(7) Then he took the record of the covenant and read it aloud to the people. And they said, “All that GOD has spoken we will faithfully do!”

(1) Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered before GOD alien fire—which had not been enjoined upon them. (2) And fire came forth from GOD and consumed them; thus they died by GOD’s will.

(1) Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one GOD sent to anoint you king over Israel—God’s people. Therefore, listen to GOD’s command! (2) “Thus said GOD of Hosts: I am exacting the penalty for what Amalek did to Israel, for the assault he made upon them on the road, on their way up from Egypt. (3) Now go, attack Amalek, and proscribe all that belongs to him. Spare no one, but kill alike men and women, infants and sucklings, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys!” (4) Saul mustered the troops and enrolled them at Telaim: 200,000 men on foot, and 10,000 as Judah’s contingent. (5) Then Saul advanced as far as the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the wadi. (6) Saul said to the Kenites, “Come, withdraw at once from among the Amalekites, that I may not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they left Egypt.” So the Kenites withdrew from among the Amalekites. (7) Saul destroyed Amalek from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is close to Egypt, (8) and he captured King Agag of Amalek alive. He proscribed all the people, putting them to the sword; (9) but Saul and the troops spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the second-born, the lambs, and all else that was of value. They would not proscribe them; they proscribed only what was cheap and worthless. (10) The word of GOD then came to Samuel: (11) “I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from Me and has not carried out My commands.” Samuel was distressed and he entreated GOD all night long. (12) Early in the morning Samuel went to meet Saul. Samuel was told, “Saul went to Carmel, where he erected a monument for himself; then he left and went on down to Gilgal.” (13) When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of GOD! I have fulfilled GOD’s command.” (14) “Then what,” demanded Samuel, “is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of oxen that I hear?” (15) Saul answered, “They were brought from the Amalekites, for the troops spared the choicest of the sheep and oxen for sacrificing to the ETERNAL your God. And we proscribed the rest.” (16) Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! Let me tell you what GOD said to me last night!” “Speak,” he replied. (17) And Samuel said, “You may look small to yourself, but you are the head of the tribes of Israel. GOD anointed you king over Israel, (18) and GOD sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and proscribe the sinful Amalekites; make war on them until you have exterminated them.’ (19) Why did you disobey GOD and swoop down on the spoil in defiance of GOD’s will?” (20) Saul said to Samuel, “But I did obey GOD! I performed the mission on which GOD sent me: I captured King Agag of Amalek, and I proscribed Amalek, (21) and the troops took from the spoil some sheep and oxen—the best of what had been proscribed—to sacrifice to the ETERNAL your God at Gilgal.” (22) But Samuel said:
“Does GOD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As much as in obedience to GOD’s command?
Surely, obedience is better than sacrifice,Compliance than the fat of rams.(23)For rebellion is like the sin of divination,Defiance, like the iniquity of oracle idols.Because you rejected GOD’s command,
[God] has rejected you as king.”(24) Saul said to Samuel, “I did wrong to transgress GOD’s command and your instructions; but I was afraid of the troops and I yielded to them. (25) Please, forgive my offense and come back with me, and I will bow low to GOD.” (26) But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you; for you have rejected GOD’s command, and GOD has rejected you as king over Israel.” (27) As Samuel turned to leave, Saul seized the corner of his robe, and it tore. (28) And Samuel said to him, “GOD has this day torn the kingship over Israel away from you and has given it to another who is worthier than you. (29) Moreover, the Glory of Israel does not deceive or have a change of heart, for [God] is not human to have a change of heart.” (30) But [Saul] pleaded, “I did wrong. Please, honor me in the presence of the elders of my people and in the presence of Israel, and come back with me until I have bowed low to the ETERNAL your God.”

§ The Gemara returns to discuss various aspects of agency. And there is a difficulty from that which we learned in a mishna (Bava Kamma 59b): In the case of one who sends an item that causes a fire in the hands of a deaf-mute, an imbecile, or a minor, the one who sent it is exempt according to human laws but liable according to the laws of Heaven. If he sent it in the hands of a halakhically competent person, only the halakhically competent person is liable. But why is the halakhically competent person liable? Let us say that the legal status of a person’s agent is like that of himself. The Gemara answers: There it is different, as there is no agency for transgression, as we say: When there is a conflict between the words of the Master, i.e., God, and the words of the student, i.e., a human being, whose words should be listened to? Consequently, the agent is considered to have acted of his own accord, and the one who sent him bears no responsibility. The Gemara comments: And there is a difficulty from that which is taught in a baraita with regard to the halakhot of misuse of consecrated property: In the case of an agent who did not perform his agency but deviated from the instructions of the one who appointed him and made use of consecrated property, the agent has misused consecrated property and is liable to bring the guilt-offering for that sin. In the case of an agent who performed his agency, the owner has misused consecrated property and is liable to bring the offering. The Gemara asks: The baraita states that when the agent performed the agency of the owner, the owner has in any event misused consecrated property. Why? Let us say that there is no agency for transgression.The Gemara answers: The case of misuse of consecrated property is different, as it is derived by means of a verbal analogy of “sin” in this case and “sin” from teruma, as the verse states: “And sin through error” (Leviticus 5:15), with regard to misuse of consecrated property, and it states: “Lest they bear sin for it” (Leviticus 22:9) with regard to teruma: Just as with teruma one can appoint an agent, so too with misuse of consecrated property one can appoint an agent, although the latter is a transgression.

The Gemara asks: Granted, a drylulav is unfit both on the first day and subsequently. It is unfit for use because the term hadar is used with regard to the four species, from which it is derived that we require beauty. And since in a dry lulavthere is not beauty, it is unfit. However, with regard to a stolenlulav, granted, on the first day of the Festival it is unfit, as it is written: “And you shall take for yourselves on the first day” (Leviticus 23:40), indicating that the four species must be taken from your own property. However, beginning on the second day of the Festival, why does one not fulfill his obligation with a stolen lulav? Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai:

It is unfit because it is a mitzva that comes to be fulfilled by means of a transgression, which renders the mitzva unfulfilled, as it is stated: “And you have brought that which was stolen and the lame, and the sick; that is how you bring the offering; should I accept this of your hand? says the Lord” (Malachi 1:13). Based on the juxtaposition in the verse, it is derived that the legal status of a stolen animal is equivalent to that of a lame animal. Just as a lame animal, because it is blemished, has no remedy and is unfit for use, so too, a stolen animal has no remedy. There is no difference before the owners reach a state of despair of recovering the stolen animal, and there is no difference after despair. In both cases there is no remedy.