Sefer Shmuel Introduction Quiz Year 9

Study Notes

The Tanach (Hebrew Bible) consists of three parts: Torah, Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings)
This unit will focus on Sefer Shmuel, one of the books in Nevi'im
Learning objectives:
- Know the events of Shmuel's birth
- Understand the concept of Dan LeKaf zechut

In the Torah, the Bnei Yisrael were led by Moshe and then Yehoshua after entering Canaan
After Yehoshua's death, the Jews were led by a succession of judges or Shoftim (15 in total)
The cycle of a Shofet dying, the Bnei Yisrael turning to idolatry, and then Hashem delivering them into the hands of their enemies would repeat itself
The Shofet was also a military leader
In Sefer Shmuel, a new type of leader emerges - the Navi or prophet, who was appointed by Hashem to deliver His message to the Jewish people and guide them
The Navi was more of a religious leader

Elkanah had two wives: Chana and Penina
Chana was childless, which was a significant distress for her
Elkanah tried to comfort Chana, saying he was better to her than ten sons
Chana wept and prayed to Hashem, pouring out her heart to Him
She went to the Mishkan to pray, where Eli the priest was sitting on the chair beside the Temple of the Lord

Chana prayed at length before Hashem, but only moved her lips and didn't speak out loud
Eli thought she was drunk because he had never seen private prayer before
Chana was actually speaking in her heart, and Eli misjudged her
Chana explained her situation to Eli, and he eventually blessed her and told her that Hashem would grant her request and she would have a child

Chana was one of the 7 prophetesses and a righteous and unique person
Eli should have recognized her greatness and assumed she was acting properly, instead of judging her negatively
Pirkei Avot teaches us to "judge every person favourably" (Yehoshua ben Perachya, 1:6)
This means to assume the best about others and not judge them negatively without proper understanding
Alternative phrase: "give people the benefit of the doubt"