Chana & Penina

Over Rosh Hashanah we read the story of Chana as a Haftorah. 

The story begins by introducing Elkanah. Elkanah was a man of noble character and of great piety. He noticed that, much to his dismay, many Jews were slowly drifting away from Hashem, and he took it upon himself to create an interest in the spiritual city of Shiloh, where the Mishkan (spiritual house of worship) stood.

Every year, Elkanah together with his entire family, would make a pilgrimage to Shiloh for each of the Three Chagim. They would spend the holidays in a religious atmosphere together, bringing sacrifices and connecting to Hashem. When people would see Elkanah's caravan making its way to Shiloh in a happy and festive spirit, many of them would join in for the trip. A closer connection thus developed between the Jewish people and their spiritual center in Shiloh, thanks to Elkanah's influence.

Elkanah had two wives who would join him on these trips to shiloh, Chana and Penina. Chana was a truly righteous woman, and she is counted as one of the Biblical prophetesses. Yet even with all her holiness, she had not been blessed with children. Penina, on the other hand, had been blessed with ten children. We can imagine how much pain this must have caused Chana. To make matters worse, Penina would constantly make comments to Chana reminding her that she was childless, in order to upset her. 

It got to the point where the pain was so unbearable that Chana completely lost her appetite. Elkanah would bring her a special portion of food to show his love for her, but all she would do is cry. He tried to comfort her, saying that she was worth more to him than all ten of Penina’s sons – but it was no help. 

Most people reading this likely know the end of the story. Chana goes to the Mishkan to pray; the Kohen Gadol mistakes her for a drunk; and upon learning that she’s really a broken hearted woman pouring out her soul, he tells her that Hashem will fulfill her request. She leaves the Mishkan with her appetite restored and a whole new look on her face, certain that her prayers have been answered. Indeed, not only does she give birth to the righteous Shmuel Hanavi, but in the end she is blessed with a total of three boys and two girls. Quite the happy ending for Chana. The same however, can’t be said for Penina.

Penina, the woman who used to tease and nag Chana; the woman who broke Chana’s spirits and made her life miserable, is finally punished for her actions. Rashi writes that as Chana would give birth to one child, Penina would bury two. When Chana was pregnant with her fifth and final child, Penina had already buried eight of her ten children. Penina fell at Chana’s feet and begged for forgiveness, whereupon Penina’s last two children were spared. 

At first glance, Penina seems like an evil antagonist who got what she deserves.

But Chazal teach us that Penina acted לשם שמים — for the sake of heaven. The Rabbis teach us that Penina had holy intentions, and that she only upset and bothered Chana in order to compel Chana to pray harder. As if Chana wasn’t trying hard enough, and reminding her of her pain would help the situation. 

I remember learning this story in elementary school and thinking, “What a warped way of helping. Who would do such a thing?” It almost seemed like the story and its Rabbinic commentary had nothing to do with everyday life, heaven forbid. Almost as if the story had no wisdom to teach us. Of course, the limitations are often on the side of the recipient, not on the side of the giver. The story and its message — the true Torah, lives on forever. We just need to learn how to extract and apply it.

Thank God I’m not in grade school anymore, although I thoroughly enjoyed it (shoutout to the Scranton Hebrew Day School). I’ve since come a long way, and I now find this story to be more relevant than ever. 

A friend of mine, Tzipora Grodko, recently started advocating for singles in the Jewish community. It’s all too common for people to overlook the tough situation that us singles often find ourselves in. It can be quite hard for us to watch our peers, friends, and sometimes even younger family members, get married and have children of their own. Tzipora specifically mentioned how hard it can be for singles over the holidays when the whole family often gets together, much like in Chana’s case. To make matters worse, people often constantly remind us that we are single. The typical “Im Yirtzeh Hashem By You”. The concerned family members who ask, “When are you gonna settle down already?”. The constant remarks and nags, eating away at our appetite, making us just want to cry.

I’m sure that most of these comments are לשם שמים. As if single people are not trying hard enough. As if reminding them of their pain will somehow help the situation.  

But from Penina we learn that this is not the way. That causing pain to another person is not ok, even if you have holy intentions.

From Chana we learn that there is always hope. That we should never stop praying, and that our dreams can come true.

And from the birth of Shmuel we see that the wait is not for nothing.

From Shmuel we learn that the brightest days come at the end of the darkest nights. 

May we all be blessed with a happy new year, full of the brightest days!!!