The Talmudic Rabbis teach that Samuel was equal to Moses and Aharon for his unification of the Jewish people and strengthening them in the path of Torah. Despite this, the Jewish people opted to replace him with a king, so he anointed the humble and righteous Saul. Saul's tragic descent is the result of human weakness in the face of power, an eternal and sobering moral lesson.

• the story of Chanah and her miracle baby
• the tender relationship between Samuel and Eli
• the philosophical problem of monarchy
• the two sides of King Saul
• Why wasn't Saul the right man for the job?