Essays on key issues from the Book of Samuel: Why did our first kings need prophecy? Can we see the real David through the muddle of individual perspectives with which we're presented? Who took responsibility for the disastrous destruction of Nov? What did Eli's sons really do wrong? And along the way, we'll describe some general rules to guide us through the complexity of Torah study. When can one idea found in some distant part of Torah literature be applied to enhance our understanding of another? When does one of two seemingly unconnected Torah-events in fact change our understanding of the other? How, in other words, can we be more certain that we really understand what we're reading?