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Ramban on Deuteronomy 13:4/רמב"ן על דברים י״ג:ד׳

אוְטַעַם כִּי מְנַסֶּה ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֶתְכֶם, לֵאמֹר כִּי עִנְיַן הַמּוֹפֵת אֲשֶׁר בָּא וְהֶרְאָהוּ הַשֵּׁם לָזֶה בַּחֲלוֹמוֹ אוֹ בְּכִהוּנוֹ, רְצוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים הָיָה בּוֹ לְנַסּוֹתְכֶם בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ. וּכְבָר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי כִּי הַנִּסָּיוֹן יִקָּרֵא כֵן מִצַּד הַמְּנֻסֶּה. וְאָמַר לָדַעַת, שֶׁיִּוָּדַע בְּפֹעַל מָה שֶׁהוּא בְּכֹחַ וְגָלוּי לְפָנָיו. וְהִנֵּה מִצְוַת כָּל הַפָּרָשָׁה בְּמִתְנַבֵּא לַעֲבֹד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, אֲבָל בְּמִתְנַבֵּא בְּשֵׁם ה' לְשַׁנּוֹת בְּדִבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה, רַבּוֹתֵינוּ דָּרְשׁוּ בּוֹ (סנהדרין צ א), שֶׁאִם בָּא לַעֲקֹר דָּבָר אֶחָד מִן הַתּוֹרָה, כְּגוֹן שֶׁיַּתִּיר הַחֲזִיר אוֹ אַחַת מִן הָעֲרָיוֹת, כַּמִּשְׁפָּט הַזֶּה יֵעָשֶׂה לּוֹ. אֲבָל אִם יַתִּיר זֶה לִקְצָת הַיָּמִים לְהוֹרָאַת שָׁעָה, כְּגוֹן אֵלִיָּהוּ בְּהַר הַכַּרְמֶל, אָנוּ חַיָּבִים לִשְׁמֹעַ אֵלָיו וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֵּנוּ. וְנִרְאֶה שֶׁאִם יִתְנַבֵּא בְּשֵׁם ה' לְצַוּוֹת מִצְוָה שֶׁיְּחַדֵּשׁ, כְּגוֹן שֶׁהָיָה בְּמִקְרָא מְגִלָּה (מגילה יד א), שֶׁאֵינוֹ חַיָּב מִיתָה, אֶלָּא שֶׁאֵין לָנוּ לִשְׁמֹעַ אֵלָיו, דִּכְתִיב (ויקרא כז לד): אֵלֶּה הַמִּצְוֹת, אֵין נָבִיא רַשַּׁאי לְחַדֵּשׁ בָּהֶם דָּבָר מֵעַתָּה. וְאוּלַי כֵּיוָן שֶׁלֹּא נַאֲמִין לוֹ הִנֵּה הוּא נְבִיא הַשֶּׁקֶר, וּמִיתָתוֹ בְּחֶנֶק.

1FOR THE ETERNAL YOUR G-D TRIETH YOU. This is to state that the purport of the wonder which came to pass and which G-d showed him in his dream or [as the philosophers say] in his kahin¹⁰⁷, a term referring to the power residing in man to be able to foretell the future. It is so explained by Shmuel ibn Tibbon in his list of “Foreign words.” was G-d’s will in order to test you in your love of Him. Now I have already explained¹³⁸ that the term “test” is derived from the point of view of the one who is being tested. It states here to know [for the Eternal your G-d trieth you ‘to know’ whether ye do love … meaning] that it became known in fact what exists in potential and is revealed [only] to Him. Thus the commandment of this entire section refers to someone who prophesies to worship the idols. But concerning one who prophesies in the name of G-d to change any of the commandments of the Torah, our Rabbis have interpreted¹³¹ that if he came to [completely] uproot any item from the Torah, such as permitting [the eating of] swine or [permitting] one of the adulterous relationships, according to this judgment shall it be done to him¹³⁹ [i.e., he is liable to death as is stated here in Verse 6]. But if he declares it to be permissible only for some time as a temporary measure such as Elijah did on Mount Carmel [in permitting offerings to G-d outside of the Sanctuary in Jerusalem],¹⁴⁰ 9:3). we are obligated to listen to him and to do everything that he commands us.It appears [to me] that if he prophesies in the name of G-d to command a precept that he innovates, as happened concerning reading of the Scroll [of Esther on Purim],¹⁴¹ that he is not guilty of a capital offense, only that we are not to obey him, because it is written, These are the commandments,¹⁴² [which our Rabbis interpret to mean]:¹⁴³. The reading of the Megillah (Scroll of Esther) on Purim is “a positive commandment by the authority of the Scribes” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Megillah V’Chanukah 1:1). “No prophet is henceforth permitted to declare any new matter therein.” But perhaps, since we do not believe him, he is thus a false prophet and his death is by strangulation.¹⁴⁴