Chapter 3: "The lamp of God had not yet gone out"

(1) Young Samuel was in the service of the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; prophecy was not widespread. (2) One day, Eli was asleep in his usual place; his eyes had begun to fail and he could barely see. (3) The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD where the Ark of God was. (4) The LORD called out to Samuel, and he answered, “I’m coming.” (5) He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But he replied, “I didn’t call you; go back to sleep.” So he went back and lay down. (6) Again the LORD called, “Samuel!” Samuel rose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But he replied, “I didn’t call, my son; go back to sleep.”— (7) Now Samuel had not yet experienced the LORD; the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.— (8) The LORD called Samuel again, a third time, and he rose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the boy. (9) And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down. If you are called again, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” And Samuel went to his place and lay down. (10) The LORD came, and stood there, and He called as before: “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening."

“The sun rises and the sun sets” (Ecclesiastes 1:5) – Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Do we not know that the sun rises and the sun sets? The meaning is, however, that before the Holy One blessed be He causes the sun of a righteous person to set, he causes the sun of his righteous counterpart to rise. The day that Rabbi Akiva died, Rabbeinu [Yehuda HaNasi] was born, and they applied this verse in his regard: “The sun rises and the sun sets.” [...]
Before He caused Moses’ sun to set, He caused Joshua’s sun to rise, as it is stated: “The Lord said to Moses: Take you Joshua, the son of Nun […and lay your hands upon him]” (Numbers 27:18). Before Joshua’s sun set, the sun of Otniel ben Kenaz rose, as it is stated: “Otniel son of Kenaz…captured it” (Joshua 15:17). Before Eli’s sun set, Samuel’s sun rose: “The lamp of God was not yet extinguished, and Samuel was lying in the Sanctuary of the Lord” (I Samuel 3:3). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Like a calf without blemish. Before the Holy One blessed be He caused Sarah’s sun to set, Rebecca’s sun rose. First, “behold, Milka, she too has borne children” (Genesis 22:20), and only then: “Sarah’s lifetime was one hundred years….”

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Rabbi Abbahu says: With regard to the curse of a Sage, even if it is stated conditionally, it comes to realization. From where do we derive this? It is derived from an incident involving Eli the High Priest, as Eli said to Samuel, after the latter had received a prophetic vision with regard to Eli, that his sons do not follow his path: “Therefore may God do to you, and more also, if you hide any matter from me of all the matters that He spoke unto you” (I Samuel 3:17). And even though it is written immediately thereafter: “And Samuel told him all the matters, and did not hide from him” (I Samuel 3:18), it is written at the time of Samuel’s death: “And his sons did not follow in his ways” (I Samuel 8:3), indicating that God did to Samuel as he prophesied with regard to Eli, and his own sons did not follow his path. Despite the fact that Eli stated the curse conditionally, Samuel was affected by the curse.