Chana and Penina: A Story of Pain, Prayer, and Divine Justice

Two Wives, One Longing Heart

Chana and Penina lived during the era of the Judges and were the two wives of Elkanah. Chana, his first wife, remained childless for many years, while Penina, Elkanah's second wife, was a mother to ten children. As the verse describes:

“Penina had children, but Chana had no children” (Shmuel I 1:2).

Their relationship, however, was filled with pain. The Torah refers to Penina as Chana’s rival (tzarah) and tells us:

“Her rival tormented her with anger, to provoke her, because the Lord had closed her womb” (Shmuel I 1:6).

While Penina’s intentions may have been for the sake of heaven—to motivate Chana to pray—her actions caused deep emotional harm. The Talmud (Bava Batra) explains that Penina provoked Chana so she would cry out in prayer and merit children. This is the meaning of the phrase “ba’avur ha’re’ima,” to incite her to complain and pour out her soul in prayer.

Good Intentions, Deep Consequences

The Sages give examples of Penina’s provocations. Rabbi Nachman bar Abba says she would taunt Chana:

“Why don’t you get up and wash your children’s faces for school?”
Later in the day she would say:
“Aren’t you going to greet your children returning from school?”

Though Penina intended to prompt Chana to pray, the outcome was tragic. As Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz of the Mir Yeshiva explains:

“When it comes to interpersonal relationships, it’s like playing with fire. Even good intentions cannot justify hurtful words.”

Chana’s pain became the seed of her transformation. She began to pray from the depths of her soul, begging God for a child, and her prayer was answered. She gave birth to Shmuel, who would become one of the greatest prophets in Israel. Eventually, she was blessed with more children, as it is written:

“The Lord remembered Chana, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters” (Shmuel I 2:21).

Divine Reversal and the Power of Prayer

Penina, meanwhile, was punished for the pain she caused. As the verse says:

“The barren woman has borne seven, and she who had many children is forlorn” (Shmuel I 2:5).

Each time Chana gave birth, Penina lost two of her children. Penina had ten sons; when Chana gave birth to her fourth child, Penina had buried eight. When Chana gave birth to a fifth, Penina collapsed at her feet and begged for mercy. Two of her sons survived and were metaphorically considered Chana's children. That is why the verse refers to Chana as having seven children, even though she physically bore five.

According to the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Siman 75:2), there is a special segulah (spiritual remedy) for women hoping for children: reciting Chana’s prayer (found in Shmuel I, chapter 2) after lighting Shabbat candles. Ideally, a woman should understand the words and recite them carefully. It is instructive that the sages derived many of the core laws of prayer from this chapter.

The story of Chana and Penina is a powerful reminder of the impact of words, the pain of waiting, and the beauty of sincere prayer. Not only did Chana’s tears bring about the birth of a prophet, they also helped shape the heart of Jewish prayer.