’s position in the king’s inner circle might explain her own position as ‘court’ prophetess. This may also help us understand why the king specifically consulted her.

The Bible also informs us that Hulda was living in Jerusalem in the mishneh (IIK22:14).

Hulda it seems lived in the second quarter of Jerusalem, what is today called the Rova (Jewish quarter). As the population of Jerusalem expanded beyond the city of David additional neighborhoods developed and the mishneh was one such area. Hezkiah built a wall to enclose this area, and a remnant of that wall can be seen in the Cardo today.

Hulda Transformed

Rashi defines the term mishneh differently. He begins by citing the Aramaic Targum Jonathan that translates the word mishneh as beit ulpana – a house of study. This interpretation also moves Deborah out of the position of judge to the house of study. In a positive vein, this is no small complement. It the highest honor in the world of the Rabbis. It is an honor not granted to the women of that time. Textual additions to Rashi’s commentary embellish the interpretation asserting that Hulda taught Mishna (the oral law) or alternatively taught Mishneh Torah – another name for Deuteronomy, so called because it repeats (from the root shin, nun, hey  meaning to repeat) or reviews the punishments and exiles anticipated for those who transgress the secrets of God’s Torah. These comments   afford Hulda a teacher’s status, but debate the exact curriculum. She is afforded the well deserved position of national Torah authority.[2]These accretions of later hands apparently from 1699 Amsterdam, both Hagahot of Rabbi  Obadia HaNavi and Sod Misharim were collected and introduced by Rashi by Shmuel Lugash. The actual authors of these comments are unknown. במשנה ־ תי’ יונתן בבית אולפנא. שער יש בעזרה ששמו שער חולדה במסכת מדות )לד א(. ויש שפותרים ‘במשנה’, חוץ לחומה, בין שתי החומות, שהיא משנה לעיר, ] במשנה, היתה לומדה התורה שבעל פה לזקנים שבדור, והיא היא המשנה, הג”ה דר”ע[, ]במשנה, מאלה הדברים עד לעיני כל ישראל, וכן כל הדברים הנכפלים בתורה דרשה ברבים, וגלתה העונשים והגלויות הנכפלים לעוברים על סודו ורמזי התורה. סוד מישרים: Rashi adds the location of Hulda’s Beit Midrash referring to a mishna in Middot 31:1 where one of the Temple mount  gates is called  Shaar Hulda.

Returning to the biblical text, there is no denying that  Hulda was a highly respected prophetess.[3]The only other bit of biographical information which we possess is an halakhic ruling found in BK 82b and Tosefta Negaim 6:2  that as the city of Jerusalem expanded those buried within the city were reinterred elsewhere  to preserve the sanctity of the place particularly vis a vis temple rites – but there were two notable exceptions:שכל הקברים רוקנו בירושלים חוץ מקברי מלכי בית דוד וקבר חולדה.  This is of course a serious attestation to the importance and status of our prophetess.

The Power of Prayer

Why was it that Josiah chose to consult the local prophetess? In Pesikta Rabbati we find the following claim:

There were three who prophesied during the time of Josiah: They were Jeremiah, Zephania and Hulda. Jeremiah prophesied in the market places, Zephania in the synagogues and Hulda for the women.

(Pesikta Rabbati chapter 26)

Accepting this division of labor intensifies the question.  Why did the king send to Hulda? Some see it as a matter of convenience. She was the prophetess on the scene. But the Talmud offers two additional possibilities:

If Jeremiah was around why did she (Hulda) prophesy? Wasn’t it inappropriate for her to prophesy when Jeremiah was the greater prophet? …Hulda was a relative of Jeremiah so he was fine with that. But they ask, why did Josiah send to Hulda rather than to Jeremiah? Jeremiah was unavailable since he had gone to return the ten lost tribes. In the beit midrash of R. Shilah they taught that [Josiah sent to Hulda] it was because women are compassionate.

(Megilla 14b)

The possibility that Jeremiah was unavailable since he had gone to return the ten lost tribes. This notion derives from  Jeremiah’s description in  chapter 31 of the magnificent return of the Israelite tribes. The Talmud suggests that this was not merely a long range consolation but rather an actuality.

But the second opinion voiced suggests that it was not by default that Josiah sent to Hulda but by design. He chose to send to the prophetess and not the prophet since women are compassionate.

In his commentary to II Kings chapter 22, Don Isaac Abarbanel takes issue with this contention. He asks what difference does Hulda’s compassion make? Prophecy is prophecy. The message of divine justice is objective and absolute!  Scripture makes it clear that she told it like it was!

The matter is clarified by a comment of David Altushular in his commentary known as Metzudat David :”Women are compassionate and they went to consult with her with the hope that she would pray for them.”

The verdict would be the same but power of prayer was what made Hulda the right choice.