A Mother's Prayer

All she wished was to have a righteous and pious son. 

Yet, the odds were neatly and firmly stacked against her.

Nature ruled that she would be barren; the Torah ruled הכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים, a person's righteousness cannot be destined from Above - a pious lifestyle cannot be foretold.

Thus, the odds of Chana's wish coming true were zero - it could not happen. Not by means of nature nor by the rules of the Torah.

This was reality.

Yet, Chana did not settle with this reality.

She fought to create a new one.

Ignoring the odds, Chana Davened to Hashem: "Bless me with a son, a righteous son, and I will raise him to be a Nazir, dedicated to the work of Hashem for all the days of his life."

Chanah reached for the stars. She asked not only for a son, but for a son who would be a Tzadik, and not just a Tzaddik, but a Nazir - a Tzaddik of the highest caliber! 

***

Interestingly enough, Halachically speaking, the vow that her son would be a Nazir could not be binding. Firstly, Shmuel was not yet born, and according to Halacha a vow can only be made on something that is already in existence. Secondly, only a father can make a vow for his son to be a Nazir.

Yet, Chanah fought this reality, too, and vowed that her son would be a Nazir?

How then, did Shmuel's Nazir-status attain Halachic sanctioning?

When Shmuel became a Bar Mitzvah, not only did he not protest his mother's "imposition" of making him a Nazir, on the contrary, he continued this lifestyle, until the last day of his life! In doing so, Shmuel retroactively sanctioned his mother's vow, indicating that it had indeed taken effect on the very first day of his life.

***

Indeed, "reality" was turned on its head.

Chana's Tefillah, from the depths of her heart, reached the depths of Hashem, and Hashem created a completely new reality for her. A reality that transcended the laws of nature - a barren woman would give birth, and a reality that transcended even the laws of the Torah: the destiny of "Tzaddik" would be foretold, and the status of Nazir would take effect upon Shmuel's birth.

Chana's wish was fulfilled, down to the very last detail. 

Through the awesome power of Tefillah...

The Tefillah of a Yiddishe Mammeh.


Based on the Rebbe's Sicha from Vov Tishrei 5730 - the 5th anniversary of the passing of the Rebbe's mother, Rebbetzin Chana A"H.

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