Dedicated to the safety and peace of Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael. May the words of Nach uplift us and give us strength during these challenging times.

Discombobulating the Philistines

The people of Kiryas Ye'arim took the Ark and put it in the house of a man named Avinadav, where it would reside for twenty years. Shmuel then presided over a national teshuvah movement. ("Teshuvah" means repentance, or a return to G-d.) The Jews discarded their idols and turned to G-d.

At a national gathering in Mitzpah, the Philistines attacked the nation. The people cried out to Shmuel to pray for them. He did and G-d sent thunderous noises that so discombobulated the Philistines that they were easily defeated. Shmuel established a monument to the event and called it "even-ezer," meaning "the rock where G-d helped us."

After this, the Philistine threat subsided and they remained in the background for the duration of Shmuel's tenure as a Judge. Shmuel was an exceptional Judge, traveling the country to go to the people, rather than expecting them to come to him. Unfortunately, the rigors of his self-imposed routine made him old before his time.

Author: Rabbi Jack Abramowitz