Introduction: How the Kingdom Was Found
Chapter 9 of Shmuel A is a chapter of hidden providence. On the surface everything looks completely coincidental: lost donkeys, a son who sets out to look for them, a lad who suggests an idea, girls by the well, and a chance meeting at the city gate. But beneath all these "coincidences" hides one guiding hand, which leads a modest young man from the tribe of Binyamin straight to being anointed as king. The prophet opens with a genealogy, continues with a description of Shaul's qualities, and only afterward describes the chain of events that brought him to Shmuel.
The Genealogy: Kish son of Aviel, a Mighty Man of Valor
וַיְהִי אִישׁ מִבִּנְיָמִין וּשְׁמוֹ קִישׁ בֶּן אֲבִיאֵל בֶּן צְרוֹר בֶּן בְּכוֹרַת בֶּן אֲפִיחַ בֶּן אִישׁ יְמִינִי גִּבּוֹר חָיִל. - There was a man of Binyamin whose name was Kish son of Aviel, son of Tzeror, son of Bechorat, son of Afiach, son of a Benjaminite man, a mighty man of valor.
All these names are still the names of the father's ancestors, and we have not yet reached Shaul himself. Here the text lists the reasons for which the Holy One, blessed be He, chose Shaul. First, distinguished lineage: "Kish son of Aviel." Second, valor: "a mighty man of valor" - and valor in a father usually produces valor in the sons as well.
Elsewhere it is written "Ner begot Kish," and there seems to be a contradiction here: is he called Ner or Aviel? Our Sages say that Shaul's father used to light lamps for the public in dark alleyways, so that passersby would not stumble on their way. From this we see how full of good qualities he was, and that is why he was called both "Ner" and "Aviel."
"And There Was No Man Among the Children of Israel Better Than He"
וְלוֹ הָיָה בֵן וּשְׁמוֹ שָׁאוּל בָּחוּר וָטוֹב וְאֵין אִישׁ מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל טוֹב מִמֶּנּוּ מִשִּׁכְמוֹ וָמַעְלָה גָּבֹהַּ מִכָּל הָעָם. - He had a son whose name was Shaul, a choice young man and good, and there was no man among the children of Israel better than he; from his shoulders and upward he was taller than all the people.
"A choice young man and good" - even though he was still a young man, he was already good with God and with people, and was not drawn after any desire. Complete in his beauty, complete in his stature, complete in his valor: all the qualities fitting for kingship were found in him, and he was also "from his shoulders and upward taller than all the people." And some explain "bachur" from the word "nivchar" (chosen), that he was the chosen one of the nation.
This verse is a slap in the face to anyone who casts doubt on Shaul's greatness, and who raises difficulties about how he pursued David and the like. One simply cannot ignore the words "and there was no man among the children of Israel better than he." Imagine that they would say today about one person that he is the best of the nation of Israel - take all the great ones of Israel, all the righteous, all the men of high stature, and he is better than all of them. This is an immense level, and it is no wonder that it is said "Shaul was a year old when he began to reign" - like a one year old infant who had not sinned. He was an immensely righteous man.
The Loss of the Donkeys: The Catalyst Brought About by the Holy One, Blessed Be He
וַתֹּאבַדְנָה הָאֲתֹנוֹת לְקִישׁ אֲבִי שָׁאוּל וַיֹּאמֶר קִישׁ אֶל שָׁאוּל בְּנוֹ קַח נָא אִתְּךָ אֶת אַחַד מֵהַנְּעָרִים וְקוּם לֵךְ בַּקֵּשׁ אֶת הָאֲתֹנֹת. - The donkeys of Kish, Shaul's father, were lost, and Kish said to Shaul his son: Take now with you one of the lads, and arise, go search for the donkeys.
From here on the prophet describes how Shaul found the kingship, as it were, by chance, while in truth everything was guided from Heaven. By Divine providence the donkeys were lost. Logically, Kish should have sent one of the servants to search - why did he send specifically his son, who would set out on a journey with no way to keep in touch with him, and then worry about him afterward? Rather, this was how the Holy One, blessed be He, arranged it.
There is a further point to examine: "and the donkeys of Kish were lost" - it should have said "from Kish," the way one says that the wallet was lost from Reuven. Rather, the donkeys were not lost by mere chance, but on account of Kish, Shaul's father: because he was Shaul's father, the donkeys disappeared. The loss of the donkeys was nothing but a catalyst, so that Shaul would go out and search and thereby arrive at the kingship.
The Route of the Search: Singular and Plural
וַיַּעֲבֹר בְּהַר אֶפְרַיִם וַיַּעֲבֹר בְּאֶרֶץ שָׁלִשָׁה וְלֹא מָצָאוּ וַיַּעַבְרוּ בְאֶרֶץ שַׁעֲלִים וָאַיִן וַיַּעֲבֹר בְּאֶרֶץ יְמִינִי וְלֹא מָצָאוּ. - And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah but they did not find them; and they passed through the land of Shaalim, and they were not there; and he passed through the land of Yemini but they did not find them.
The verse is puzzling: at times it says "and he passed" in the singular, and at times "and they passed" in the plural - yet Shaul went with the servant. Furthermore: in the hill country of Ephraim and in the land of Shalishah it says "but they did not find them," while in the land of Shaalim it says "and they were not there." What is the difference?
The Malbim explains: at first, the Holy One, blessed be He, saw to it that they would not search in the nearby places. Logic dictates searching close by, under the lamppost, so why would they go to distant places? Rather, providence arranged it so that the searches would range farther and farther until they would ultimately arrive at Shmuel.
Furthermore: when two people set out to search, logic dictates that they split up in order to widen the range of the search. Therefore "and he passed through the hill country of Ephraim" - one of them, "and he passed through the land of Shalishah" - the other, and "they did not find them" - that is, they had a report that the donkeys were in the area, and yet they were unable to find them. By contrast, in the land of Shaalim they had no prior information that anyone had seen the donkeys there, and so they saw no need to separate from one another and went together: "and they passed." That is also why it says there "and they were not there" rather than "they did not find them," for they did not go there primarily to search, but rather from the outset there was nothing there. And in the land of Yemini they again heard that donkeys had been seen there, and so again "and he passed" - they split up, and there too "they did not find them," because there was a place to find something there.
The Land of Tzuf: The Idea to Return Comes Precisely at the Right Place
הֵמָּה בָּאוּ בְּאֶרֶץ צוּף וְשָׁאוּל אָמַר לְנַעֲרוֹ אֲשֶׁר עִמּוֹ לְכָה וְנָשׁוּבָה פֶּן יֶחְדַּל אָבִי מִן הָאֲתֹנוֹת וְדָאַג לָנוּ. - When they came to the land of Tzuf, Shaul said to his servant who was with him: Come, let us return, lest my father cease worrying about the donkeys and become anxious about us.
Shaul says to his servant: soon my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and begin worrying about us. There are no means of communication, so it is best that we return. And what is "the land of Tzuf"? The Targum renders it "the land in which the prophet is" - a land where the prophet is found. And Tzuf is from the word tzofeh, one who watches. And here is the providence: precisely at the place where the prophet dwelt, the idea to return flashed within them. Had the idea arisen earlier, they would have turned back without reaching the prophet, and in the end the kingship would have been lost.
"And the man is honored": To Whom Does One Go to Inquire
וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ הִנֵּה נָא אִישׁ אֱלֹהִים בָּעִיר הַזֹּאת וְהָאִישׁ נִכְבָּד כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר בּוֹא יָבוֹא עַתָּה נֵלְכָה שָּׁם אוּלַי יַגִּיד לָנוּ אֶת דַּרְכֵּנוּ אֲשֶׁר הָלַכְנוּ עָלֶיהָ. - And he said to him: Behold now, there is a man of God in this city, and the man is honored; all that he says surely comes to pass. Now let us go there; perhaps he will tell us about our way on which we have gone.
The lad tells him: there is a man of God here, a prophet, "and the man is honored." There are those who foretell the future but are not honored people - sorcerers, magicians and all kinds of evil sorts. Even if you obtain what you seek through them, it is not to your credit to go to such a person. But here it is a man of God, and to inquire of him is itself an honor, for you have gone to a prophet, to a great man. "All that he speaks surely comes to pass" - it is not empty words, but everything he says is fulfilled.
"Our way that we have gone upon"
The wording is puzzling: he should have said "our way that we shall go upon," since they want to know where to find the donkeys. But the masters of mussar explain: one who went to the prophet to search for his lost object, the prophet would tell him what caused the donkeys to be lost, what the root of the matter was. He would say to him: you have a flaw in the matter of the mitzvah of tefillin, and because of that it points in the upper worlds to such and such, and therefore your donkeys were lost.
So it was with Rabbi Chaim Vital and the holy Arizal: for every single thing the Arizal would tell him from what and about what. His shoulder ached, and he told him: "immediately" - you must recite the blessing immediately after the washing, and you made an interruption between the final waters and the blessing. They ask him about a shoulder ache, and he does not say take an ointment, but reveals the spiritual roots that caused the matter. And this is the lad's intent: we will not ask the prophet for a prescription of where to find the donkeys, but let him tell us "our way that we have gone upon" - where we erred until now, in what we did not act properly, what caused the reality that we lost the donkeys.
What one brings to a prophet: payment for effort and a gift
וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל לְנַעֲרוֹ וְהִנֵּה נֵלֵךְ וּמַה נָּבִיא לָאִישׁ כִּי הַלֶּחֶם אָזַל מִכֵּלֵינוּ וּתְשׁוּרָה אֵין לְהָבִיא לְאִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים מָה אִתָּנוּ. - And Shaul said to his lad: but behold, if we go, what shall we bring to the man? For the bread is gone from our vessels, and there is no gift to bring to the man of God. What do we have?
Incidentally, it is possible that from here, in passing, they called the prophet "navi," since everyone who went to him would say "what shall we bring (navi) to him." But the essence of the name navi is from the expression "niv sefatayim" (the utterance of the lips), and "niv" is a term of produce - the produce of the lips, speech. The prophet's lips would produce information about the future and lofty spiritual matters, and therefore he is called navi.
And why the repetition? He said "what shall we bring to the man, for the bread is gone from our vessels" - and that would suffice; why add "and there is no gift to bring to the man of God, what do we have"? The Malbim explains: there are two situations in which the prophet receives a gift from the hand of those who turn to him. The first, payment for the effort itself: the prophet delves deeply, contemplates, secludes himself and meditates so that prophecy may rest upon him, and sometimes this would take time, and they would even bring a musician to play before him so that prophecy would rest upon him, as we find with Elisha. For the time and the effort it is fitting to pay, and it makes no difference who the person is and what his rank.
The second situation is a gift: when an honored person comes to the prophet, he gives according to the standing of the giver and the receiver. A king or an important minister would not suffice with a paltry sum for the seclusion, but gives a gift befitting the standing of the visitor. And this is Shaul's intent: if we need to pay for his effort - we do not even have bread. And I, being an important person, need not only payment for effort but also a gift - and a gift we have none at all, for even the payment for effort is lacking.
וַיֹּסֶף הַנַּעַר לַעֲנוֹת אֶת שָׁאוּל וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה נִמְצָא בְיָדִי רֶבַע שֶׁקֶל כָּסֶף וְנָתַתִּי לְאִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים וְהִגִּיד לָנוּ אֶת דַּרְכֵּנוּ. - And the lad answered Shaul again and said: behold, I have in my hand a quarter shekel of silver, and I will give it to the man of God, and he will tell us our way.
And the Malbim was precise: the lad says "and I will give" and not "and you will give" or "and we will give." And the explanation: if you, Shaul, go to appear before him - you are right, you are an important person and need a gift which you do not have. But if I, the lad, give of my own - there is no problem, for I am a simple person, and a simple person who comes to ask of the prophet gives a paltry sum and it is enough, for this is merely payment for effort. Therefore: you go to him as a simple person, and I will give.
For what it is fitting to pay
This concept is familiar to us today from the world of the "babas," and for that reason it is repulsive to us, so it requires explanation. The Gemara says that it is forbidden to take payment for teaching Torah, but on the other hand it is permitted to take "sechar batalah" (compensation for lost time), or payment for teaching the cantillation of the text. What is sechar batalah? The very fact that a person set aside two hours for you, when he could have engaged in other things and earned large sums. And for the most part the amount requested does not even reach ten percent of his true sechar batalah, each person according to what he could have done in that time.
And a second point: when you collect payment from a person, even a minimal amount, he learns to value what was done for him. Rav Simcha Cohen once said: someone who comes to counsel a couple and to make peace in the home should never do so for free. If your intent is for the sake of Heaven, charge a hundred shekels and not five hundred, but charge. Why? "The wisdom of the poor man is despised." What comes for free, a person says: fine, moving on. But what I paid for creates a commitment: this is something I want, and not someone who has entered my life trying to help while I push him away. It is like, lehavdil, one who goes to a psychologist and pays him to help solve his problems. Reality proves it: among those who pay, the peace in the home holds, they come back and stay in touch with the counselor; and whoever did not pay, the matter came and went and is no more, and he relates to it accordingly.
And so we find in the Gemara that someone once asked a sage a question, and the sage wanted to answer him, but first said to him: what will you do for me? Carry my clothes to the bathhouse. Perform some service for me, attend to me. When I make an effort in order to receive, I value what I received; without effort, there is no appreciation. And there is also a deeper explanation in this: in matters of Torah, what is acquired without investment is worth nothing. Effort is required in order to be in the category of a recipient, and a student's service to his teacher shows that I nullify my view before him, and through this I become a vessel to receive, and what he gives has an effect on me.
"For the prophet of today was formerly called the seer"
לְפָנִים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כֹּה אָמַר הָאִישׁ בְּלֶכְתּוֹ לִדְרוֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים לְכוּ וְנֵלְכָה עַד הָרֹאֶה כִּי לַנָּבִיא הַיּוֹם יִקָּרֵא לְפָנִים הָרֹאֶה. - Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he would say: come, let us go to the seer, for the prophet of today was formerly called the seer.
Seemingly, what is the point of this remark here, and why should we care what he was once called and what he is called today? Rather, the navi is called navi from the word niv sefatayim (expression of the lips), on account of speech, for his main role was to speak and to rebuke. And for that reason the prophets were hated by people: "I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to those who pluck the hair, I did not hide my face from insults and spitting": they suffered terrible disgraces because of the harsh prophecies they spoke. The navi was not occupied with private, personal questions, but with rebukes.
But formerly in Israel it was not so. Back then the prophet was called "the seer," for he did not come to rebuke the people for their sins, but to see hidden things on their behalf, to assist them in their questions and problems. They did not need much rebuke, and so they did not flee from him, but rather "when a man went to inquire of God" he would say, "come, let us go to the seer." Whereas in the time when he was in the category of navi, when a person would come to him the navi would open with: do you think I do not know what you did yesterday? And he would begin with rebuke, and therefore they would flee from him. The verse comes to tell us: know that in their time they went willingly, because it was a "seer" who gives solutions and not rebukes.
וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל לְנַעֲרוֹ טוֹב דְּבָרְךָ לְכָה נֵלֵכָה וַיֵּלְכוּ אֶל הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר שָׁם אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים. - And Shaul said to his servant: your word is good, come, let us go; and they went to the city where the man of God was.
"Your word is good": your advice is good. And he did not say merely "let us go" but "come, let us go": you go, and I will accompany you. For this was the main idea: if Shaul came as a master and a boss, he would be obligated to bring a gift; but if the servant came, a small offering would suffice.
A sage is preferable to a prophet
And one must know that the navi did not know everything. The navi knows only what was conveyed to him from Hashem; and what was not conveyed to him, he does not know. On this Gechazi relied when he went and took the silver and gold from Naaman: he relied on the possibility that the Holy One, blessed be He, would not reveal it to Elisha. And for this Elisha rebuked him and said to him: do you not know that I know what you do in secret? For the matter had been revealed to him from Heaven. From here we learn that "a sage is preferable to a prophet": the sage is wise always, whereas the prophet only at times: what was conveyed to him, he knows; what was not conveyed to him, he does not know. The sage you may ask about anything, and by the greatness of his wisdom he will arrive at the correct result; but the prophet, if he did not receive prophecy, has no knowledge of the matter.
The maidens by the well: length that has content
הֵמָּה עֹלִים בְּמַעֲלֵה הָעִיר וְהֵמָּה מָצְאוּ נְעָרוֹת יֹצְאוֹת לִשְׁאֹב מָיִם וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָהֶן הֲיֵשׁ בָּזֶה הָרֹאֶה. - As they were going up the ascent to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water, and they said to them: Is the seer here?
וַתַּעֲנֶינָה אוֹתָם וַתֹּאמַרְנָה יֵּשׁ הִנֵּה לְפָנֶיךָ מַהֵר עַתָּה כִּי הַיּוֹם בָּא לָעִיר כִּי זֶבַח הַיּוֹם לָעָם בַּבָּמָה. כְּבֹאֲכֶם הָעִיר כֵּן תִּמְצְאוּן אֹתוֹ בְּטֶרֶם יַעֲלֶה הַבָּמָתָה לֶאֱכֹל כִּי לֹא יֹאכַל הָעָם עַד בֹּאוֹ כִּי הוּא יְבָרֵךְ הַזֶּבַח אַחֲרֵי כֵן יֹאכְלוּ הַקְּרֻאִים וְעַתָּה עֲלוּ כִּי אֹתוֹ כְהַיּוֹם תִּמְצְאוּן אֹתוֹ. - They answered them and said: He is here, right before you. Hurry now, for today he has come to the city, because there is a sacrifice today for the people at the high place. As you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes, since he blesses the sacrifice, and afterward those who are invited eat. So go up now, for you will find him just at this time.
Why all this length? It would have been enough to say "he is here." There are three explanations. The first: Shaul was handsome and tall, and the young women wanted to feast their eyes on him, and therefore they spoke at length. The second, from Chazal: the hour had not yet arrived when Shaul was to meet the prophet and be anointed, and Heaven needed to delay him. Therefore they sent the young women to speak at length with them so that they would be delayed and not arrive before their time.
The Malbim explains that this is not mere length, for the prophet writes only what has meaning. Their statement includes several elements, and each detail is important in itself. First, "he is right before you" - you will find him easily. Second, "hurry now" - do not rely and say: he is here, I will come tomorrow or the day after, meanwhile I will go sleep and wash. Third, "for today he has come to the city" - a person who has just arrived in the city, it is not proper conduct to trouble him immediately, rather one should let him rest. Therefore precisely now, before he sits down to rest, you can catch him. Fourth, "because there is a sacrifice today for the people at the high place" - and since everyone is busy preparing the sacrifice, many people are not troubling the prophet, and you will find him free to answer all your questions. Fifth, "before he goes up to the high place to eat" - for if he has already gone up to the high place, you will not be able to catch him, since he will be occupied with the people and the sacrifice and all that is involved. Sixth, so that you do not say: if not today then tomorrow. Therefore they said "so go up now, for you will find him just at this time," today specifically, for afterward they leave.
The Precise Timing
וַיַּעֲלוּ הָעִיר הֵמָּה בָּאִים בְּתוֹךְ הָעִיר וְהִנֵּה שְׁמוּאֵל יֹצֵא לִקְרָאתָם לַעֲלוֹת הַבָּמָה. - They went up to the city, and as they were coming into the city, behold, Shmuel was coming out toward them to go up to the high place.
See the precision of Divine providence: exactly at the moment they enter the city, Shmuel goes out to go up to the high place.
וַה' גָּלָה אֶת אֹזֶן שְׁמוּאֵל יוֹם אֶחָד לִפְנֵי בוֹא שָׁאוּל לֵאמֹר. - Now Hashem had revealed to Shmuel one day before Shaul came, saying:
כָּעֵת מָחָר אֶשְׁלַח אֵלֶיךָ אִישׁ מֵאֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן וּמְשַׁחְתּוֹ לְנָגִיד עַל עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת עַמִּי מִיַּד פְּלִשְׁתִּים כִּי רָאִיתִי אֶת עַמִּי כִּי בָּאָה צַעֲקָתוֹ אֵלָי. - At this time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Binyamin, and you shall anoint him as ruler over My people Yisrael, and he shall save My people from the hand of the Pelishtim, for I have seen My people, because their cry has come to Me.
One day beforehand the Holy One, blessed be He, informs Shmuel. And the cry that was accepted is the cry about the war: the Pelishtim are fighting them, and they are not sufficiently united because they have no king. Therefore "and he shall save My people from the hand of the Pelishtim." This is the claim that was accepted. For in the previous lesson we saw that at first their request could be understood as a desire for a king to lead them "like all the nations," and afterward they corrected their demand.
וּשְׁמוּאֵל רָאָה אֶת שָׁאוּל וַה' עָנָהוּ הִנֵּה הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתִּי אֵלֶיךָ זֶה יַעְצֹר בְּעַמִּי. - When Shmuel saw Shaul, Hashem told him: Behold the man of whom I spoke to you, this one shall restrain My people.
The moment Shmuel saw Shaul, he received a prophecy: this is the man. And what is "shall restrain My people"? Three aspects. The first, from the sense of restraining: he shall restrain them from the evil of their ways and their sins, so that if they wish to do evil, he will hold them back. The second, from the sense of ruling, like restraining the people in war: the king restrains the people so that they do not do whatever they please. And so we always see that when there is no king in Yisrael, "each man does what is right in his own eyes," there is no one to restrain them. The third: he shall restrain the Pelishtim from oppressing Yisrael.
"I am the seer"
וַיִּגַּשׁ שָׁאוּל אֶת שְׁמוּאֵל בְּתוֹךְ הַשָּׁעַר וַיֹּאמֶר הַגִּידָה נָּא לִי אֵי זֶה בֵּית הָרֹאֶה. - Shaul approached Shmuel within the gate and said: Tell me now, where is the house of the seer.
וַיַּעַן שְׁמוּאֵל אֶת שָׁאוּל וַיֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי הָרֹאֶה עֲלֵה לְפָנַי הַבָּמָה וַאֲכַלְתֶּם עִמִּי הַיּוֹם וְשִׁלַּחְתִּיךָ בַבֹּקֶר וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר בִּלְבָבְךָ אַגִּיד לָךְ. - Shmuel answered Shaul and said: I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, and you shall eat with me today, and in the morning I will send you off, and all that is in your heart I will tell you.
See the precision of Divine providence: whom did Shaul happen upon? Shmuel himself. The Radak says there was no arrogance here, for once he was asked where the seer was, it was impossible for him not to answer. Yet Chazal say there was a failing on Shmuel's part, the finest trace of pride, since he could have deflected and said: Ask other people, perhaps they know. And where was he punished for it? With David. When Eliav came and Shmuel said "surely the anointed of Hashem stands before Him," the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him "do not look at his appearance or at his tall stature, for I have rejected him." Chazal said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, you said "I am the seer" - by your life, in the end you will not see. Once you thought you saw, yet "man looks at the eyes, but Hashem looks at the heart."
And what is "all that is in your heart I will tell you" - do I not know what is in my own heart? Rather: all kinds of doubts you have in Torah and in wisdom, I will resolve your doubts for you.
"And to whom is all the desire of Israel"
וְלָאֲתֹנוֹת הָאֹבְדוֹת לְךָ הַיּוֹם שְׁלֹשֶׁת הַיָּמִים אַל תָּשֶׂם אֶת לִבְּךָ לָהֶם כִּי נִמְצָאוּ וּלְמִי כָּל חֶמְדַּת יִשְׂרָאֵל הֲלוֹא לְךָ וּלְכֹל בֵּית אָבִיךָ. - And as for the donkeys that were lost to you three days ago, do not set your heart upon them, for they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not to you and to all your father's house?
Shaul had not yet had a chance to speak with him about the donkeys at all, and Shmuel opens on his own: The donkeys that were lost to you three days ago - do not set your heart on them, for they have been found. These are small matters. And now to the main point: to whom is all the desire of Israel, for whom is the nation of Israel waiting - is it not for you and all your father's house? And Shaul was alarmed by the task and by the role.
וַיַּעַן שָׁאוּל וַיֹּאמֶר הֲלוֹא בֶן יְמִינִי אָנֹכִי מִקְּטַנֵּי שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמִשְׁפַּחְתִּי הַצְּעִרָה מִכָּל מִשְׁפְּחוֹת שִׁבְטֵי בִנְיָמִן וְלָמָּה דִּבַּרְתָּ אֵלַי כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה. - Shaul answered and said: Am I not a Benjaminite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Binyamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?
And why is Binyamin "the smallest of the tribes of Israel"? Recall the concubine of Givah that we just learned: in its wake only six hundred men remained of the tribe of Binyamin, while the other tribes numbered thousands and hundreds of thousands. And not only were they few, but they were also despised in the eyes of the people - these were the tribe of Binyamin who did those terrible deeds. And even within the hierarchy of the tribe we are not of high standing: "and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Binyamin." If so, "why have you spoken to me in this way" - what are you talking about?
The meal: the reserved portion
וַיִּקַּח שְׁמוּאֵל אֶת שָׁאוּל וְאֶת נַעֲרוֹ וַיְבִיאֵם לִשְׁכָּתָה וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם מָקוֹם בְּרֹאשׁ הַקְּרוּאִים וְהֵמָּה כִּשְׁלֹשִׁם אִישׁ. - Shmuel took Shaul and his lad and brought them into the chamber, and gave them a place at the head of those invited, and they were about thirty men.
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל לַטַּבָּח תְּנָה אֶת הַמָּנָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לָךְ אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתִּי אֵלֶיךָ שִׂים אֹתָהּ עִמָּךְ. - And Shmuel said to the cook, Bring the portion that I gave you, of which I said to you, Set it aside with you.
Shmuel brings Shaul and his lad into the chamber and seats them at the head of the invited guests. And what is a "tabach"? We discussed this in the previous lesson with two interpretations: either a slaughterer, from the expression "slaughter an animal and prepare it"; and some say, following the Radak, that it is like the Arabic usage, for in Arabic "tabach" means a cook - as in the matter of "and your daughters he will take for perfumers and for cooks," with which Shmuel warned the people about the law of the king. Shmuel says to him: the portion that I kept aside and told you was designated for a special person who would come, bring it.
וַיָּרֶם הַטַּבָּח אֶת הַשּׁוֹק וְהֶעָלֶיהָ וַיָּשֶׂם לִפְנֵי שָׁאוּל וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה הַנִּשְׁאָר שִׂים לְפָנֶיךָ אֱכֹל כִּי לַמּוֹעֵד שָׁמוּר לְךָ לֵאמֹר הָעָם קָרָאתִי וַיֹּאכַל שָׁאוּל עִם שְׁמוּאֵל בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא. - And the cook lifted up the thigh and what was upon it, and set it before Shaul. And he said, Behold what is left, set it before you and eat, for it has been kept for you until the appointed time, as I said, I have invited the people. So Shaul ate with Shmuel on that day.
What is "and he lifted up," and what is "behold what is left" - was this not the most special portion, and what is "kept for you until the appointed time, as I said, I have invited the people"? The Malbim explains: with peace offerings they would perform a waving and lift up the breast and the thigh, upon which were the fats, and the breast and the thigh were given to the kohanim, and they were called "remnants" - the remnants of the fire offerings, what remained of what was burned upon the altar. And on a private altar, which is not in the Mishkan but rather each person builds himself an altar in his courtyard, there was no waving there and no breast and thigh. In any case, this portion was the most honored portion among them, and it belonged to the one who recites the blessing over the offering - that is Shmuel, the important person there. For there is a special blessing that they would recite over the eating of peace offerings: "Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to eat the offering."
Therefore the cook lifted up the portion before him as a mark of elevation and honor, similar to the waving of the peace offerings that require waving before Hashem at the altar. And it is called "what is left," for this is what remained of the holy offerings of the public altar, what remained of the fire offerings of Hashem. And what is "for it has been kept for you until the appointed time, as I said, I have invited the people"? That is to say: from the moment that Shmuel told me to invite the people to the offering and I divided the portions, already then I kept this portion especially for you.
"And he spoke with Shaul on the roof"
וַיֵּרְדוּ מֵהַבָּמָה הָעִיר וַיְדַבֵּר עִם שָׁאוּל עַל הַגָּג. - And they came down from the high place into the city, and he spoke with Shaul on the roof.
They come down from the high place into the city, and Shaul enters a private conversation with Shmuel. And what was in that conversation? Rashi explains that he rebuked him and taught him to fear Hashem. The Malbim says that he revealed to him the secrets of the Torah and divine matters. And I would add by way of hint: "and he spoke with Shaul al hagag" - do not read "al hagag" (on the roof) but rather "al Agag" (about Agag). For the most critical test of Shaul was Agag king of Amalek. He said to him: Be careful, the king is commanded to destroy Agag king of Amalek, and do not cause problems with this commandment, for because of it you are liable to lose the kingship.
וַיַּשְׁכִּמוּ וַיְהִי כַּעֲלוֹת הַשַּׁחַר וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל שָׁאוּל הַגָּגָה לֵאמֹר קוּמָה וַאֲשַׁלְּחֶךָּ וַיָּקָם שָׁאוּל וַיֵּצְאוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם הוּא וּשְׁמוּאֵל הַחוּצָה. - And they rose early, and it came to pass at the break of dawn that Shmuel called to Shaul on the roof, saying, Rise up, and I will send you on your way. And Shaul rose, and the two of them went out, he and Shmuel, outside.
הֵמָּה יוֹרְדִים בִּקְצֵה הָעִיר וּשְׁמוּאֵל אָמַר אֶל שָׁאוּל אֱמֹר לַנַּעַר וְיַעֲבֹר לְפָנֵינוּ וַיַּעֲבֹר וְאַתָּה עֲמֹד כַּיּוֹם וְאַשְׁמִיעֲךָ אֶת דְּבַר אֱלֹהִים. - As they were going down at the edge of the city, Shmuel said to Shaul, Tell the lad to pass on ahead of us, and he passed on, and you stand still for a while, that I may let you hear the word of God.
In the morning they part, and it appears that the private conversation that had taken place earlier was not enough: now, as they go down at the edge of the city, they have another conversation. Shmuel says to Shaul: Tell the lad to go a few steps ahead of us so that he will not hear, for I wish to speak with you privately. And the lad passed on, and then Shmuel began to speak with him - "that I may let you hear the word of God," what Hashem commands and how to lead the people of Israel.
In summary:
The chapter opens with Shaul's lineage and his virtues - the son of a father of noble character who kindled lights for the many, a young man so fine that no one among Israel was finer than he - and continues with a chain of "coincidences" that are entirely Divine providence: donkeys of "Kish" that were lost specifically because of his son, a search that was drawn away from the near toward the far, an idea to return that arises precisely in the land of Tzuf where the prophet is, a lad who offers a quarter shekel and opens the gate, maidens who prolong their words precisely so that the timing would ripen, and a meeting at the gate with Shmuel himself. Within all these we learned the difference between a "seer" and a "prophet," the reason for payment to the one who gives counsel and instruction, the merit of "a wise man is preferable to a prophet," the precision in "I am the seer," and Shaul's humility. And above all: one who was sent to search for donkeys and found a kingdom teaches that there is no coincidence in the world, and every small step of a person is a link within a great plan that the Holy One, blessed be He, brings about.