“Now, just as there is the command to obey the “judges” in all times, as it is written in our Parshah: “and you shall come… to the judge who shall be in those days” (as mentioned above in ch. 6), so too [this is so] regarding prophets – as it is written afterwards in the continuation of the Parshah72: “a prophet from among you, from your brothers, like me, Hashem your G-d will appoint for you – you shall listen to him,” as the Rambam elaborates in the book of Mada,58 that “among the foundations of the religion [is the obligation] to know that Hashem expresses prophecy through people”, [and writes] regarding the Mitzvah to obey to the prophet, and he explains there 73 the details of these laws.
Since the Rambam includes this in his book “solely of laws”74 (and at great length), and with the preface that this is “among the foundations of the religion” – it is understood, that this is a law which applies to the Jewish people throughout the generations. And although the Sages said75 “when the last prophets: Chagai Zecharyah and Malachi passed away, Ruach Hakodesh (the Holy Spirit) left Yisroel” – on a di erent occasion it was said76 the explanation of this, that it has not been completely nulli ed (it only “left”, however [it was] not “nulli ed” or “stopped”77). As undertood from the fact, that even after [those prophets] we nd Ruach Hakodesh by several78 [righteous people78]. (This is also understood from the fact, that in his book of laws – among all the conditions for prophecy – the Rambam does not mention any conditions regarding the era for prophecy, [namely, he does not write] ‘once the last prophets passed away [prophecy has ceased]’79).”
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