How Long Is a Moment - Hannah Remembered in Midrash Shmuel

Midrash Shmuel 3:1

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

"For His anger is but a moment, His favor is life; weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalms 30:6). How long is a moment? Rabbi Berechiah in the name of Rabbi Chelbo said: as long as it takes to say it. And the Rabbis said: like the blink of an eye. And Shmuel said: one moment is one part out of fifty-eight thousand eight hundred and forty-eight... no — five thousand and sixty myriad and eight hundred and forty-eight of an hour. Yesterday "and Hannah had no children" (1 Samuel 1:2), and here you say "for the Lord had remembered Hannah" (1 Samuel 2:21). This is the meaning of "For His anger is but a moment, His favor is life; weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning."

Themes

WomenMusicPsalmsDavidConversion

Biblical References

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