This source sheet was inspired by the work of Rabbi David Silber.
Before you begin this worksheet, please read I Samuel Chapter 1.
This story takes place in Shilo. Let's examine the city of Shilo. What kind of place is it? What is its history?
(כ) ויצו [וַיְצַוּ֕וּ] אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י בִנְיָמִ֖ן לֵאמֹ֑ר לְכ֖וּ וַאֲרַבְתֶּ֥ם בַּכְּרָמִֽים׃ (כא) וּרְאִיתֶ֗ם וְ֠הִנֵּה אִם־יֵ֨צְא֥וּ בְנוֹת־שִׁילוֹ֮ לָח֣וּל בַּמְּחֹלוֹת֒ וִֽיצָאתֶם֙ מִן־הַכְּרָמִ֔ים וַחֲטַפְתֶּ֥ם לָכֶ֛ם אִ֥ישׁ אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ מִבְּנ֣וֹת שִׁיל֑וֹ וַהֲלַכְתֶּ֖ם אֶ֥רֶץ בִּנְיָמִֽן׃ (כה) בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֔ם אֵ֥ין מֶ֖לֶךְ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אִ֛ישׁ הַיָּשָׁ֥ר בְּעֵינָ֖יו יַעֲשֶֽׂה׃
(20) So they instructed the Benjaminites as follows: “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards. (21) As soon as you see the girls of Shiloh coming out to join in the dances, come out from the vineyards; let each of you seize a wife from among the girls of Shiloh, and be off for the land of Benjamin... (25) In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did as he pleased.
This story comes from the Book of Judges, which directly precedes the Book of Samuel. The Benjaminites were ostracized from the other tribes for crimes they committed. They are not even permitted to marry the daughters of the other tribes. As a result, they decide to capture women at Shilo and force them into marriage. Given these events, does Shilo seem like the right place for sacred worship?
What is ancient Israel like at the end of Book of Judges? (See verse 25). How might this set the tone for the opening of the Book of Samuel?
Now that we've examined Shilo, let's examine the priests who manage the holy site.
(12) Now Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they paid no heed to the LORD. (13) This is how the priests used to deal with the people: When anyone brought a sacrifice, the priest’s boy would come along with a three-pronged fork while the meat was boiling, (14) and he would thrust it into the cauldron, or the kettle, or the great pot, or the small cooking-pot; and whatever the fork brought up, the priest would take away on it. This was the practice at Shiloh with all the Israelites who came there. (15) [But now] even before the suet was turned into smoke, the priest’s boy would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Hand over some meat to roast for the priest; for he won’t accept boiled meat from you, only raw.” (16) And if the man said to him, “Let them first turn the suet into smoke, and then take as much as you want,” he would reply, “No, hand it over at once or I’ll take it by force.” (17) The sin of the young men against the LORD was very great, for the men treated the LORD’s offerings impiously.
The sons of Eli are priests too. They're called Hofni and Phineas. They do not even wait for the sacrifices to be complete before they are snatching their portions from the people. They even resort to threatening the pilgrims with force.
Now that we have some background on the town of Shilo and the priests that work there, let's take a closer look at I Samuel Chapter 1.
Note that the text tells us the names of the priests who were serving at Shilo when Elkanah made his sacrifices. They are the corrupt sons of Eli. It is also the very same Shilo where a massive rape took place in the past.
The text says that Elkanah makes this visit every year. Why do you think Elkanah goes there to make sacrifices on a regular basis?
Notice how Elkanah's sacrifices effect his household? How do his wives react to this annual ritual?
What do you conclude about Elkanah's character from these details? It's an open ended question. You may arrive at a different conclusion than your chavruta or the others in class.
Now let's take a look at Hannah. Before we get too far into her story, let's look at other barren women in the Tanakh to get a comparison. We'll examine Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Wife of Manoach.
(ב) וַתֹּ֨אמֶר שָׂרַ֜י אֶל־אַבְרָ֗ם הִנֵּה־נָ֞א עֲצָרַ֤נִי יְהוָה֙ מִלֶּ֔דֶת בֹּא־נָא֙ אֶל־שִׁפְחָתִ֔י אוּלַ֥י אִבָּנֶ֖ה מִמֶּ֑נָּה וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע אַבְרָ֖ם לְק֥וֹל שָׂרָֽי׃
(2) And Sarai said to Abram, “Look, the LORD has kept me from bearing. Consort with my maid; perhaps I shall have a son through her.” And Abram heeded Sarai’s request.
Who is active and who is passive when these women become pregnant?
Are there characters other than humans involved in the story like angels or God?
How are their actions to become pregnant similar to Hannah's and how are they different?
Now let's see how Hannah responds to her bareness.
Hannah does not make sacrifices at Shilo. She does not intentionally interact with priests. Instead, she prays. Why does she circumvent the established system for connecting with God?
Look at I Samuel Chap. 2 for Hannah's extended prayer. She doesn't mention her bareness in the prayer. Identify the theme of her prayer. Pay particular attention to verse 10. What is it Hannah wants?
Hannah is longing for a child, yet in I Samuel 1:9 she offers to give the child up to service in the Temple. Why does she want her son to grow up in a cursed place surrounded by corrupt priests? What might she be hoping? Is her child for her benefit or for the benefit of something else?
What insights do her actions give you into Hannah's character?