Hannah was a prophetess, as it is written: “And Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoices in the Lord, my horn is exalted in the Lord” (I Samuel 2:1), and her words were prophecy, in that she said: “My horn is exalted,” and not: My pitcher is exalted. As, with regard to David and Solomon, who were anointed with oil from a horn, their kingship continued, whereas with regard to Saul and Jehu, who were anointed with oil from a pitcher, their kingship did not continue. This demonstrates that Hannah was a prophetess, as she prophesied that only those anointed with oil from a horn will merit that their kingships continue.
(10) In her wretchedness, she prayed to the LORD, weeping all the while. (11) And she made this vow: “O LORD 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 the LORD for all the days of his life; and no razor shall ever touch his head.” (12) As she kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth. (13) Now Hannah was praying in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. (14) Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Sober up!” (15) And Hannah replied, “Oh no, my lord! I am a very unhappy woman. I have drunk no wine or other strong drink, but I have been pouring out my heart to the LORD. (16) Do not take your maidservant for a worthless woman; I have only been speaking all this time out of my great anguish and distress.”
The Gemara continues to deal with Hannah’s prayer. It is said: “And Hannah spoke on her heart.” Several interpretations are offered to explain her use of the phrase “on her heart” instead of the common phrase to her heart (Maharsha). Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra: Hannah spoke to God concerning matters of her heart. She said before Him: Master of the Universe, of all the organs You created in a woman, You have not created one in vain. Every organ fulfills its purpose; eyes to see, ears to hear, a nose to smell, a mouth to speak, hands with which to perform labor, feet with which to walk, breasts with which to nurse. If so, these breasts that You placed upon my heart, to what purpose did You place them? Was it not in order to nurse with them? Grant me a son and I will nurse with them.
Hannah’s Prayer as a Paradigm of Accepted Prayer
The prayer of Hannah was unique among prayers, since it was answered without being heard. The midrash cites a series of Biblical prayers in descending order of length and ascending potency. Some prayers are answered after thirty years, as with Joseph, whose dreams came to pass when he was thirty years of age (Gen. 41:46). Other prayers are granted after three days, such as the prayer of Jonah in the fish’s belly (Jonah 2:1). Yet other prayers are answered before they have had time to leave the mouth of the one who cries out, such as that of Moses: “Then the Lord said to Moses: ‘Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward’” (Ex. 14:15). Hannah’s prayer, however, was in a whisper heard by none and already granted (Midrash Samuel 4:1).
The Rabbis state that several important laws of prayer may be learned from Hannah’s prayer. The words “I am the woman who stood here beside you” (v. 26) teach that Hannah prayed while standing, from which the Rabbis concluded that she recited the Amidah prayer (the Shemoneh Esreh). The laws derived from Hannah’s prayer also relate to the Amidah:
- It is said of Hannah: “In her wretchedness [or: bitterness of soul], she prayed to the Lord” (v. 10), thus showing that one should stand up to recite the Amidah only in a reverent frame of mind (BT Berakhot30b).
- From the words “now Hannah was praying in her heart” (v. 13) we learn that the one reciting the Amidahmust have intent.
- The words “only her lips moved” (ibid.) teach that thinking to oneself the words of the prayer is not sufficient; they must be pronounced with one’s lips.
- The words “but her voice could not be heard” (ibid.) indicates that, even though a person must pronounce the words, he must not raise his voice during the Amidah.
- “So Eli thought she was drunk” (ibid.) teaches that one who is intoxicated may not pray (BT Berakhot31a).
- When Hannah meets Eli for the second time, she tells him “I am the woman who stood here beside you” (v. 26), from which the Rabbis deduce that Eli also stood while Hannah prayed; consequently, it is forbidden to sit within four cubits of someone reciting the Amidah and one must stand until the person finishes (BT Berakhot 31b).
by Tamar Kadari- https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/hannah-midrash-and-aggadah
Excerpt from Tehines: Women's Prayers, My Jewish Learning
"Hanah" Mitzvot
Tehines were a popular and powerful medium of communication. They offered women a direct pipeline to God. The tone of tehines is conversational, addressing God respectfully but as a Yiddish-speaking friend or neighbor who will listen in time of need. The subject matter of tehines is varied. There are tehines to suit every occasion in personal and religious life, which were really one in the eyes of the tehineh. Tehines could also be said in various locations: the kitchen, the home, the ritual bath, the synagogue, and the cemetery.
Some tehines include instructions advising that they be said along with certain prayers in the standard prayer service. There are also tehines for the days of the week, the months of the year, the various holidays and fast days, and the High Holy Days in particular. Some of the types of tehines mentioned above could be said in either the home or synagogue.
Numerous tehines were composed for the women’s mitzvot known as the Hanah mitzvot, an acronym for challah (tithing dough), niddah (laws of family purity), and hadlakat ha-ner(lighting candles). The acronym is a reminder of the heroic Jewish women who bore the name Hannah (Hanah in Hebrew) and the biblical Hannah, who serves as a model of prayer and whose very name is onomatopoetically reminiscent of and linguistically related to the word tehineh. Furthermore, a self-evident conclusion is that if a woman observes the hanah mitzvot scrupulously, as these great women of long ago did, she will be rewarded and blessed as they were.
This sensitivity to women’s concerns indicates that tehines were truly women’s province, written not only for women, but sometimes by women. The best known of these women was Sarah bas Tovim, whose pamphlet Shloyshah She’orim, mentioned above, first appeared in the 18th century. Shloyshah She’orim means The Three Gates, which are the Hanah mitzvot, the blessing for the New Moon, and the High Holy Days, with particular emphasis on Yom Kippur.
-Shulamith Berger, https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/tehines-womens-prayers/
Excerpt from Little Known Jewish Prayers, Written By and For Women, from Kveller.com
So often have I wished that I knew about these prayers when I wanted to get pregnant, when I miscarried, when I gave birth, when my babies were nursed and then weaned, as I stood tearfully at my sons’ brisim, when I took my children to their first day at kindergarten. My own whispered prayers to God to protect my child, to help me deal with the emotions that overwhelmed me, could have been enhanced had I an ancient prayer to recite, one said by generations of mothers before me.
Now we have several books of tkhines, translated from Yiddish, Hebrew, and German, as well as modern versions written in English. For me, they are spiritual resources which are not only a part of my daily davening (prayer) but which I have recited at my children’s weddings, when I worried about my husband’s health, a daughter’s well-being, a son’s transition to a new job.
So what are these tkhines like? Here are some examples:
1. When you feel that first labor pain, you might want to pick up a book of tkhines and pray, “Let Your mercy shelter me, so that these birth pangs do not overtake me, so I am able to bear them with courage and strength so that You might guide me safely and securely across this awesome threshold.” Or look for the tkhine that begs, “Take the key to my womb in Your right hand and unlock me without pain and without suffering…”
2. When you put your infant to your breast for the first time, you can ask God, as your great-great-grandmother may have, in the same words, to “provide…plenty of milk, as much as he needs. Give me the disposition to find the time to nurse him patiently until he is satisfied. Cause me to sleep lightly so the moment he cries, I will hear and respond…”
3. When you hear that spoon clink against the first tooth, look to the tkhine which says, “For the precious gift, for the little pearl I have found in my child’s mouth, I thank You…may the remainder of his teeth cut through easily…”
And when you say the words of the tkhines, know that whatever you are feeling, women throughout time have also felt, connecting you to your Jewish foremothers who also sought God at those moments when we need Her most.
-Renee Septimus, https://www.kveller.com/little-known-jewish-prayers-written-by-and-for-women/
Netzach (Victory, Eternity) - According to Kabbalistic Teachings of the Female Prophets, Netzach is associated with Hannah
Netzach is our ability to endure, to apply ourselves tirelessly to some task, to put a plan into action and follow through with it. It is the way the willpower (ratzon) of a person is applied to life and leads to victory. Netzach shows us the Creator's tireless participation in the world and how our devotion to God in any undertaking is what makes God's participation manifest in the world of action.