Background:
Saul is forced into war against the Philistines in the region of the Gilboa Mountains. He and his army seem to be stationed at the lower level of the mountains facing the Jezre’el Valley. The Philistines are stationed in Shunem (current day village of Sulem, near the town of Afula) in the valley, across from the Gilboa Mountains. Ein Dor is located in the valley.
“Ba’alat ov:” There are several translations for this biblical term: a medium, a familiar spirit, a ghost, a witch. What seems clear is that this woman communicates with the spirit of the dead in some manner that allows her to see the dead person, but the person that sought her services is only able to hear. It is not obvious that she was able to hear the spirit she raised.
1. Pay attention to the opening verse (3). It is full of information that is significant to understanding the events that follow.
2. Many different ways are listed as means of receiving a response from God. What does it tell us about the Tanakh’s approach to the human desire to know the future?
- We may view it negatively, but various forms of divination seem perfectly acceptable at this point in history. However, some forms are strictly forbidden by the Torah.
- Is it due to shame, fear of his own people, fear of the reaction of ba’alat haov, fear of the enemy?
5. Why does the narrator tell us that the woman accuses the man (whose identity she does not know) of trying to have her killed, as Saul has killed off the ovot?
- Sometimes a narrator gives confirmation of an event by telling it twice; once the narrator speaks, and once it comes out of the mouth of a character. It helps us believe that the event happened as told.
- Her response recalls episodes in Genesis: The great cry of Esau that has been tricked (Gen 27:34,) and the accusation of Jacob who was tricked by Laban (Gen 29:25). This may seem insignificant, but as the story proceeds we will be pointed to Genesis again.
- This might sound like a funny question, but in biblical times all dead people were understood as going to Sheol, the nether world. Pay attention to the verbs that indicate this.
9. Why does Saul collapse upon hearing Samuel’s words?
- It is not only the shock of the message (which was cruelly blunt). There is a physical reason for this. How can you explain that Saul allowed himself to get to this point? (If you are familiar with the rest of stories about Saul, try to think of any incidents that might shed light on this).
11. What other biblical character does her behavior remind you of? What is the narrator telling us?
- As we have seen, narrators were familiar with other stories and sometimes use them to add depth to their own story.
- Notice the company it keeps, and the issue of impurity that is mentioned as resulting from such consultation. (Impurity has nothing to do with physical cleanliness). The choice of punishments is also interesting as it has 2; one that seems Heaven-given and one that is carried out by the community.
- And what is prohibited? Who is to receive which punishment?
- There is clearly a death penalty involved, but does it require the “law” (king, in our case) to actively pursue the issue, or is it only in cases that it is brought to the attention of the court? Pay attention to the word for Saul’s killings used by baalat haov in our story, and the terminology used in the Torah. Did you understand the term (and its context) in the same manner that Saul seems to have understood it?
וַיִּשָּׁבַע לָהּ שָׁאוּל בַּה', לְמָה שָׁאוּל דּוֹמֶה בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה, אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ מָשָׁל לְאִשָּׁה שֶׁהָיְתָה אֵצֶל אוֹהֲבָהּ וְנִשְׁבַּעַת בְּחַיֵּי בַּעְלָהּ, כָּךְ שָׁאוּל שׁוֹאֵל בְּאוֹב וְיִדְעֹנִי וְאוֹמֵר: חַי ה' אִם יִקְרֵךְ עָוֹן בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה. (שמואל א כח, יא)
And Saul swore to her by the LORD – what was Saul like at that time? Said R. Levi: An allegory: a woman, while with lover, takes an oath by her husband’s life. So Saul is inquiring of the Ov and the familiar spirit and swears “by the LORD, if any sin will befall you for this matter!”
What does this Midrash highlight about Saul in that situation?
We are not well trained at oath taking, so let us just remember that one takes an oath by something that is very dear to us, that being functioning as collateral. Breaking the oath would harm that being, or cause great harm to the oath-taker.
דברים רבה (ליברמן) פרשת ואתחנן
כל מי שהוא בוטח במה שאומרים לו נביאים, כמי שהוא נוטל חרב ודוקרה לתוך מעיו.
ממי אנו למדין? משאול, שבטח בדברי שמואל. בשעה שהלך שאול ושאל באשת בעלת אוב, והעלת לו שמואל, ואמר לו שמואל כל אותן הדברים. וכיון שאמר לו שמואל “אתה ובניך עמי” (שמואל א’ כ”ח י”ט), בטח שאול על דבריו ונתייאש מן התפלה.
אמר: הואיל ואמר לי שמואל שאני מת, מה אני מועיל מתפלל?! ישב לו מן התפלה, ונדקר בחרב, שנאמר: “ויאמר שאול לנושא כליו” (שמואל א’ ל”א ד’) וגו’, ומה עשה? נטל החרב ודקרה במעיו.
מי גרם לו? על שבטח בדברי שמואל. שאילו היה מתפלל לפני הקב”ה, היה מבטל ממנו את הגזרה.
Deut. Rabba Parashat Va’etchanan
Anyone who trusts what prophets tell him is like a person who takes a sword and stabs it into his guts.
From whom did we learn? From Saul, who trusted the words of Samuel. At the time that Saul went and inquired in the baalat ov woman and she raised Samuel for him, and Samuel told him all those words. And since Samuel said to him “you and your sons [will be] with me” (I Sam 28:19) Saul trusted his words and despaired from praying.
He said: Since Samuel told me that I am going to die, what good is my prayer going to do? He sat [down] from praying, and was stabbed by a sword, as it says: “And Saul said to his arms bearer…” (I Sam 31:4) What did he do? He took the sword and stabbed it in his guts.
What caused him [to do this]? He trusted the words of Samuel. For if he would have prayed before the Holy One Blessed Be He, He would have canceled the decree.
1. It seems to be a strange statement – anyone who trusts what prophets tell him is as one who takes a sword and stabs his guts. What approach to prophecy do we find here? Does this apply to all prophecy?
- Keep in mind that there are many prophecies of doom in Tanakh. Do they have to come true? What is their purpose?
- Midrash is often set in a particular narrative, but its message is universal and human. If you can scrape off the story layer, you arrive at serious comments about human psyche and behavior. The midrash that might not be historically true (although some could be) could be humanly true.