Saul Weinreb - Let the Prophets Speak

The news of Saul's death arrives in Ziklag via a strange messenger.

We read of the demise of King Saul in battle, the Philistine's abuse of his remains, and the honor accorded to him by the people he saved many years ago.

As a result of acting kindly to a dying Egyptian slave, David is led to the encampment of the Amalekites.  He rescues the captives and scores a major victory against the bandits.  David teaches the people how to fairly distribute the spoils of war.

David and his men return to Ziklag to find their hometown ravaged and destroyed by the Amalekites.  David faces one of the most difficult tests of his leadership.

David gets saved from a very sticky situation at the last minute.

David gets saved from a very sticky situation at the last minute.

The Ralbag offers an incredibly sophisticated and natural explanation for the strange events of our chapter.  Using his approach, we uncover even deeper layers of meaing in this fascinating chapter.

We explore a completely different understanding of this chapter according to the approach of Rabbi Chafni Gaon.  This very rationalist understanding leads us to some profound insights into the failure of Saul to lead the people and why he was unworthy as a King.

We discuss a second, slightly more "rationalistic" approach to understanding this fascinating chapter.  In this understanding, a miracle from God has just occurred.

This unusual chapter in Tanach has many ways of understanding it, we begin a series of analysis with the approach of the mystics.