¹There was a man from Ramataim whose name was Elkanah. ²He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah; Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless. ³Elkanah used to go up from his town every year to worship and to offer sacrifice to God of Hosts at Shiloh. – Hofni and Pinchas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of God there. ⁴One such day, Elkanah offered a sacrifice. He used to give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters; ⁵but to Hannah he would give a double portion – for Hannah was his favorite, though God had closed her womb. ⁶Moreover, her rival, to make her miserable, would taunt her that God had closed her womb. ⁷This happened year after year: Every time she went up to the House of God, the other would taunt her, so that she wept and would not eat. ⁸Her husband Elkanah said to her,“Hannah, why are you crying and why aren’t you eating? Why are you so sad? Am I not more devoted to you than ten sons?” ⁹After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose. – The priest Eli was sitting on the seat near the doorpost of the temple of God. – ¹⁰And her soul was bitter, and she prayed to God, weeping all the while. ¹¹And she vowed a vow, saying: “O God of Hosts, if You will look upon the suffering of Your maidservant and will remember me and not forget Your maidservant, and if You will grant Your maidservant a male child, I will dedicate him to God for all the days of his life; and no razor shall ever touch his head.” ¹²As she kept on praying before God, Eli watched her mouth. ¹³Now Hannah was praying in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. ¹⁴Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Remove your wine from yourself!” ¹⁵And Hannah replied, "Oh no, my God! I am a woman who is hard of spirit. I have drunk no wine or other strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul to God. ¹⁶Do not take your maidservant for a worthless woman; I have only been speaking all this time out of my great anguish and distress.” ¹⁷“Then go in peace,” said Eli, “and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked.” ¹⁸She answered, “May your handmaid find favor in your eyes.” So the woman left, and she ate, and was no longer downcast. ¹⁹Early next morning they bowed low before God, and they went back home to Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah and God remembered her. ²⁰Hannah conceived, and at the turn of the year bore a son. She named him Samuel, because, [she said], “I asked God for him.”

JPS, slightly edited

1וַיְהִי אִישׁ אֶחָד מִן־הָרָמָתַיִם צוֹפִים מֵהַר אֶפְרָיִם וּשְׁמוֹ אֶלְקָנָה בֶּן־יְרֹחָם בֶּן־אֱלִיהוּא בֶּן־תֹּחוּ בֶן־צוּף אֶפְרָתִי.  2וְלוֹ שְׁתֵּי נָשִׁים שֵׁם אַחַת חַנָּה וְשֵׁם הַשֵּׁנִית פְּנִנָּה וַיְהִי לִפְנִנָּה יְלָדִים וּלְחַנָּה אֵין יְלָדִים. 3וְעָלָה הָאִישׁ הַהוּא מֵעִירוֹ מִיָּמִים יָמִימָה לְהִשְׁתַּחֲו‍ֹת וְלִזְבֹּחַ לַיהוָה צְבָאוֹת בְּשִׁלֹה וְשָׁם שְׁנֵי בְנֵי־עֵלִי חָפְנִי וּפִנְחָס כֹּהֲנִים לַיהוָה. 4וַיְהִי הַיּוֹם וַיִּזְבַּח אֶלְקָנָה וְנָתַן לִפְנִנָּה אִשְׁתּוֹ וּלְכָל־בָּנֶיהָ וּבְנוֹתֶיהָ מָנוֹת. 5וּלְחַנָּה יִתֵּן מָנָה אַחַת אַפָּיִם כִּי אֶת־חַנָּה אָהֵב, וַיהוָה סָגַר רַחְמָהּ. 6וְכִעֲסַתָּה צָרָתָהּ גַּם־כַּעַס, בַּעֲבוּר הַרְּעִמָהּ כִּי־סָגַר יְהוָה בְּעַד רַחְמָהּ. 7וְכֵן יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה מִדֵּי עֲלֹתָהּ בְּבֵית יְהוָה כֵּן תַּכְעִסֶנָּה וַתִּבְכֶּה וְלֹא תֹאכַל. 8וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ אֶלְקָנָה אִישָׁהּ חַנָּה לָמֶה תִבְכִּי וְלָמֶה לֹא תֹאכְלִ, וְלָמֶה יֵרַע לְבָבֵךְ הֲלוֹא אָנֹכִי טוֹב לָךְ מֵעֲשָׂרָה בָּנִים.  9וַתָּקָם חַנָּה אַחֲרֵי אָכְלָה בְשִׁלֹה וְאַחֲרֵי שָׁתֹה וְעֵלִי הַכֹּהֵן יֹשֵׁב עַל־הַכִּסֵּא עַל־מְזוּזַת הֵיכַל יְהוָה. 10וְהִיא מָרַת נָפֶשׁ וַתִּתְפַּלֵּל עַל־יְהוָה וּבָכֹה תִבְכֶּה. 11וַתִּדֹּר נֶדֶר וַתֹּאמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אִם־רָאֹה תִרְאֶה בָּעֳנִי אֲמָתֶךָ וּזְכַרְתַּנִי וְלֹא־תִשְׁכַּח אֶת־אֲמָתֶךָ וְנָתַתָּה לַאֲמָתְךָ זֶרַע אֲנָשִׁים וּנְתַתִּיו לַיהוָה כָּל־יְמֵי חַיָּיו וּמוֹרָה לֹא־יַעֲלֶה עַל־רֹאשׁוֹ. 12וְהָיָה כִּי הִרְבְּתָה לְהִתְפַּלֵּל לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וְעֵלִי שֹׁמֵר אֶת־פִּיהָ. 13וְחַנָּה הִיא מְדַבֶּרֶת עַל־לִבָּהּ רַק שְׂפָתֶיהָ נָּעוֹת וְקוֹלָהּ לֹא יִשָּׁמֵעַ וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ עֵלִי לְשִׁכֹּרָה. 14וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ עֵלִי עַד־מָתַי תִּשְׁתַּכָּרִין הָסִירִי אֶת־יֵינֵךְ מֵעָלָיִךְ. 15וַתַּעַן חַנָּה וַתֹּאמֶר לֹא אֲדֹנִי אִשָּׁה קְשַׁת־רוּחַ אָנֹכִי וְיַיִן וְשֵׁכָר לֹא שָׁתִיתִי וָאֶשְׁפֹּךְ אֶת־נַפְשִׁי לִפְנֵי יְהוָה. 16אַל־תִּתֵּן, אֶת־אֲמָתְךָ לִפְנֵי, בַּת־בְּלִיָּעַל כִּי־מֵרֹב שִׂיחִי וְכַעְסִי דִּבַּרְתִּי עַד־הֵנָּה. 17וַיַּעַן עֵלִי וַיֹּאמֶר לְכִי לְשָׁלוֹם וֵאלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יִתֵּן אֶת־שֵׁלָתֵךְ אֲשֶׁר שָׁאַלְתְּ מֵעִמּוֹ. 18וַתֹּאמֶר תִּמְצָא שִׁפְחָתְךָ חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ וַתֵּלֶךְ הָאִשָּׁה לְדַרְכָּהּ וַתֹּאכַל וּפָנֶיהָ לֹא־הָיוּ־לָהּ עוֹד. 19וַיַּשְׁכִּמוּ בַבֹּקֶר וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וַיָּשֻׁבוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־בֵּיתָם הָרָמָתָה וַיֵּדַע אֶלְקָנָה אֶת־חַנָּה אִשְׁתּוֹ וַיִּזְכְּרֶהָ יְהוָה. 20וַיְהִי לִתְקֻפוֹת הַיָּמִים וַתַּהַר חַנָּה וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַתִּקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמוֹ שְׁמוּאֵל כִּי מֵיְהוָה שְׁאִלְתִּיו.

1. What problems or questions do you find in this text?
2. What is your favorite moment in this story?

A song in Hannah’s voice, by Alicia Jo Rabins/Girls in Trouble

I opened my mouth but no words came
I lay down to sleep but I did not dream
I looked up at the stars but the sky was dark like a mirror held up to my heart

A B C, D E F
Take away this alphabet it’s heavy on my tongue

You can want a thing so bad it seems
That you lose yourself and everybody else
So I got down on my knees on the marble floor And I cried until my throat was sore

A B C D, E F G
Tell me what you want from me I’ll do it all I swear

I was not drunk, I was awake
I could not open so I had to break to let the light come in

A B C D, E F G
Take this alphabet from me it’s heavy on my tongue

1. What is your initial response to this song? How is it similar or different from your imagination of Hannah’s character and experience?
2. What parts of this song can you find in the original story? Which parts did the songwriter add as part of the midrashic process?

A song in Hannah’s voice, by Alicia Jo Rabins/Girls in Trouble

I opened up my mouth but no words came¹
I lay down to sleep but I did not dream
I looked up at the stars but the sky was dark
like a mirror held up to my heart

A B C, D E F²
Take away this alphabet
it’s heavy on my tongue

You can want a thing so bad it seems
That you lose yourself and everybody else
So I got down on my knees on the marble floor³
And I cried until my throat was sore

A B C D, E F G
Tell me what you want from me
I’ll do it all I swear⁴

I was not drunk, I was awake
I could not open so I had to break⁵
to let the light come in⁶

A B C D, E F G
Take this alphabet from me
it’s heavy on my tongue

1 1 Samuel 1:13: Now Hannah was praying in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard. I interpreted this as a sign of intense suffering, and spun it out into the following lines in my imagination. This song begins in despair: Hannah is unable to speak, to dream, or even to see the stars above her, because the world around her mirrors the darkness of her heart. She is consumed by her suffering. Only after beginning to speak the alphabet in the chorus does Hannah start to change her destiny.

2 The chorus of this song draws on the famous Jewish folk tale of a small boy who didn’t know any Hebrew prayers, only the alphabet. He desperately wanted to pray to God, so he went to the back of the synagogue and started to fervently recite the letters: “Aleph, bet, gimel…” The important men in the congregation, furious at the boy for interrupting the service, stand up and yell at him, but the rabbi rebukes them. He says that the boy’s alphabet, because it comes directly from his heart, is the holiest prayer that has ever been recited in the synagogue.

3 Although the text says that Hannah was standing, I – like some visual art interpretations – imagined her kneeling on the floor in her despair.

4 1 Samuel 1:11 And she made this vow: “O God of Hosts, if You will look upon the suffering of Your maidservant and will remember me and not forget Your maidservant, and if You will grant Your maidservant a male child, I will dedicate him to God for all the days of his life; and no razor shall ever touch his head.”

5 This line echoes the midrashim about suffering enabling a connection with the Divine. I imagined that Hannah, after years of trying to hold it together, had to really let go and feel the full force of her sorrow - and demand a change to her circumstances - in order to change her destiny.

6 A nod to one of the best lyrics of all time, by my favorite songwriter Leonard Cohen, from his song “Anthem.” Cohen’s song also refers to the ancient Temple offerings, and how acknowledging our brokenness is a crucial part of relating to the Divine: “Ring the bells that still can ring / Forget your perfect offering / There is a crack, a crack in everything / That’s how the light gets in”.

• Draw Hannah in prayer; decide whether or not to include Eli and God, and if so, how and where to depict them 

• Draw a “family portrait” (realistic, stick figures, or abstract) with Elkanah, Penina and Hannah. 

• Write a version of Hannah’s prayer in the form of a wordless melody or a song with lyrics 

• Create a “mixtape” or playlist of songs that relate to Hannah’s story 
 

• Choreograph a simple dance that expresses Hannah’s prayer, or one of your own 

• Create a “living statue” pose that represents how you interpret Hannah’s prayer 
 

• Write down one prayer you have never articulated before 

• Write a paragraph about a personal experience you had that feels connected to Hannah’s story 

• Summarize Hannah’s story in six words