Hayyei Sarah

The Haftarah portion for Shabbat Hayyei Sarah (1 Kings 1:1-131) narrated in English by Ronald Guttman. Questions for Discussion: One of the traditional roles of the Hebrew prophets was to speak truth to power, as the prophet Nathan speaks to King David here, when David seems not to be honoring a promise. But rather than confront David directly, the prophet maneuvers to have David rise to the occasion on his own. • What other approaches are possible, and how do you determine when to use each tactic? • Is direct confrontation always the best way to get others to acknowledge truth? • What other approaches are possible, and how do you determine when to use each tactic? JTS wishes to acknowledge the generosity of the Jewish Publication Society for allowing us to use their translation.