Midrash Shmuel Reader

"It is a time to act for the Lord; they have voided Your Torah" (Psalms 119:126). It was taught in the name of Rabbi Natan: invert the verse — "they have voided Your Torah" because it is "a time to act for the Lord." Rabbi Pinchas and Rabbi Chilkiah in the name of Rabbi Simon: one who makes his Torah-study a matter of fixed times — behold, this one voids the covenant. And what is the reason? "They have voided Your Torah" [because it is "a time to act for the Lord"]. Rabbi Elazar said: just as this infant seeks to eat at all hours of the day, so a person must toil in Torah at all hours of the day. Rabbi Yonah in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua bar Gezura: all bellies are bad, but the belly of Torah is good; all chatter is bad, but the chatter of Torah is good. Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak said: in the Scroll of the Pious they found written, "If you forsake it for a day, it will forsake you for two days." This is like two men who set out, one from Tiberias and one from Tzippori, and they met one another at a certain inn, and they conversed with one another, and then they parted [from one another]. This one walked a mil, and that one walked a mil; this one is found to be two mil distant from his fellow, and that one is two mil distant from his fellow. So too with one who sat and waited for a woman: all the days that he sought her, she waited for him; once he turned his mind away from her, she went off and married another. "Do not despise your mother when she is old" (Proverbs 23:22). Hillel the Elder said: at the time when they scatter, gather; and at the time when they gather, scatter. He used to say: if you have seen that Torah is beloved in Israel and all rejoice in it, scatter — as it is written, "There is one who scatters and yet increases more" (ibid. 11:24). Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught: if you have seen Israel withdrawing their hands from the Torah, arise and strengthen it, and you will merit to receive the reward of them all — [what is the reason? "They have voided Your Torah; it is a time to act for the Lord."] Rabbi Yose bar Rabbi Avin said: if your Torah has grown old in your mouth, do not despise it. Rabbi Ze'ira said: if your nation has grown old, do not despise it — just as Elkanah used to do when he would lead Israel and bring them up to Shiloh: not by the way that he went up in this year would he go up in another year, but every single year he would go up by a different way, in order to make Israel heard at Shiloh. Therefore Scripture traces his lineage: "And there was a certain man of Ramathaim-Zophim, of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite" (1 Samuel 1:1).

"The memory of the righteous is for a blessing, but the name of the wicked shall rot" (Proverbs 10:7). Rabbi Yitzchak said: Anyone who mentions a righteous person and does not bless him transgresses a positive commandment, as it is written, "The memory of the righteous is for a blessing." And anyone who mentions a wicked person and does not curse him transgresses a positive commandment, as it is written, "but the name of the wicked shall rot." Rabbi Yitzchak said: The wicked are like vessels of kuris; if a person does not use them, they rot. So too, have you ever seen in your days a person calling his son Pharaoh, Sisera, Sennacherib? Rather, what does he call him? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Rabbi Berekhya and Rabbi Chelbo in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman: Rabbi Yonatan, when he would reach this verse, "who had been exiled from Jerusalem with the exiles who had been exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had exiled" (Esther 2:6), would say, "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, may his bones be crushed." And why did he not say so in Jeremiah? Rather, every "Nebuchadnezzar" in Jeremiah was alive, but here he was dead. Rav said: "Cursed be Haman, cursed be his sons." Rabbi Pinchas said: "Charvonah, remembered for good." Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Levi: We find that when the Holy One, blessed be He, mentions Israel, He blesses them. And what is the reason? "The Lord has remembered us, He will bless" (Psalms 115:12). I have only all Israel; from where each and every one? Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Avin: "And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham..." (Genesis 18:17). The verse did not need to say this, but rather, "And the Lord said, The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah, because it is great..." (Genesis 18:20). Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Shall I mention the righteous one and not bless him? Rather, I will bless him and afterward inform him. This is what is written, "And Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and through him shall be blessed..." (Genesis 18:18); and what is written after it? "And the Lord said, The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah..."

Rabbi Pinchas and Rabbi Chilkiyah in the name of Rabbi Simon: This is comparable to a king who had two storehouses of good seed. He sowed the first, and it all came up as good seed; he sowed the second, and it all came up as thorns, weeds, and worthless growths. So too the wicked have no sowing, as it is written, "And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown" (Nahum 1:14). But the righteous have a sowing, as it is written, "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to mercy" (Hosea 10:12).

Rabbi Shimon said: They mention and praise; they mention and disgrace. They mention and praise, and they mention and disgrace. They mention and praise: "And Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah" (Exodus 31:2). They mention and disgrace: "And Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken" (Joshua 7:18). They mention and praise: "And with him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan" (Exodus 31:6). They mention and disgrace: "And his mother's name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan" (Leviticus 24:11). They mention and praise: "Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam" (Deuteronomy 24:9). They mention and disgrace: "Remember what Amalek did to you" (Deuteronomy 25:17). They mention and praise: "And the Lord remembered Sarah" (Genesis 21:1). They mention and disgrace: "Thus says the Lord of Hosts: I have remembered that which Amalek did to Israel" (1 Samuel 15:2). They mention and praise: "There was a Jewish man in Shushan the capital, etc." (Esther 2:5). They mention and disgrace: "An adversary and enemy, this wicked Haman" (Esther 7:6). They mention and praise: "For Mordecai the Jew" (Esther 10:3). They mention and disgrace: "For Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite" (Esther 9:24). They mention and praise: "And David was the son of that Ephrathite man" (1 Samuel 17:12). They mention and disgrace: "And Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephrathite" (1 Kings 11:26). They mention and disgrace: "And there was a man from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Micah" (Judges 17:1). They mention and praise: "And there was a certain man of Ramathaim-Zophim, of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, etc." (1 Samuel 1:1).

"A man to whom God gives riches, wealth, and honor, etc." (Ecclesiastes 6:2). Rabbi Pinchas said: This measure does not apply to all human beings, but only to the one whom the Merciful One favors. "For he shall not much remember the days of his life" (Ecclesiastes 5:19) — this is Eli. "Because God answers him in the joy of his heart" (ibid.) — this is Elkanah, who, when he guided Israel and brought them up to Shiloh, would not go up in the same year by the way he had gone up in another year; rather, in each and every year he would go up by a different way, in order that Israel would hear and that he might bring them up to Shiloh. Therefore Scripture traces his lineage: "Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim" (1 Samuel 1:1).

"There was a certain man" (1 Samuel 1:1). Wherever it is said in this expression, it is reckoned as equal to thirty-one righteous men. "Of Ramathaim." Rabbi Elazar said: There were two heights (ramin) — one of David and one of Samuel. "Zophim (the watchmen)." Rabbi Yochanan said: One who set up for himself two hundred watchmen. "And his name was Elkanah." The wicked are mentioned before their names: "Nabal is his name" (1 Samuel 25:25), "Goliath is his name" (1 Samuel 17:4), "Sheba son of Bichri is his name" (2 Samuel 20:21). But the righteous — their names come first: "and his name was Elkanah" (1 Samuel 1:1), "and his name was Jesse" (1 Samuel 17:12), "and his name was Boaz" (Ruth 2:1), "and his name was Mordecai" (Esther 2:5). They resemble their Creator, "but by My name the LORD I was not known to them" (Exodus 6:3). They raised an objection to him: But is it not written "and Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban" (Genesis 24:29)? Rabbi Yitzchak said: paradoxes (i.e., exceptions). And Rabbi Berekhiah said: he was whitened (meluban) in wickedness. They raised an objection: "And the sons of Samuel: the firstborn, and the second Abiah" (1 Chronicles 6:13) — [here the name follows]. The Rabbis and Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Simon [differed]. The Rabbis said: Just as this one was wicked, so too that one was wicked. And Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Simon said: When they changed for good deeds, they merited the Holy Spirit, as it is said, "the word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel" (Joel 1:1). "An Ephrathite." Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: it means "palatine (of the palace)." Rabbi Yehoshua son of Rabbi Nechemiah said: "wellborn (eugenetatoi)." Another interpretation: "Ephrathite" — Rabbi Pinchas said: a crown (atarah) with which Ephraim was crowned by our father Jacob at the hour of his departure from the world. He said to him: Ephraim, my son, head of a tribe, head of an academy, the most excellent and praised among the sons, shall be called by your name — "son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite" (1 Samuel 1:1); "and Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephrathite" (1 Kings 11:26); "and David, the son of that Ephrathite man" (1 Samuel 17:12).

"And he had two wives, the name of one was Hannah" (1 Samuel 1:2). Rabbi Ḥaggai in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Scripture opens with his praise. Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Ḥama bar Rabbi Ḥanina said: Scripture opens with his praise and mentions his disgrace. And the Rabbis say: Scripture opens with his praise, and mentions his disgrace, and then returns and opens again with his praise. "And that man went up from his city" (1 Samuel 1:3). The man was elevated in his house, the man was elevated in his courtyard, he was elevated in his city, he was elevated among all Israel; and all of his elevation came only from himself. "From year to year" (1 Samuel 1:3). This is Elkanah, who guides Israel and brings them up to Shiloh. And not by the road on which he went up in this year did he go up in another year, but [by a different road], and so forth. "To bow down and to sacrifice to the LORD" (1 Samuel 1:3). Rabbi Abba bar Madya in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Prayer is greater than the sacrifices, as it is written "to bow down" and afterward "and to sacrifice."

"And it came to pass on the day" (1 Samuel 1:4). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: this is the day of Atzeret (the Feast of Weeks). "And Elkanah sacrificed, and he gave to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters portions." What is "portions" (manot)? Shares. "But to Hannah he gave one portion, appayim." Double. [Appayim:] with a pleasant countenance. Appayim corresponds to Peninnah and her children. Another interpretation: why appayim? "For he loved Hannah, but the LORD had closed her womb. And her rival provoked her sorely" — provoking her and going back and provoking her again. What would she say to her? "You have bought your firstborn son a cloak, and the second a tunic." "In order to make her fret (har'imah)." Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: the Holy One, blessed be He, said: why do you complain against her? Is there thunder (re'amim) without rain? It is upon Me to remember her, as it says "For the LORD remembered Hannah," and so forth. "And so he did year by year, as often as she went up to the House of the LORD." The Rabbis say: one who weeps does not eat, as it is written, "and she wept and would not eat."

"And Elkanah her husband said to her: Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you not eat, etc.? Am not I (anokhi) better to you, etc." (1 Samuel 1:8). Rabbi Levi said: It is not written here "Am not I (ani)," but rather "Am not I (anokhi)." He said to her: Blessed be your portion, as you say, "I (anokhi) am the LORD your God" (Exodus 20:2). "And Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk; and Eli the priest sat upon the seat" (1 Samuel 1:9). This teaches that on that very day they appointed him High Priest. "And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore" (1 Samuel 1:10). Every deed of Hannah was in twos. Her provocation was in twos: "And her rival provoked her sore." Her portion was in twos: "But unto Hannah he gave a double portion." Her weeping was in twos: "And wept sore." Her seeing was in twos: "If You will indeed look." Her vowing was in twos: "And she vowed a vow."

"I am the LORD your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it" (Psalms 81:11). Rabbi Chaggai in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak said: One does not ask for poverty in a place of wealth, for out of this Hannah leaped to vows, "And she vowed a vow and said [etc.]." [It is written:] "LORD, I have heard the report of You, I was afraid, etc." (Habakkuk 3:2). Hannah said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the worlds, Abraham did Your will, and You gave him a son at a hundred years; Ahab worships idolatry, and he begot seventy sons. ("LORD, I have heard the report of You, I was afraid.") Sarah did Your will, and You gave her a son at ninety years; Jezebel, a daughter of priests, she bears seventy sons. It is written: "And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria" (2 Kings 10:1). [Just as he had seventy sons in Samaria,] so did he have seventy sons in Jezreel, and each and every one of them had [two] palaces, one of summer and one palace of winter. This is what is written: "And I will smite the winter house upon the summer house" (Amos 3:15). Rabbi Yudah son of Rabbi Simon said: Four, [as it is said,] "and the houses of ivory shall perish" (ibid.). And the Rabbis say: Six, [as it is said,] "and many houses shall come to an end" (ibid.). For out of this Hannah leaped to vows, "And she vowed a vow and said, etc."

It is written, "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying" (Genesis 28:20). Rabbi Yitzchak the Babylonian said: Anyone who makes a vow performs a commandment. What is "saying"? "Saying" to the generations, that they should make vows in their time of distress. Therefore, whoever makes a vow makes his vow depend on none but Him. Rabbi Abbahu said: It is written, "How he swore unto the LORD, and vowed unto the Mighty One of Jacob" (Psalms 132:2). It does not say here "to the Mighty One of Israel," but rather "to the Mighty One of Jacob." And Rabbi Chuna in the name of Rabbi Idi: It is written, "Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly unto the LORD" and so forth (1 Chronicles 29:9) — because they were occupied with the commandment of freewill offering and it succeeded in their hands, they rejoiced. What is written after it? "Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation; and David said, Blessed be Thou, LORD, [God of Israel our father]" (1 Chronicles 29:10). "God of Abraham and Isaac" is not written, but rather "God of Israel our father." Rabbi Yudan said: Even from its place it lacks nothing. "And Israel vowed" — it does not say here vayidru [in the plural], but rather vayidar Yisrael, "And Israel vowed" [in the singular] (Numbers 21:2) — Israel the Elder. Four made vows. Two vowed and lost, and two vowed and profited. Jacob and Jephthah vowed and lost; Israel and Hannah vowed and profited.

"And she vowed a vow and said" (1 Samuel 1:11). It is written: "Your wife shall be as a fruitful vine in the recesses of your house" (Psalms 128:3). There we learned in a Mishnah: Women in their virginity are like vines. There is a vine whose wine is black, and there is a vine whose wine is red; there is a vine whose wine is abundant, and there is a vine whose wine is scant. Rabbi Yudah said: Every vine has wine in it, and the one that has no wine in it is the torkti (a barren vine). It once happened that a certain woman came before Rabbi Yishmael bar Rabbi Yose, and no signs of virginity were found in her except like the appearance of a mustard seed. He said to her: May the like of you multiply in Israel. Rabbi Zevadyah, son-in-law of Rabbi Levi, said in the name of Rabbi Levi: It was like a man who cries out to a blind man, "O you of plentiful light!" But his colleagues said to him: He said it to her in disparagement. They said to her: every woman whose blood is scant, her offspring are few. Rabbi Yose said: He said it in praise. They said: every woman whose blood is scant is not apt to render the pure things impure.

"And she vowed a vow" (1 Samuel 1:11). Rav said: She said, "If I am of the upper beings, I shall not die; and if I am of the lower beings, let me be fruitful and multiply like the lower beings." Rav said: It was the pilgrimage festivals. She said before Him, "Master of all the worlds, of all the multitudes that are before You, will You not remember me as one of them?" Rabbi Chaggai said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: "How many nests of swarming things and creeping things are before You, and yet You do not remember me as one of them?" Rabbi Zakkai the Elder said: It is like Lulutos, past whose table a poor man passed. He said to him, "Earn merit through me." He said to him, "Go on, and you shall come to me." She said to Him, "Of all the multitudes that are before You, will You not remember me as one of them?"

"Lord of Hosts" (1 Samuel 1:11). Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her, "Hannah, from the beginning of the creation of the world no one praised Me with this verse except you. By your life, your son shall stand and open with it." This is what is written: "Thus says the Lord of Hosts: I have remembered that which Amalek did to Israel" (1 Samuel 15:2). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her, "Hannah, you have increased My hosts, and I will increase your hosts," [as it is written]: "All these were the sons of Heman the seer of the king in the words of God, to lift up the horn; and God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters" (1 Chronicles 25:5).

"If You will surely look" (1 Samuel 1:11). If You look upon my distress, You will look upon my pregnancy; if You look upon my pregnancy, You will look upon my birthing. Rabbi Acha said: If You look — well and good; and if not, "You shall see." Hannah said before the Holy One, blessed be He: It is written in the Torah, "And if the woman has not been defiled" and so forth (Numbers 5:28) — behold, I will go and have Elkanah subject me to the ordeal of jealousy, and I will bear a son. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: Concerning three commandments are women commanded — concerning niddah, and concerning challah, and concerning the kindling of the lamp. Am I not Your handmaid in all of them?

"And You will remember me" — with males. "And do not forget Your maidservant" — with females. "And You will give Your maidservant a seed of men" — Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi said: men whose faces will resemble neither an ape nor a eunuch. Another interpretation: "And You will give Your maidservant a seed of men" — understanding men, as it is said, "Provide for yourselves wise and understanding men" (Deuteronomy 1:13). Prophet men, as it is said, "And two men remained in the camp" (Numbers 11:26). Great men, as it is said, "And the man in the days of Saul was old, advanced among men" (1 Samuel 17:12). Righteous men, as it is said, "And your people, all of them, are righteous" (Isaiah 60:21). They said to Hannah: Why do you ask for men who are wise and understanding and great and righteous? She said to them: because they are for the sake of the Holy One, blessed be He. Rabbi Levi said: This is like one who sits and makes a crown for the king. Someone passed by and saw him, and said to him: What are you doing? He said to him: I am making a crown for the king. He said to him: All that you are able to set into it of precious stones and pearls, set into it. Why? Because it is destined to be placed upon the head of the king. So too they said to Hannah: Why do you ask for men who are wise and understanding, great and righteous? She said to them: because they are for the sake of the Holy One, blessed be He.

"And I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor (mora) shall come upon his head" (1 Samuel 1:11). There we learned: Shmuel was a Nazirite, according to the words of Rabbi Nehorai, as it is said, "and no razor (mora) shall come upon his head." It is said concerning Shimshon "razor" (mora) (Judges 13:5), and it is said concerning Shmuel "razor" (mora): just as the "razor" stated concerning Shimshon means a Nazirite, so too the "razor" stated concerning Shmuel means a Nazirite. Rabbi Yose said: But is not mora nothing other than the fear (mora) of flesh and blood? Rabbi Nehorai said to him: But has it not already been said, "And Shmuel said, How shall I go? If Shaul hear it, he will kill me" (1 Samuel 16:2)—he already had upon him the fear of flesh and blood. Rabbi Ami said: It is written, "There shall not come there the fear of briers and thorns" (Isaiah 7:25). Just as this thorn (sira) fears nothing but iron, so too this hair (sa'ara) fears nothing but iron.

"And it came to pass, as she prayed long before the LORD" (1 Samuel 1:12). Rabbi Chiyya in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, and Rabbi Shimon ben Chalafta in the name of Rabbi Meir: "And it came to pass, as she prayed long" — from here, whoever prays at length is answered. The teaching of Rabbi Levi is reversed. There Rabbi Abba the son of Rav Pappi and Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: "In all toil there is profit, but the talk of the lips tends only to want" (Proverbs 14:23). Hannah, because she prayed long, shortened the days of Samuel, as she said, "and he shall dwell there forever" (1 Samuel 1:22) — and the "world" of the Levites is only fifty years, as it is written, "and from the age of fifty years he shall return from the host of the service" (Numbers 8:25). But behold, they are fifty-two! Rabbi Yose bar Rabbi Avin said: The two are those by which she weaned him.

"Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart" (1 Samuel 1:13). It is written, "to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart" (Deuteronomy 11:13). But is there a service that is in the heart? And which is this? This is prayer. And likewise, "your God whom you serve continually" (Daniel 6:17) — but is there worship in Babylon? And which is this? This is prayer. One might think that a person may pray toward any direction he wishes; therefore it is made explicit regarding Daniel, "and his windows were open in his upper chamber toward Jerusalem" (Daniel 6:11). One might think that a person may pray those three [prayers] at any hour he wishes; therefore it is made explicit regarding Daniel, "and three times a day he knelt upon his knees" (Daniel 6:11). One might think that [only] from the time he came to Babylon [did he do so]; the verse teaches, "as he did aforetime" (Daniel 6:11). One might think that a person may pray the three of them as one; therefore it is made explicit regarding David, "evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and moan" etc. (Psalms 55:18). One might think that a person may raise his voice in his prayer; therefore it is made explicit regarding Hannah, "Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart." One might think that he should meditate in the heart [silently]; the verse teaches, "only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought her to be drunk" — from here that a drunkard is forbidden to pray. And what is its reason? As it is said, "Therefore hear now this, you afflicted, and drunk, but not with wine" (Isaiah 51:21). Rabbi Zerika and Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Yose the Galilean, they say: one in distress is forbidden to render a [legal] ruling. And it is reasoned only from this verse, "Therefore hear now this" etc. Abba bar Rav Huna said: one who has imbibed should not pray, and if he prayed, his prayer is [accepted as] supplications; a drunkard should not pray, and if he prayed, his prayer is blasphemies. Which is one who has imbibed and which is a drunkard? One who has imbibed — less than a quarter [-log]; a drunkard — a quarter [-log]. There they say: anyone who is unable to speak with the king.

"And Hannah answered and said: No, my lord, I am a woman of a hardened spirit" (1 Samuel 1:15) — my spirit is made hard against my harsh rival. Rabbi Haggai in the name of Rabbi Yitzhak said: I am of those who are slow to receive their gifts, such as Sarah and her companions. "Neither wine nor strong drink have I drunk" — "wine," this is new wine, and "strong drink," this is old wine; of this and of that I did not drink. "But I poured out my soul before the Lord." "Count not thy handmaid for a daughter of Belial" — do not trample me like standing grain. "For out of the abundance of my complaint and my vexation have I spoken hitherto." Rabbi Hanina the son of Rabbi Aha said: out of the abundance of my words and my songs have I spoken hitherto.

"And Eli answered and said, 'Go in peace' (1 Samuel 1:17). He said to her: This peace is from me, but your [true] peace is from your Creator. 'And the God of Israel grant your petition' — it is written shelateikh [defectively]. He said to her: This son whom you are destined to raise up — much spoil he is destined to plunder in the Torah. 'And she said, May your handmaid find favor in your eyes; and the woman went on her way' (1 Samuel 1:18). What is 'on her way'? She became a menstruant. 'And her face was no longer [sad to her]' — this teaches that her face had resembled [that of] an ape and a eunuch, and they were healed.

"For His anger is but a moment, His favor is life; weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalms 30:6). How long is a moment? Rabbi Berechiah in the name of Rabbi Chelbo said: as long as it takes to say it. And the Rabbis said: like the blink of an eye. And Shmuel said: one moment is one part out of fifty-eight thousand eight hundred and forty-eight... no — five thousand and sixty myriad and eight hundred and forty-eight of an hour. Yesterday "and Hannah had no children" (1 Samuel 1:2), and here you say "for the Lord had remembered Hannah" (1 Samuel 2:21). This is the meaning of "For His anger is but a moment, His favor is life; weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning."

Rabbi Yitzchak opened: "An altar of earth you shall make for Me," etc. (Exodus 20:20). Now behold, these matters are a kal va-chomer (an argument from minor to major): for if one who offers up a burnt-offering and peace-offerings to the Omnipresent — the Omnipresent reveals Himself to him and blesses him; Elkanah, who gathered [Israel] to Me, etc.

"And it came to pass at the turn of the seasons" (1 Samuel 1:20) — after two seasons "Hannah conceived." "And the man Elkanah went up" (1 Samuel 1:21), "but Hannah did not go up" (1 Samuel 1:22). The teaching of Rabbi Levi is reversed here. There Rabbi Abba the son of Rav Papi and Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: "In all toil there is profit" (Proverbs 14:23) — Hannah, because she multiplied her prayer, shortened the days of Samuel, for she said "and he shall dwell there forever" (1 Samuel 1:22), and the "forever" of the Levites is only fifty years. This is what is written: "And from fifty years old he shall return" (Numbers 8:25). But behold, they are fifty-two! Rabbi Yose bar Rabbi Avin said: The two years during which she nursed him are not counted in the reckoning.

"And Elkanah her husband said to her, 'Do what is good in your eyes; stay until you have weaned him; only may the LORD fulfill His word'" (1 Samuel 1:23). Rabbi Yirmiyah in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak said: Every single day a heavenly voice (bat kol) would go forth and resound throughout the entire world, saying, "A certain righteous man is destined to arise, and his name is Shmuel." Every woman who bore a son would bring forth his name as Shmuel; and when they would see his deeds, they would say, "This is Shmuel"—[but then they would say,] "This is not that Shmuel." And when this one was born, they saw his deeds [and] said, "It seems that this is he." And this is what is said: "Only may the LORD fulfill His word."

"And she brought him up with her, when she had weaned him, etc." (1 Samuel 1:24). Here you say, "And she brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh" (ibid.), and elsewhere you say, "And he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh" (Psalms 78:60). Rabbi Eliezer in the name of Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Hanina: the house of Shiloh was stones below and curtains above, while Jerusalem was a house of stones below and the roof above. Rabbi Ze'ira asked: could it be that even the boards [were there]? Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said to him: is it not thus written, "its clasps, its boards" (Exodus 39:33)? Rabbi Hiyya bar Idi asked: could it be that [it was] like the height of the [Jerusalem] house?

"And the lad was a lad" (1 Samuel 1:24) — two years old, as it is written, "Even a child is known by his doings" (Proverbs 20:11). Samuel came and found them standing over their sacrifices. He said to them: Why do you not slaughter? They said to him: We are waiting for the priest to come, as it is written, "And he shall slaughter the bullock before the Lord" (Leviticus 1:5). He said to them: Stand up and slaughter! Have we not learned thus, that slaughter is valid when performed by laymen, by women, and by slaves, even with respect to the most holy offerings? When Eli came and found that they had slaughtered, he said to them: Who permitted you the slaughter? They said to him: A certain lad. He said to them: Bring him. This is what is written, "And they slaughtered the bullock, and brought the child to Eli" (1 Samuel 1:25). He sought to punish him. His mother came and prostrated herself at his feet. This is what is written, "And she said: Oh, my lord, as your soul lives, my lord" (1 Samuel 1:26). He said to her: Did I not pray, and you are standing? He said to her: Let him die, and I will pray and another will come. She said: "For this lad I prayed" (1 Samuel 1:27). From this one and from that one — he is neither mine nor yours. "And I also have lent him to the Lord; he is lent to the Lord" (1 Samuel 1:28). At that moment the Holy Spirit sparkled within her: all the days that Samuel exists, Saul will exist.

"And he worshipped there before the LORD" (there, the same place — 1 Samuel 1:28). Rabbi Yitzchak said: Everything is by the merit of bowing down in worship. Abraham returned from Mount Moriah in peace only by the merit of bowing down, as it is written, "and we will worship and return to you" (Genesis 22:5). Israel was not redeemed from Egypt except by the merit of bowing down, as it is written, "And the people bowed the head and worshipped" (Exodus 12:27). The Torah was not given except by the merit of bowing down, as it is written, "and worship from afar" (Exodus 24:1). The Temple was not built except by the merit of bowing down, as it is written, "Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool" (Psalms 99:5). And even the dead will not live again except by the merit of bowing down, as it is written, "Come, let us worship and bow down" (Psalms 95:6). And even the exiles will not be ingathered except by the merit of bowing down, as it is written, "And it shall come to pass on that day, that a great shofar shall be blown [and they shall worship the LORD on the holy mountain at Jerusalem]" (Isaiah 27:13).

"The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts" (Proverbs 17:3). Rav said: The commandments were given only in order to refine Israel by them. Just as the refiner puts the gold into the furnace and strains it a first time, a second, and a third, until he establishes it in its purity, so the Holy One, blessed be He, chastens the righteous, each and every one according to his strength. There is a prayer that is answered after a hundred years, from Abraham, for "Abraham was a hundred years old" (Genesis 21:5). There is a prayer that is answered after ninety years, from Sarah, for "shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?" (Genesis 17:17). There is a prayer that is answered after eighty years, from Moses, for "Moses was eighty years old" (Exodus 7:7). There is a prayer that is answered after sixty years, from Isaac, for "Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them" (Genesis 25:26). There is a prayer that is answered after fifty years, from Samuel, for she said "and there abide for ever" (1 Samuel 1:22) — and the "world" of the Levites is only fifty years, as it is written, "and from the age of fifty years" and so forth (Numbers 8:25). But these are fifty-two! Rabbi Yose bar Avin said: the two years that she nursed him. (Rabbi Akiva expounded: "As for man, his days are as grass" (Psalms 103:15). It happened that Rabbi Ishmael and Rabbi Akiva were walking in the streets of Jerusalem, and a certain man was with them. A sick man met them. He said to them, "My masters, tell me how I may be healed." They said to him, "Take such and such until you are healed." That man who was with them said to them, "Who struck him with illness?" They said to him, "The Holy One, blessed be He." He said to them, "And you have entered into a matter that is not yours! He struck, and you heal?" They said to him, "What is your work?" He said to them, "I am a tiller of the soil, and here is the sickle in my hand." They said to him, "Who created the soil? Who created the vineyard?" He said to them, "The Holy One, blessed be He." They said to him, "And you enter into a matter that is not yours! He created it, and you eat its fruit?" He said to them, "Do you not see the sickle in my hand? Were it not that I go out and plow it and clear it and dung it and weed it, it would yield nothing." They said to him, "Fool of the world! From your own work have you not heard what is written, 'As for man, his days are as grass'? Just as the tree, if it is not dunged and weeded and plowed, does not grow, and if it grew but did not drink water it does not live but dies — so the body is the tree, the dung is the medicine, and the man of the soil is the physician." He said to them, "I beg of you, do not punish me. This body — its constituents are suspended one upon another, and if this one is not, that one is not; and when they break apart one from another, the body is stricken and dies, like this house which has four sides: if one of them breaks apart, the house falls.") There is a prayer that is answered after thirty years, from Joseph, for "Joseph was thirty years old" (Genesis 41:46). There is a prayer that is answered after three days, from Jonah, for "and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights" (Jonah 2:1). And there is a prayer that did not have time to leave the mouth of the one who said it before it was answered, from Moses, for "and the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me?" and so forth (Exodus 14:15). But of Hannah we have not heard. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: From the hundred written of Abraham, or the ninety written of Sarah. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman, in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: Hannah was remembered at a hundred and thirty, just as Jochebed was remembered.

"And Hannah prayed and said" (1 Samuel 2:1). Rav said: She began by arranging words together with confession. And likewise, "And Ezra prayed, and when he made confession" (Ezra 10:1) — Rav said: He began by arranging words together with confession. "My heart exults in the LORD." Rabbi Yirmiyah b'Rabbi Elazar said: Great is the strength of the righteous, for the entire world and all its fullness praise the Holy One, blessed be He, only with half of the Name — "Let every soul praise Yah, Halleluyah" (Psalms 150:6). But the righteous praise the Holy One, blessed be He, with the full Name: "Rejoice, O righteous ones, in the LORD" (Psalms 97:12); "Sing joyfully, O righteous ones, in the LORD" (Psalms 33:1); "My heart exults in the LORD."

"My horn is exalted in the LORD" (1 Samuel 2:1). There are ten horns: the horn of Abraham, "My beloved had a vineyard on a fruitful hill" — literally, "on a horn, the son of oil" (Isaiah 5:1); the horn of Isaac, "and behold, a ram caught in the thicket by its horns" (Genesis 22:13); the horn of Moses, "and Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone" — that is, sent forth horns of light (Exodus 34:29); the horn of the Torah, "and his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand" (Habakkuk 3:4); the horn of Joseph, "his firstling bullock, majesty is his, and his horns are the horns of the wild-ox" (Deuteronomy 33:17); the horn of the priesthood, "he has scattered, he has given to the needy; [his horn shall be exalted in honor]" (Psalms 112:9); the horn of the Levites, "all these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn, etc." (1 Chronicles 25:5); the horn of prophecy, "my horn is exalted in the LORD" (1 Samuel 2:1); the horn of the Temple, "from the horns of the wild-oxen You have answered me" (Psalms 22:22); and the horn of Israel, "and He has lifted up a horn for His people" (Psalms 148:14).

"My mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation" (1 Samuel 2:1). Rabbi Abbahu said: This is one of the verses that speaks of the salvation of the Holy One, blessed be He, and of the salvation of Israel. Rabbi Pinchas in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: They were called divine beings, as it is said, "I said, you are gods" (Psalms 82:6) — and [it speaks] of the salvation of the Holy One, blessed be He. Rabbi Pinchas in the name of Rabbi Levi: "I will show him the salvation of God" (Psalms 50:23); "to see the good of Your chosen ones" (Psalms 106:5); "Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up Your might, and come for our salvation" (Psalms 80:3).

"Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands" (Psalms 102:25). The House of Shammai and the House of Hillel. The House of Hillel say: The earth was created first, and afterward the heavens were created. And the House of Shammai say: The heavens were created first, and afterward the earth was created. These bring a reason for their words, [and these bring a reason for their words]. According to the opinion of the House of Hillel, who say the earth was created first and afterward the heavens were created: [a parable] of a king who built himself a palace. When he had built the lower parts, [afterward] he built the upper parts; "in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven" (Genesis 2:4). According to the opinion of the House of Shammai, who say the heavens were created first and afterward the earth was created: [a parable] of a king who made himself a throne; once he had made it, he made his footstool. [Thus said the Holy One, blessed be He:] "The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool" (Isaiah 66:1). Rabbi Yose bar Rabbi Chanina said: Scripture supports the House of Shammai. Rabbi Chanina said: Wherever Scripture supports the words of the House of Shammai, from there the House of Hillel remove them. "In the beginning God created" etc. "and the earth was" (Genesis 1:1-2) — the earth already was. Rabbi Yochanan in the name of the Sages: For creation, the heavens came first; for the completion, the earth came first. Rabbi Tanchuma said: I will state the reason. For creation, the heavens came first — "In the beginning God created" etc. For the completion, the earth came first — "in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven." Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: I am astonished how the fathers of the world, the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel, disputed over the creation of heaven and earth. [Rather I say] that the heavens and the earth were created only like a pot and its lid, as it is said, "Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together" (Isaiah 48:13). Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon said: If it is as my father said, sometimes it puts the heavens before the earth, and sometimes it puts the earth before the heavens. In every place it puts the heavens before the earth, but in one place it says "in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven" (Genesis 2:4) — this tells that the two of them are equal to one another. In every place it puts Moses before Aaron, but in one place it says "that is Aaron and Moses" (Exodus 6:26) — this tells that the two of them are equal to one another. In every place it puts Abraham before Isaac and Isaac before Jacob, but in one place it says "then will I remember my covenant with Jacob" etc. (Leviticus 26:42) — this tells that the three of them are equal to one another. "They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment" (Psalms 102:26). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: They wear out, but You do not wear out. "There is none holy as the LORD, for there is none beside thee (ki ein biltekha)" (1 Samuel 2:2) — [read it] "there is no wearing-out of You (ki ein biloteikha)."

"His head is finest gold, etc." (Song of Songs 5:11). "His head" — this is the Torah, as it is said, "The LORD made me the beginning of His way, etc." (Proverbs 8:22). "Finest gold" — these are the words of Torah, as it is said, "more desirable than gold, than much fine gold" (Psalms 19:11), things that were created from "in the beginning," engraved in finest gold. For Rabbi Chunya said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: Two thousand years did the Torah precede the creation of the world. And what is the reason? "Then I was beside Him as a nursling, and I was His delight day by day" (Proverbs 8:30); and a day of the Holy One, blessed be He, is a thousand years, as it is written, "For a thousand years in Your eyes are like yesterday when it has passed" (Psalms 90:4). "His locks" — this is the ruling of the lines. "Black as a raven" — these are the letters. Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua: by whom are they upheld? By one who blackens (rises early) and darkens (stays late) over them. Whence sustenance? "Who prepares for the raven its prey?" (Job 38:41). Rabbi Shmuel bar Immi said: words of Torah require blackening and darkening (early rising and late staying). Rabbi Shmuel bar Immi said: Know that it is so, for behold, because Elijah, may he be remembered for good, blackened and darkened over them, did He not already appoint for him ravens with bread and meat, as it is written, "And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening" (1 Kings 17:6)? Rabbi Shmuel bar Immi said: words of Torah require blackening and darkening. Whence sustenance? "Who prepares for the raven its prey?" — if a person does not become cruel toward his sons and toward the members of his household like the raven, he is not worthy of words of Torah. Rav Assi had a matter, and he saw a certain raven. It made a nest, made eggs, made chicks. It took them and put them in a single pot and shut their entrance for three days. After three days he opened their entrance to know what they were doing. He found them producing dung, and their dung produced gnats, and they were flying and they were eating. And he read concerning them this verse: "Who prepares for the raven its prey, etc." Rabbi Yochanan said: the throat (chanting) of Torah is only at night, as it is written, "Arise, cry out in the night" (Lamentations 2:19). Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: by day and by night, as it is written, "And you shall meditate on it day and night" (Joshua 1:8). Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish was expounding a verse, and when he reached this verse, "She rises while it is yet night" (Proverbs 31:15), he would say: well did Rabbi Yochanan teach me. He turned back and said: you see — my learning shines in my face, both for that which is of the night and of the day.

Rabbi Chanan interpreted it concerning a mound of earth. One who is a fool says, "Who is able to clear away this?" One who is clever, what does he say? "Behold, I will clear away two basketfuls today and two basketfuls tomorrow, until I have cleared all of it." So too, one who is a fool says, "Who is able to undertake to learn the whole Torah? Nezikin is thirty chapters, Kelim is thirty chapters!" One who is clever, what does he say? (Others have not learned Torah) "Behold, I will learn two laws today and two laws tomorrow, until I have learned the whole Torah." Rabbi Yochanan said, "Wisdom is too high for a fool" (Proverbs 24:7). Rabbi Yannai said: It is like a loaf pierced and hanging in the air of a house. One who is a fool says, "How can I take it down?" The clever one, what does he say? "Did not another hang it up? Behold, I will bring two reeds and join this one to that one and bring it down." So too, one who is a fool, what does he say? "Who is able to learn the Torah that is in the heart of a sage?" One who is clever, what does he say? "And he did not learn it long ago? Behold, I will learn two laws today and two laws tomorrow, until I learn as much as he." Rabbi Levi said: It is like a perforated cask, and the owners hired laborers to fill it. One who is a fool, what does he say? "What benefit is there for me, that I put into this one and it goes out from that one?" One who is clever, what does he say? "Do I not receive the wage for every single barrel?" So too, one who is a fool, what does he say? "What benefit is there for me, that I learn Torah and forget it?" One who is clever, what does he say? "Does not the Holy One, blessed be He, give the wage for the toil?" Rabbi Ze'eira said: Even the matters that you see as thorns in the Torah are heaps upon heaps of heaps, and they are able to destroy the world and to make it into a mound. This is what is written, "And it shall be a mound forever" (Deuteronomy 13:17).

It is written, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4). If you make the dalet into a resh, you destroy the world. It is written, "For you shall not bow down to another god" (Exodus 34:14); if you make the resh into a dalet, you destroy the world. "And you shall not profane My holy name" (Leviticus 22:32); if you make the chet into a heh, you destroy the world. It is written, "Let every soul praise Yah, halleluyah" (Psalms 150:6); if you make the heh into a chet, you destroy the world. It is written, "They have denied the LORD" (Jeremiah 5:12); if you make the bet into a kaf, you destroy the world. It is written, "There is none holy as the LORD" (1 Samuel 2:2); if you make the kaf into a bet, you destroy the world. "For there is none besides You" (ibid.) — "for there is none apart from You."

Rabbi Yochanan in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says: "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made, etc. [nothing is too hard for You]" (Jeremiah 32:17). Rabbi Berechiah in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak said: "And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father [and serve Him] with a whole heart and a willing soul, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every imagination of the thoughts" (1 Chronicles 28:9). Before the thing formed has been formed, its thought is revealed before Him. Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: Before a thought has been formed in the heart of a person, it is revealed before You. Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Yirmeyah: "For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O LORD, You know it altogether" (Psalms 139:4). Before my tongue has taken possession of speech, lo, O LORD, You know it altogether. ("There is none holy as the LORD, for there is none beside You" — for there is no wearing-out of You.)

"And there is no Rock like our God" (I Samuel 2:2). Flesh and blood cannot fashion a form within a form, but the Holy One, blessed be He, fashioned man within his mother's womb. Flesh and blood cannot fashion a form within water, but the Holy One, blessed be He, fashioned a form within water, as it is said, "And God said: Let the waters swarm" (Genesis 1:20). Flesh and blood requires several pigments, but the Holy One, blessed be He, fashioned man from a single pigment: this orb of the eye is black, and its surround is white, and the teeth are white, and their surround is red. Flesh and blood fashions a form, and its form outlasts him, but the Holy One, blessed be He, outlasts His form, "There is none holy like the Lord, for there is none besides You" (I Samuel 2:2) — read it "for none outlasts You." Flesh and blood fashions a form and puts plaster into his pigments, but the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so; rather, "and You are familiar with all my ways" (Psalms 139:3). Flesh and blood fashions a form, and it does not move from its place, but the Holy One, blessed be He, fashioned man, and he walks from one end of the world to the other. Flesh and blood fashions a form, and it neither sees nor hears, but the Holy One, blessed be He, fashioned man, and he sees and he hears. Flesh and blood fashions a form, and he cannot make it in darkness, but the Holy One, blessed be He, fashions a form in darkness, "When I was made in secret" (Psalms 139:15). Flesh and blood fashions a form, and he cannot make for it a back, but the Holy One, blessed be He, fashions a form and makes for it a back, "You have formed me behind and before" (Psalms 139:5). Flesh and blood fashions a form, and he cannot make for it innards, but the Holy One, blessed be He, fashions a form and makes for it innards, "and all my innards, His holy name" (Psalms 103:1). Shmuel bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: two things no sorcerer can make, nor can any painter make them, and both of them praise the Holy One, blessed be He, and these are they: the soul and the innards. This is what David said, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all my innards, His holy name" (Psalms 103:1). Flesh and blood fashions a form, and its form does not praise him, but the Holy One, blessed be He — His form praises Him, "Let every soul praise the Lord" (Psalms 150:6). Rabbi Krispa in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: flesh and blood, when he comes to fashion a form, begins from its head, or from its ears, or from one of all its limbs, until he completes it; but the Holy One, blessed be He, fashions all of man at once, as it is said, "For He is the Fashioner of all" (Jeremiah 10:16). Thus, "and there is no Rock like our God" — and there is no Fashioner like our God.

"Multiply not, speak not so very high, high" (1 Samuel 2:3) — this speaks of Nebuchadnezzar, who answered and said, "Lo, I see four men... and the form of the fourth is like a son of God" (Daniel 3:25). Rabbi Pinchas in the name of Rabbi Reuven: At that hour an angel descended from heaven and struck him, and said to him, "Wicked one, putrid drop, retract your words! And does He have a son?" Immediately he answered and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who sent His angel" (Daniel 3:28) — "who sent His son" is not written here, but "who sent His angel." Rabbi Reuven said: he was an attendant of His own.

"Let arrogance come out of your mouth" (1 Samuel 2:3). Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin, in the name of Rabbi Levi: your words contradict your words. Just as you say, "And he moved from there to the mountain" (Genesis 12:8) — the mouth that said, "Moreover, I will not let Israel go" (Exodus 5:2), is the mouth that said, "I will let you go (and your little ones)" (Exodus 8:24). The mouth that said, "Who is the LORD that I should heed His voice" (Exodus 5:2), is the mouth that said, "And Egypt said, 'Let me flee,' etc." (Exodus 14:25). The mouth that said, "I do not know the LORD" (Exodus 5:2), is the mouth that said, "The LORD is righteous, etc." (Exodus 9:27).