Eli Rebukes his Sons

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1. Shmuel in Contrast to the Sons of Eli

   Chapter 4

   Rabbi Amnon Bazak

   The structure of the paragraph highlights the difference between Shmuel, who grows into a positive character, contrasted with the deterioration of Eli's sons' Chofni and Pinchas. In addition to this contrast, the paragraph achieves an additional goal: it divides the sins committed by Eli's sons into two parts, which express two different concepts.

2. The Eternal Curse of Eli the Kohen Gadol of Shiloh

   Rabbi Daniel Wolf

   תאריך פרסום: תשע"ה | | 51 minutes

   Eli, the Kohen Gadol who accuses Channah of drunkenness in the sanctuary and, after realizing his mistake, blesses her – is later told in two different, lengthy accounts that he and his line will be cursed. Why is Eli punished so severely by God – with a curse that seems unprecedented?

   We examine the difficulties that come up in the narrative about Eli and, with assistance from a salient reference in the Book of Yirmiyahu, discover that Eli’s erroneous philosophy is the belief in an immoral, capricious god whose sole desire is to be satiated with sacrificial meat. Unlike Shmuel and Channah, who see sacrifices as symbolic and to be accompanied by tefilla and teshuva, Eli and his sons believe that sacrifices are real acts and are given to appease God.

    The Tanakh’s emphasis on the curse sends a message telling us how worship of God is meant to be carried out; that God does want us to carry out rituals, but ritual is meant to be imbibed with devotion, kedusha and morality.

3. Shmuel and the House of Eli - Of Fathers, Sons and Sacrifice

   Rabbi Chanoch Waxman

   תאריך פרסום: תשעד | |

   What was the major sin of Bnei Eli, and why do some of their sins receive apparently greater emphasis in the text? What is the significance of their abuse of the Kehuna? We examine the structural challenge of Chapter Two in Sefer Shmuel, and attempt to figure out how the "interruptions" about Shmuel and Chana integrate with  the rest of the perek. Our study brings us to excerpts from the Books of Devarim and Bereisheet, as our chapter in Sefer Shmuel teaches us about larger themes about Divine Service - and prayer - in general, as well as the more specific messages about parents and children in this chapter: Divine Service is not about taking, but rather about the radical act of giving.

4. Lesson 2: The House of Eli

   Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

   The story of King Saul is the story of a chosen leader who is put to the test and is found wanting. Eli too is a chosen leader who fails in his task. The story of Eli is a kind of prelude, foreshadowing the great tragedy of Saul.