TRUE STORY
A certain couple were married a bunch of years, and despite trying many different treatments, nothing worked. Finally, the doctors gave up hope on them ever having children, and even the most optimistic doctor had just given up hope. Finished.
The day she found out that she isn't capable of having children, the wife went home and put on her Shabbos clothing, and cooked up a whole meal for her and her husband. When her husband came home, he asked her: What’s this all about? She said: I am giving up on having kids. I don’t need kids. They keep you up at night. I’m so excited just to have you! I am being M'kabel everything with Simcha. The VERY NEXT DAY she received a phone call from her doctor, the one who had just given up hope, that they found a new approach to help them, and 9 months later they had their first child! She sincerely accepted her situation, it wasn’t fake, she threw in the towel, and made a party with real Simcha over her Matzav. That has the biggest power.
עִּיקָר חִּיוּת הָאָדָם שְבִּירַת הַמִּדוֹת וְאִּי לֹא לָמָה לוֹ חַיִּים
The main point of life is Shviras HaMiddos, and without it, what is the point of living? (Gr”a). Being satisfied even when not getting what you want, and the Zechus of going against your nature, is Kodesh Kodoshim and can give the biggest Yeshuos. I would suggest that because of the importance of breaking Middos, the family of Elkana went the extreme opposite of their Zeide, Korach, by being satisfied to the extreme; like the Rambam says that to break Middos, you need to go to the extreme opposite.
So Chana’s “acceptance mode” caused her to be Sameach B'chelko even as a barren woman, and when she finally felt bad about being an: עֲקָרָה (barren woman) thanks to the cruel teasing of Penina, then her husband tells her that being married to him is worth more than 10 children. Actually, the: בְ נֵ י קֹ רַ ח sons of Korach were perhaps the Shoresh (root) of the positivism of their descendants, by singing לַמְנַצֵחַ לִּבְנֵי קֹרַח מִּזְמוֹר תהלים מז א A song, by the sons of Korach, while still in Gehinom.
Why did they sing in Gehinom? We all know that: וּבְנֵי קֹרַח לֹא מֵתוּ כו יא the sons of Korach did not die because they did Teshuva (Rashi), and the opposite of what dissatisfied Korach did, is singing and being happy. Chazal say that they were on a high spot in Gehinom, and: בְמָקוֹם שֶבַעֲלֵי תְשוּבָה עוֹמְדִּ ים אֵין צַדִּיקִּים גְמוּרִּ ים יְכוֹלִּין לַעֲמוֹד ברכות לד ב Baalei Teshuva are even GREATER than pure Tzaddikim! So being on a “high” spot is right where they belong! And: לַמְנַצֵחַ לִּבְנֵי קֹרַח מִּזְמוֹר תהלים מז א is sung on Rosh Hashanah right before Tekiyos, since this is the Zman of Teshuva.
Who do we know that sang Shira after having a child? Chana. Perhaps because of her extreme positivity, and she was the forerunner of Dovid who was: נְעִּים זְמִּרוֹת יִּשְרָאֵל ש"ב כג א the sweet singer of Israel; since her son, Shmuel anointed Dovid. We can also suggest that the Tefila of Chana is unusually Chashuv, since she is a person who: בְ עֶ צֶ ם essentially wouldn't ask for anything, since she feels: ה' רֹעִּי לֹא אֶחְסָר תהלים כג א Hashem is my Shepard, I will never lack, and this is why we flood ourselves with so many Pesukei D’zimra every morning, so our Shmoneh Esrei Tefilos will go further. It makes sense that an extremely satisfied person deserves extreme Yeshuos.
Perhaps this is why she allowed herself to ask such an unusual Tefila, i.e., for a son who is equal to Moshe and Ahron! (Gemara). And she succeeded! (As the Passuk equates them: מֹשֶה וְאַהֲרֹן בְכֹהֲנָיו וּשְ מוּאֵל בְקֹרְ אֵי שְמוֹ תהלים צט ו Moshe and Ahron among Hashem’s Cohanim, and Shmuel among those who call out in His name). The Ramchal says that the Tefila of a Baal Bitachon is much more powerful than a normal Tefila. This can perhaps include those super-satisfied people, like Chana who need a Penina to get her to cry and really daven.
We see how extremely satisfied was Dovid, when he said: אִּם חֶסֶד אָשִּ ירָה, אִּם מִּשְ פָט אָשִּ ירָה ברכות ס ב regardless of whether You give me Chesed, I will sing, or retribution, I will sing. The two times that Dovid made a: שְ בוּעָ ה oath in Tanach, he said the identical: חַי ה' אֲשֶר פָדָה אֶת נַפְשִּ י מִּכָּל צָרָה ש"ב ד ט, מ"א א כט in the name of Hashem, who has redeemed me from all my Tzaros. Dovid was constantly aware of Hashem’s kindness. We have two jobs; 1. to be super satisfied until we barely want to ask for anything, and then 2. we need to feel the pain of our situation, until we have a broken heart and we cry.
The whole theme of Shiras Chana is about how Hashem is always helping the lowly and broken, the poor and all kinds of unfortunates. A person needs two Avoda’s, and each person needs to know what his Avoda is in the spirit of Shviras HaMiddos. You only do what you think you can do.
