Dear Rav Kornfeld,
I would appreciate knowing more about a possible underlying theme in the story of Chana praying near Eli as described in the first few pages of the 5th perek of Berachos. My son and I came up with these questions while reviewing what he is learning with his rebbe who was not able to find any more about these items. Perhaps your kollel can help us out again?
1) is Eli seeing his own faults in others?
+ per the Vilna Gaon - the imagination of one drunk causes misunderstanding --- here we see that Eli misread the Urim v'Tumim - k'Sarah vs shikara
+ Chana and Elkana and Pnina were at a feast. Was Eli at that feast? Was drink served at that feast? We know that Chana left without eating. Perhaps Eli ate and _drank_?
I understand that a Kohein Gadol cannot be drunk when performing avodah of the Kohein Gadol, under a stiff (death?) penalty, but perhaps reading the Urim v'Tumim would not have been such a required avodah with such a penalty?
2) Why did Chana need Eli at all? Especially if she is identified as a prophetess?
I understand that she may have gone to the Mishkan to pray. So she must have been within the Ezras Noshim. What was Eli doing there? Was he doing anything there in his official capacity as Kohein Gadol? (for later - was anyone in the Mishkan sitting?)
3) Regarding the mashaal of the poor person pushing into the king's feast to ask the king for bread, why do we need to know anything about guards at the door? In our situation of a Jew davening before The King, there are no servants guarding the door to whom we would first pray for a piece of bread!
Note: The Rambam specifically prohibits asking a malach for anything.
(if it was the servants' job to relay the request to the king, but instead of doing their job they ignored the poor man, that's an interesting point, but irrelevant. If they didn't ignore and brought the request, but the king did not answer the poor man's request, that might be relevant, however then the mashaal would not tell us they ignored!)
4) R. Yehoshua learns out the rule of not sitting within 4 amos of someone praying. How can he learn that out from our case of Eli and Chana? Eli seems to have proven by his words that he did not know that Chana was praying. If he didn't know, would he be obligated to stand? Was he standing? Was anyone in the Ezras Noshim of the Mishkan sitting?
5) Did Eli state his false accusation of Chana while she was moving her lips without speaking? Is it likely that she heard what he said but did not respond until after she finished praying?
Chaim Chesler
1) The verse clearly tells us that Eli suspected Chana of being drunk; it is not the Vilna Gaon's Chidush. Your suggestion that he saw his own fault in others is insightful - Chazal tell us "Kol ha'Posel, b'Mumo Posel."
We have no reason to suspect Eli of entering the Mikdash drunk, even if not prohibited by the Torah. (The Torah prohibition only applies if he walked near the Heichal or in the Ezras Yisrael while drunk, Keilim 1:9, or according to the Rambam, Hilchos Bi'as Mikdash, offered an offering while drunk.)
Perhaps he was "drunk" in the sense that the Gemara uses the word in Eruvin 65a; a person whose mind is preoccupied is considered drunk and not able to pray properly. Perhaps Eli's mind was preoccupied with the Chinuch problems he was having with his children (I Shmuel 2:22), which kept him from praying properly and from experiencing Ru'ach ha'Kodesh.
By the way, you are assuming that Eli and Chanah were in the Ezras Nashim. However, the verse says that he was by the doorpost of the Heichal (verse 9), which implies he was in the Ezras Yisrael or Ezras Kohanim. In fact, one Midrashic source clearly takes this literally and learns from here that a Kohen Gadol may sit in the Ezras Yisrael, even though a king may not (Midrash cited in Tosfos Sotah 40b).
However, your interpretation seems to be the more standard reading; he was sitting in the Ezras Nashim opposite the doorpost of the Heichal (see Mor u'Ketzi'ah to OC 102). This is evident from the Gemaras that argue with the Midrash and imply that a Kohen Gadol cannot sit in the Azarah either (see Tosfos ibid.) and from the Gemara that imply a woman may not enter Ezras Yisrael (Kidushin 40a and Rashi). (Others say the Mishkan in Shiloh had less Kedushah with regard to sitting in its Azarah - Rema of Pano, Em Kol Chai 3:10.)
2) It is permitted to sit in the Ezras Nashim (Sotah 40b). Since Eli was in his 90's (I Shmuel ibid.) and needed to sit, he would seat himself there. It was his job to oversee the Kohanim, and this was the closest he could get while sitting.
3) She was hoping her husband would pray for her - just like Rachel who told her husband "Havah Li Banim."
4) Eli though that she was praying while drunk - see Malbim on verse 14.
5) That could be.
Best wishes,
Mordecai Kornfeld