From Chen to Chana—And Then the Blessing Came

To the Hidabroot website,
I wanted to share our personal miracle—mine and my husband’s—a miracle that changed our lives forever.

We got married three and a half years ago. Our wedding had separate seating, but the music and atmosphere weren’t especially religious. It’s important to mention that back then, we were still very far from full Torah observance. We tried to keep Shabbat and some mitzvot (commandments), and after the wedding, I began covering my hair—but only partially. Half was covered, half exposed. Little by little, we began drawing closer to a Torah way of life. My husband moved ahead faster than I did.

Eventually, my husband left his job as a security guard at the mall—he didn’t feel comfortable there anymore because of the lack of modesty—and he started learning full-time at the Beit Yosef kollel in Be’er Sheva, led by Rabbi Yosef Chaim Batzri, the son of the great Rabbi Binyamin Zeev Batzri. I saw how deeply this meant to him, and I supported him wholeheartedly.

Everything was going fine, until we realized we weren’t able to have children. After a year, we began to worry. Following his rabbi’s advice, we didn’t rush into medical tests. Instead, we went to speak with a senior doctor who suggested I take a certain pill for three months. If that didn’t help, we would then start testing.

I took the medication, but nothing changed. Then one of the respected rabbis at the kollel suggested something different. He told my husband to go pray at the kever (grave) of his late Rosh Yeshiva, and that I should go to the grave of his wife, the righteous Rebbetzin Yocheved Nosah bat Rachel. He promised that this kind of heartfelt tefillah (prayer) could open the gates of Heaven. We poured out our hearts to Hashem, and while we were there, we made a promise: If Hashem blesses us with a child naturally, without needing medical intervention, we will name him Binyamin—after the rabbi.

We left feeling uplifted and hopeful.

That same week, we went to receive a blessing from the late Rav Chaim Kanievsky. My husband gave the Rav a note with my name: Chen Chana. Rav Chaim looked at it and asked, “Who is Chen?” My husband explained that it was my name. The Rav replied, “Chen is a masculine name according to the Gemara (Talmud). A male and a male cannot have children. From today, her name will only be Chana.”

And that was that. Even though it was hard—I had been called Chen my whole life—from that day on, I became Chana.

Around the same time, I took upon myself to fully embrace tzniut (modesty). That meant wearing only loose-fitting clothing and covering my hair completely—with not a single strand showing.

And then, just one month after these three things:

• Praying at the grave of the rabbi and Rebbetzin

• Receiving the blessing and name change from Rav Chaim Kanievsky

• Embracing full modesty

We were blessed—with a baby boy! Exactly 1 year and 7 months after our wedding, our first son was born. We named him Binyamin Ovadia, in honor of Rabbi Binyamin Zeev Batzri zt”l and Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef zt”l.

And two months after giving birth—I conceived again! This time, we had another precious son, whom we named Yosef.

Baruch Hashem (blessed be God), we were gifted with two beautiful, righteous sons.

How deeply Hashem loves us and listens to our prayers. Sometimes His yes takes time—but when it comes, it can arrive in an instant. Truly, Hashem’s salvation can come k’heref ayin—in the blink of an eye.

This story was published as part of the "Publicizing Miracles" project, where Hidabroot readers share real-life stories of divine kindness. Have you experienced a miracle you'd like to share? Send your story to support@htv.co.il.