Channah's Prayer/2

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Channah's Prayer

Exegetical Approaches

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Personal Praise

Channah's prayer is a personal song of thanksgiving to Hashem for granting her request for a child.  It relates to both her earlier travails as a barren woman and her present happiness in the birth of her son.

"וַתִּתְפַּלֵּל חַנָּה" – Abarbanel points to Tanakh's description of Channah's words as a "prayer" as support that Channah's words were not a prophecy but rather a song of thanksgiving.
"עָלַץ לִבִּי בַּיהוָה רָמָה קַרְנִי בַּי"י " – The opening lines of praise to Hashem are appropriate for the occasion.  Channah gives thanks to Hashem for raising her from despondency. Whereas in her barrenness she had been sad and lowly, now her heart was filled with joy and she had the pride to raise her head.
Reference to enemies: "רָחַב פִּי עַל אוֹיְבַי " – According to these sources, the enemy mentioned refers to Penina (and others like her), who had upset Channah yearly regarding her barren state.2 Abarbanel explains the choice of language "and my mouth has widened" as a contrast to Channah's quiet ways when she was distressed.  He points out that those who are full of sorrow tend to speak quietly, without their voices being heard.  Thus, too, Channah had previously prayed in silence ("שְׂפָתֶיהָ נָּעוֹת וְקוֹלָהּ לֹא יִשָּׁמֵעַ").  Now, though, she opened her mouth wide to rejoice in Hashem's aid.
"שָׂמַחְתִּי בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ" – At first glance, the word salvation is not the expected choice to describe being granted a child.  Nonetheless, in this story, where infertility is accompanied by taunts from a rival wife, Channah might be referring to deliverance from further humiliation.
"וְאֵין צוּר כֵּאלֹהֵינוּ"
  • Rashi and R. Yosef Kara, following Bavli BerakhotBerakhot 10aAbout the Bavli,3 take this verse out of its simple meaning and read "צוּר" as "צייר".  Channah is saying that there is no artist like Hashem who can form a living soul, alluding to the birth of Shemuel.
  • Radak more simply reads the word "צוּר" as a metaphor for strength, saying that Channah is praising Hashem's ability to reverse nature and make one who was barren fruitful.
"אַל תַּרְבּוּ תְדַבְּרוּ גְּבֹהָה גְבֹהָה" – These words, too, are aimed at Penina (and similar women), who had been haughty in their fertility, and looked down upon the barren Channah.
Changing fortunes – The heart of the song speaks of how a person's situation can change overnight, just as Channah's barren state had reversed itself.  Through the many examples that Channah brings she both gives hope to the unfortunate and quiets those who gloat in their good fortune.4
"עַד עֲקָרָה יָלְדָה שִׁבְעָה וְרַבַּת בָּנִים אֻמְלָלָה" – This example of life reversals, found exactly in the middle of the prayer, highlights Channah's personal situation.  Rashi and Radak maintain that even the second half of the statement (וְרַבַּת בָּנִים אֻמְלָלָה) refers to her specific story: while Channah bore many children, Penina lost hers.5
Requests for Shemuel – According to Abarbanel, in contrast to the rest of the song, verse ten constitutes not praise, but requests regarding Shemuel.6 Channah prays that Hashem will break Shemuel's enemies7 and thunder upon them from on high.8  She further requests that Shemuel grow up to judge Israel.
Mention of king – These sources differ in how they explain the mention of a king:
  • Prophetic – According to R. Yosef Kara and Radak mention of the future king was prophetic.9  Channah saw that her son was to later anoint the first king of Israel and ended her prayer with a wish that Hashem give him strength. It is not clear, however, why she should mention this right now.
  • Personal – Hoil Moshe, in contrast, claims that the king and anointed one of verse 10 do not refer to a monarch, but to Shemuel himself. The words reflect Channah's hopes that her son grow to be a leader and prophet, strengthened and exalted by Hashem.10
Variation of this approach – R"A Bazak11 agrees that the prayer is one of thanksgiving, but suggests that it is not Channah's own composition. Rather, she utilized a prayer that was prevalent in her day since it had a passing reference to her specific situation. This could be analogous to someone today reciting a psalm when in distress, even if not all the details of the psalm are applicable.

National Request

Channah's prayer relates not to her personal life but to the fate of the nation.  It focuses on the themes of dominion and kingship as a segue into her request that Hashem appoint an appropriate leader for the nation.

Sources:R"D Silber12
Historical background – Channah stands at a period of transition in the leadership of Israel.  Sefer Shofetim ends with a picture of a nation in anarchy.  The last few chapters describe the mockery of the idol of Michah13 and the atrocities of the concubine of Giv'ah, revealing how low the nation had sunk both in their relation to Hashem and to their fellow man.  The refrain of these chapters "בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם אֵין מֶלֶךְ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו יַעֲשֶׂה"‎14 cries out the need for a new form of leadership.
Barrenness and request for son – Channah's infertility is representative of the nation's barrenness and lack of leadership.  Channah requests a child but only so as to give him back to Hashem.  She is in effect  pleading not for herself but for the nation, asking not for a son but for a ruler.
Mention of a king – In mentioning a king, Channah is not a prophetess but a visionary.  She sees the nation's need and asks Hashem, "וְיִתֶּן עֹז לְמַלְכּוֹ", that he anoint a monarch.
Changing fortunes – The many examples of reversals in man's plight highlight the main theme of Channah's song, Hashem's dominion in the world.  Channah does not only pray for a king, but she also provides a blueprint of what that king need be. As Devarim 17 warns, one of the dangers of monarchy is that power goes to the ruler's head and he begins to trust in himself, leading him to forget the true King, Hashem. Thus, throughout her song Channah emphasizes that "לֹא בְכֹחַ יִגְבַּר אִישׁ".  All is in Hashem's hands, for: אֵין קָדוֹשׁ כַּי"י".
Reference to enemies – R. Silber suggests that the enemies that Channah refers to are the corrupt leaders of Israel who need to be replaced.  She points to their haughtiness ("אַל תַּרְבּוּ תְדַבְּרוּ גְּבֹהָה גְבֹהָה") as the marker of their problematic leadership.
"רַגְלֵי חֲסִידָו יִשְׁמֹר" – Channah notes that Hashem watches over the righteous while silencing the wicked. For a king to be successful and merit Hashem's assistance he must always be subservient to Hashem, acting according to His will and doing what is just and right.
The song as introduction to Sefer Shemuel – Channah' prayer is a very apt introduction to the Book of Shemuel which revolves around finding the proper monarch for Israel. David is chosen because he recognizes the lesson of "לֹא בְכֹחַ יִגְבַּר אִישׁ",  that wars are not won with swords or spears but "בְּשֵׁם י"י צְבָאוֹת".‎15  Shaul, in contrast lost his kingship because he let himself be his guide, rather than obeying Hashem's commands.16 According to R. Silber, Channah's story "stands in the beginning of a book on kingship as a definition of what a king must be, "מַלְכּוֹ", His king".  While David recognized this, Shaul did not.
The song and Rosh Hashanah – Channah's prayer is read as the haftarah for Rosh HaShanah.  One of the reasons for the choice might be its focus on the theme of Hashem's dominion and kingship, which is one of the focal points of the day (מלכויות).17  The famous liturgical poem, "ונתנה תוקף", which emphasizes how all is in God's hands even seems to be built off of Channah's song.18

Historical Prophecy

Channah's song contains prophetic material relating to the nation as a whole.  This approach subdivides regarding the time period to which the song refers:

Distant Future

The prayer relates to events throughout the nation's history from the defeat of the Philistines by the hand of Shemuel until the time of Mashiach.

"וַתִּתְפַּלֵּל חַנָּה" – Radak attempts to support this approach by claiming that the language of "תפילה" usually refers to events which are to occur in the future rather than to that which has transpired in the past.  Nonetheless, it is still not the expected verb to connote prophecy, and is more fitting for a request.
Opening lines of praise – According to Targum Yonatan the various expressions of praise ("עָלַץ לִבִּי בַּיהוָה רָמָה קַרְנִי בַּי"י" etc.) do not represent Channah's own feelings, but rather the nation's future exultation after their victories over various foes.
References to enemies and imagery of war – Since much of the song relates to Israel vanquishing its foes, references to enemies is expected.
"שָׂמַחְתִּי בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ" – Similarly, the language of "ישועה" is appropriate for this approach as Channah is speaking about actual salvation from enemies, and not just a granting of her request for a child.
Specific allusions – Targum Yonatan presents each of the song's opening verses as referring to Israel's salvation from a different enemy: the Philistines, Assyria, Babylonia, Greece, and Persia.  However, the Targum only loosely links the words of the text with the event alluded to.  Thus, for example, it connects the phrase "אֵין קָדוֹשׁ כַּי"י" to the defeat of Sancheriv by saying that with his downfall all the nations will claim that there is none like Hashem.  It connects the war against Greece with the verse "קֶשֶׁת גִּבֹּרִים חַתִּים וְנִכְשָׁלִים אָזְרוּ חָיִל" as the story is one in which the weak defeat the mighty.
Changing fortunes: "עַד עֲקָרָה יָלְדָה שִׁבְעָה" – Radak raises the possibility that the barren woman is a metaphor for Israel in distress, while the fruitful lady represents Israel's enemies.  Channah prophesies that at some point, Israel will be the one to flourish while her enemies become desolate.  This idea can be applied to the other examples of reversal of fortunes as well.
Watching over the righteous – According to Targum Yonatan verses 6-9 focus on the rewards and punishments of people in the next world.
Mention of a king – As this position claims that the whole prayer is prophetic, there is no problem speaking of a king even though Israel had as of yet to appoint a monarch. According to Targum Yonatan, however, the verse actually speaks not of Shaul or the Davidic dynasty but of the defeat of Gog and Magog and the Messianic era.
Relevance – One of the difficulties of this approach is its lack of relevance to the larger story.  Why does Channah prophesy about all these events right now, and why is it being shared with the reader?

Close Future

The entire song focuses on the time period of Shemuel, weaving present events with future actions to be done by the prophet.

Opening lines of praise – Ralbag maintains that Channah's happiness and praise stem not from Shemuel's birth but from his future actions as leader, when he will remove idolatry form the midst of Israel and vanquish the Philistines.
Reference to enemies – Channah speaks of the Philistines whom Shemuel will defeat.
"אַל תַּרְבּוּ תְדַבְּרוּ גְּבֹהָה גְבֹהָה" – Ralbag suggests that this part of the song refers back to the present, and Channah is aiming these words at Penina who had gloated about her children.
Changing fortunes – Channah speaks of the changing circumstances of mankind to explain why no one should ever be haughty in their success (or despondent in troubled times) since Hashem can reverse such fortune overnight.
"י"י יֵחַתּוּ מְרִיבָיו עָלָיו בַּשָּׁמַיִם יַרְעֵם" – These words are a request that Hashem help Shemuel defeat the Philistines from on high, and are fulfilled in Shemuel I 7, as written there:  "וַיַּרְעֵם י"י בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא עַל פְּלִשְׁתִּים" .
"יָדִין אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ" – This refers to Shemuel's future role as Judge.
Mention of king: "וְיִתֶּן עֹז לְמַלְכּוֹ וְיָרֵם קֶרֶן מְשִׁיחוֹ" – Channah prophesies regarding Shemuel's anointing of both Shaul and David.20
Relevance – Since all of Channah's prophecies relate to Shemuel directly, it is understandable why they might be spoken of right now.