Did Shemuel Come Back to Life/2

Did Shemuel Come Back to Life?

Exegetical Approaches

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Shemuel was Brought Back to Life

This opinion subdivides regarding who revived Shemuel:

By Ba'alat Ha'Ov

Ba'alat Ha'Ov had powers to bring Shemuel back to life.

Sources: Vayikra Rabbah26:7About Vayikra Rabbah, Tanchuma (Buber)Emor 4About Tanchuma (Buber), MalbimShemuel I 28:12About R. Meir Leibush Weiser

Powers of Ba'alat Ha'Ov – According to these sources, necromancy is a real art¹ and some people have the power to bring the dead back to life. Malbim, nonetheless, limits this ability, maintaining that a necromancer can affect only the material soul which stays with the physical body for twelve months after death.  The noble, soul, however, is immune to such magic as it returns to its Creator immediately upon a person's demise.

How did Ba'alat Ha'Ov recognize Shaul? According to these sources, the dead materialize in different ways when called by a king rather than by a layman.  To greet a king, the dead will emerge from the ground with their head first, while for a regular person the legs exit first.

"וַתִּזְעַק בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל" – Malbim explains that Ba'alat Ha'Ov cried out because as soon as Shemuel emerged head first she realized that Shaul had deceived her and that she had been speaking to the king all along.

Seeing versus hearing – The verses suggest that while only Ba'alat Ha'Ov was able to see Shemuel,² Shaul was able to hear and converse with him. These sources claim that this is how necromancy works.  The one who raises the dead can see him, while the one who requested him hears his voice.

"וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל" / "וַתֵּרֶא הָאִשָּׁה אֶת שְׁמוּאֵל" – These verses can be understood literally as it was really Shemuel who appeared to the woman and spoke to Shaul.

Knowledge of past and future – Since Shemuel himself was speaking, he had full knowledge of past events. In addition, as a prophet, he could tell Shaul what was to occur in the future.

Shemuel's anger – Shemuel is upset about being resurrected since the dead are not meant to be brought back to life by black magic.

By Hashem

Hashem, not Ba'alat Ha'Ov, revived Shemuel.

Sources: R. Saadia GaonIn Radak Shemuel I 28:24In Abarbanel Shemuel I 28:11In R. Shemuel b. Chofni Gaon (Ginzei Sechter 1 p. 299-300)About R. Saadia Gaon, R. Hai GaonIn Radak Shemuel I 28:24In Abarbanel Shemuel I 28:11About R. Hai Gaon

Powers of Ba'alat HaOv – According to this position, humans do not have the ability to bring back the dead and the Ba'alat Ha'Ov normally only tricked people into believing that she did.

"וַתִּזְעַק בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל" – As the Ba'alat Ha'Ov had never in her life revived someone from the dead she was shocked that Shemuel had come back to life, and screamed in terror upon seeing him.

How did Ba'alat Ha'Ov recognize Shaul? The fact that a miracle occurred might have led her to conclude that the person seeking Shemuel must have been important enough to merit one, leading her to recognize Shaul.

"אֱלֹהִים רָאִיתִי עֹלִים מִן הָאָרֶץ" – Abarbanel suggests that according to this position the Ba'alat Ha'Ov referred to Shemuel as "Elokim" because she recognized the hand of God in the resurrection.

"Whom shall I raise" – Abarbanel questions this approach on the grounds that the woman's invitation, "whom shall I raise for you" assumes that she had such capabilities.³  These commentators would respond that this was simply part of her deception, a way of convincing her clients to believe in her abilities.

Description of Shemuel – The woman is able to describe Shemuel accurately since she was really seeing him.

"וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל שָׁאוּל" – R. Saadia points to this phrase as proof that Shemuel had been resurrected, for if this was just the necromancer pretending to be Shemuel, how could the narrator write, "and Shemuel spoke"?

Knowledge of past and future – Shemuel, as a prophet revived by Hashem, could easily refer back to events that had happened in the past and also foretell the future.

Why speak to Shaul in this manner? R. Chofni Gaon⁴ questions, if Hashem revived Shemuel so as to share with Shaul what was to occur during the war, why did He not more simply answer Shaul through the permitted methods (prophecy or dreams) that Shaul had sought to begin with!  In addition, such a method had the added danger of leading people to believe that a necromancer really could bring back the dead!

Shemuel's Soul Lived On

Sources: R. Shemuel b. Eli

A Demon was Created

Ba'alat Ha'Ov had a demon cling to Shemuel's body

Sources: AugustineIn Abarbanel Shemuel I 28:11About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, AbarbanelShemuel I 28:11About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel

Powers of Ba'alat HaOv

The Demon

Usages of the Ov in Tanakh

Shemuel speaking

Shemuel's prophecy

No One Came Back to Life

Ba'alat Ha'ov's Trickery

Ba'alat Ha'Ov pretended that she saw and heard Shemuel, leading Shaul to believe that Shemuel had been brought back to life.

Sources: R. Shemuel b. Chofni GaonGinzei Sechter 1 p. 299-300In Radak Shemuel I 28:24In Abarbanel Shemuel I 28:11About R. Shemuel b. Chofni Gaon

Powers of Ba'alat Ha'Ov – According to this position all necromancers are frauds who deceive their clients into believing that they have resurrected someone.

How did she fool Shaul? According to R. Shemuel b. Chofni  Gaon (as brought by Radak) the woman simply pretended that she saw Shemuel and arranged for another person to hide and speak in a low voice to sound like the prophet. Alternatively, she disguised her own voice and used ventriloquism to throw the sound so it appeared to emerge from a different place.  Since Shaul was already anxious and strongly desired to speak to Shemuel, he was deceived.⁵

How did Ba'alat Ha'Ov know who Shaul was? R. Shemuel b. Chofni Gaon (as brought by Radak) asserts that Ba'alat HaOv had recognized Shaul immediately after he arrived. However, she kept this knowledge to herself until later so that Shaul would think that she identified him only through supernatural powers.

"וַתִּזְעַק בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל" – The lady's loud cry was part of the ruse to suggest that it was her magic which revealed that the person requesting Shemuel was Shaul.

Describing Shemuel – The Ba'alat Ha'Ov might have seen Shemuel while he was alive and thus had no problem describing him to Shaul even though she did not revive him.  However, even if she had never seen the prophet, the description she gives is very vague, and probably true of any number of people.⁶

"וַיֵּדַע שָׁאוּל כִּי שְׁמוּאֵל הוּא" – R. Shemuel b. Chofni Gaon maintains that the verse can say that Shaul "knew" it was Shemuel even though it was not really him because the root "ידע" can also mean to believe.⁷

"וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל" – R. Saadia questions that if the conversation took place between Shaul and Ba'alat Ha'Ov (and not Shemuel), how can the verse say "וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל".  R. Chofni Gaon responds that this is simply a short way for the verse to say that Ba'alat Ha'Ov said her speech in the name of Shemuel.⁸  Alternatively, the verse is speaking from the perspective of Shaul⁹ who believed that Shemuel was talking.¹⁰

Knowledge of past – R. Chofni posits that Shemuel's earlier prophecy that Hashem would cut Shaul's dynasty and that Hashem had left him was public knowledge. So, too, were his sins and the fact that David was supposed to be his successor.  As such, Ba'alat Ha'Ov could speak of these facts.

Knowledge of future – Since the Ba'alat Ha'ov was aware of both the Philistines' strength and Shaul's low morale and state of mind, she guessed that Israel was to lose the coming battle and that Shaul would die. Her words were not proof that she was privy to some esoteric knowledge but simply an educated guess.

Shaul's Imagination

Shaul only imagined that Shemuel had returned from the dead.

Sources: RalbagShemuel I 28:8Shemuel I 28:19About R. Levi b. Gershom¹¹

Powers of Ba'alat Ha'Ov – According to Ralbag, the power of the Ba'alat ha'Ov lay in her ability to awaken and strengthen the imagination so that a person seeking to speak with the dead would imagine a conversation on the topic he desired.

The role of Ba'alat Ha'Ov – Abarbanel questions why, according to this theory, Shaul needed to visit the Ba'alat Ha'Ov rather than simply find a place of solitude in which to sit alone with his thoughts and imaginings. 

Shaul imagining a prophecy – According to the approach one has to explain how did Shaul imagine something in the future? Ralbag explains that Shaul had some prophetic power that told him he will die. In addition Shaul knew that Hashem left him and was thinking of his death so it is not hard to say that he imagined Shemuel telling him about his death.

Prophecy

Powers of evil

Why by Ba'alat HaOv – Abarbanel asks why did Shaul need to go to Ba'alat HaOv to imagine what will happen. Ralbag says that Ba'alat HaOv told the Shaul the look of Shemuel which helped him start imagining that Shemuel was speaking.

Shaul believing in his imagination – Abarbanel questions that Shaul would differentiate between his imagination and what is really happening and saying this would make Shaul into a sickly person.

Ba'alat HaOv knowing Shaul – Ba'alat HaOv guessed that the only person asking for Shemuel would have been Shaul.

¹ Malbim points out that the Talmud suggests that such magic was still practiced in its time.

² Thus, Shaul must ask her whom she sees.

³ Radak similarly points out that the very fact that Shaul sought her presumes that she had the power to actually revive Shemuel.  This position would respond that Shaul's personal beliefs as to the abilities of the Ba'alat Ha'Ov were simply wrong.

⁴ See also Radak and Abarbanel.

⁵ Abarbanel nonetheless casts doubts as to how Shaul, an intelligent leader, could be so foolish as to be tricked by the Ba'alat Ha'Ov if she really had no powers.  However, the very fact that Shaul sought out the lady presumes that he believed in her capabilities, in which case it would be much easier to mislead him. Moreover his anxious state, and his dread regarding what the battle might bring, meant that he was not in top form to discern fraud from reality.

⁶ The fact that it persuaded Shaul that she in fact revived the prophet is somewhat surprising (and might suggest that his desire that the act be true was more important than any real proof.)

⁷ In truth, all of these positions would likely explain the verse in this manner since at the point when the narrator shares this, Shaul has neither seen nor heard Shemuel, and has only listened to the Ba'alat Ha'Ov's description of him. Thus, according to no one could Shaul really have "known" for a fact who had appeared.

⁸ R. Saadia argues that if any time the text says "and he said" a reader can posit that it is really another person speaking, this will lead people to play havoc with the text and distort its meaning. R. Chofni responds that in general the simple understanding of a verse should always be maintained; it is only when a verse cannot be upheld by logic (such as our case which speaks of the dead talking) that there is room for reinterpretation. He points to Shofetim 9:13, which speaks of various plants talking, as another example where most readers would be comfortable reading the verse non-literally..

⁹ As another example of a verse which is written from the perspective of a character's beliefs rather than reality, he points to Yehoshua 2:7, which speaks of the king's servants chasing after Yehoshua's spies ("וְהָאֲנָשִׁים רָדְפוּ אַחֲרֵיהֶם") when in reality the spies were still in hiding by Rachav.

¹⁰ He would likely explain the language of "And she saw Shemuel" in the same way, that the verse is either written from the point of view of Shaul or means that that she pretended to see Shaul.

¹¹ See also RambamHilkhot Avodah Zarah 11:16Hilkhot Avodah Zarah 6:1-2About R. Moshe b. Maimon who understands the general working of the Ov in this manner but does not address our chapter specifically.