The Rise of King Saul (Shaul)

In this first episode, we are introduced to the great prophet Shmuel (Samuel), who has led the tribes of Israel with great success. Yet now, he is faced with the request by the people to effectively replace him: to appoint a king over them. This creates a spiritual crisis and ultimately leads to the appointment of the great figure of Shaul (Saul) as the first king over Israel. We also meet Shaul's brave son Yonatan (Jonathan), who is to play a key role in the events that follow. In flushing out this story, we rely on the Talmudic insights into the events in question as well as the earlier and later sources from Jewish tradition on this history. This is the key episode that sets the stage for the epic rivalry between Shaul and David that follows. Write us at [e-mail] and support us on Patreon at thekingsofisraelpod