Am I Not Better to You Than Ten Sons

Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 77:11

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"And Elkanah her husband said to her: Hannah, why do you weep?" (1 Samuel 1:8). He said to her: Sarah was barren - did she sit and weep like this? Rather, Rebecca was barren - did she act like this? "And why is your heart grieved?" Rather, Rachel was barren - did she sit grieving by herself like this? "Am I not better to you" - than the having of sons; these are the sons of Peninnah. Another interpretation: these are the ten generations [as in] "These are the generations of Peretz" (Ruth 4:18). "Am I not better to you" - it is not written here "ani" [the shorter "I"] but "anokhi" [the fuller "I"]: he said to her, may your Creator be your portion, as in the saying, "I [Anokhi] am the LORD your God" (Exodus 20:2).

Themes

WomenPatriarchs

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