Talmud Class: What Does Elkanah Teach us About How to Listen?

From the Bimah: Jewish Lessons for Life

On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, we encounter the well-meaning words of a loving husband whose consolation of his very sad wife did not work. Hannah could not get pregnant. Her husband Elkanah’s other wife Peninnah got pregnant easily and, the text notes twice, would taunt Hannah for her inability to conceive. https://files.constantcontact.com/d3875897501/3774939d-786f-4595-b167-b4fcafa95e06.pdf?rdr=true This happened year after year: Every time she [Hannah] went up to the House of the Lord, the other [Peninnah] would taunt her [Hannah], so that she wept and would not eat. Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why are you crying and why aren’t you eating? Why are you so sad? Am I not more devoted to you than ten sons? We know that Elkanah’s words did not help to heal Hannah because the story continues that, after their conversation, she went to the temple at Shiloh. “In her wretchedness, she prayed to the Lord, weeping all the while.” Elkanah meant well. He loved Hannah. According to the commentators, Elkanah was a towering figure of menschlikeit and decency. https://files.constantcontact.com/d3875897501/80f4ce7e-fa5f-4bcb-9e8f-2ab7fdbc73e0.pdf?rdr=true In an interesting quirk, he is also a grandson of Korach, the rebel who is swallowed up by the earth after unjustly challenging Moses. He made it his business to be not Korach, a decent man who brought peace. Some commentators saw him as a prophet. What do we learn from Elkanah that connects with our lives in this season of Elul? How can it be that a decent person, indeed a great person, could love somebody deeply and be so unable to respond helpfully to their pain? We will consider the Elkanah story in the context of David Brooks’ recent book How to Know a Person. https://files.constantcontact.com/d3875897501/743373e9-ac47-463c-b5a0-f800cfee73cb.pdf?rdr=true Brooks’ book is about listening. He argues that listening is a skill, and that we can get better at it. He shares personal stories of his failures to listen well, and what he (and we) can learn from them. Talmud is back in person tomorrow in room 24-25 at 8:30. While our clergy conversation on this topic will be available on our website at 8:30, those who showed up last Shabbat for Micah know how powerful and joyful it is to come back together in person. If you can show up in person, please do. We will be stronger for your personal presence. And then by all means, please listen to the clergy conversation on the same texts during the week.