Note to Brachot 18

On this page Shmuel, a sage from Babylon goes to the cemetery to talk to his dead father, to ask a question about the charity funds.

This story is parallel to King Shaul talking to the dead prophet Shmuel. Indeed, they were reincarnations: Sage Shmuel was the reincarnation of King Shaul, and the Father of Shmuel was the reincarnation of the prophet Shmuel.

This is why Shmuel is called, "Arioch, or King" - because he was the reincarnation of a King. This also explains why the dead at first refused to bring back the Father of Shmuel - in their earlier lives they also could not find the prophet Shmuel in the world of the dead.

The whole story of the dead taunting Shmuel is now explained as a Tikkun (fix), since in his earlier life, as King Shaul, Shmuel did not do it right by bringing back the dead prophet. So now he was getting a bit of a rebuke.

Art: Theodore Gericault - Head of a dead young man

Note to Eruvin 18 - Reincarnation of Manoach

"A man should not walk after a woman, and not even after his wife."

Regarding this, the Sages said that Manoach was an ignoramus since he "Followed his wife" when an angel invited them. However, Manoach could claim that he followed "The advice of his wife." 

To settle this, Manoach came back in reincarnation as Abba Chilkiya. People used to come to Abba Chilkiya to ask him to pray for rain. He and his wife would go to the roof of their house and pray, but the clouds would first appear on her side - just as the angel first came to the wife of Manoach. So Abba Chilkiya was proving that as Manoach, he followed "The advice of his wife." She also had an additional trait: when some ruffians appeared in their neighborhood and caused big trouble, Abba Chilkiya prayed that they die, whereas she prayed that they would reform - which they did.

Incidentally, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein would always let a woman in the door first.

Source:  "Gilgulei Neshamot" by Rabbi Menachem Meir of Fano.

Art: John Phillip (1817–1867) A Woman Praying