Hannah's Vow and the Three Commandments of Women

Midrash Shmuel 2:6

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

"If You will surely look" (1 Samuel 1:11). If You look upon my distress, You will look upon my pregnancy; if You look upon my pregnancy, You will look upon my birthing. Rabbi Acha said: If You look — well and good; and if not, "You shall see." Hannah said before the Holy One, blessed be He: It is written in the Torah, "And if the woman has not been defiled" and so forth (Numbers 5:28) — behold, I will go and have Elkanah subject me to the ordeal of jealousy, and I will bear a son. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: Concerning three commandments are women commanded — concerning niddah, and concerning challah, and concerning the kindling of the lamp. Am I not Your handmaid in all of them?

Themes

Divine JusticeWomenCommandmentsPrayerFaith

Biblical References

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