Hannah's Prayer – A Special Segula in the Month of Kislev

Hannah's Prayer – A Special Segula in the Month of Kislev

The Zohar HaKadosh says that all prayers with which people turn to the Creator are sent to Heaven, to the Chamber designated for them, at whose entrance an angel—Chaya HaKadosh (the holy living creature)—is stationed to watch over the prayers. All the requests and all the yearnings of people are under this angel's supervision; he places them in this Chamber, where they remain for exactly 40 days. (Zohar Pekudei 252a) And Chazal confirm that, indeed, under normal circumstances our prayers ascend and remain in Heaven for 40 days, after which the answer descends over the course of 30 days. Why 30 days? It is known from the Zohar HaKadosh that angels sent on a mission to Earth need 30 days to receive the power of the four elements of our world. Answers to prayers entail the appointment of appropriate angels to fulfill the request. Therefore, the answer requires such a long time. Thus, this ordinary exchange between a person and the Creator—prayer and answer—takes up to 70 days in total. But in the month of Kislev, everything happens differently—a prayer can reach Shamayim instantly. We know that the mazal of the month of Kislev is “keshet”—which in Hebrew literally means “bow.” In the Book of the Prophet Samuel (I, 1:15), we find something interesting. When Eli the High Priest suspects the barren Hannah of being drunk, she corrects him, explaining that she is not drunk, but rather: “Ishah kashat ruach”—(a woman heavy-hearted and grieved in spirit). In Hebrew, the words “kashat” (heavy) and “keshet” (bow) consist of the same letters. In Hannah's Prayer, we also encounter the word “keshet”: “keshet gibborim chatim”—(the bows of the mighty are broken). Hannah's Prayer—the prayer of a woman “kashat ruach”—grieved in spirit—is transformed in the month of Kislev into the prayer of “keshet ruach” —a spirit that shoots like a bow—meaning that her spirit bursts forth and the prayer reaches its destination instantly, without being delayed anywhere. And Chazal confirm that, indeed, if under normal circumstances our prayers ascend over the course of 40 days, then in the month of Kislev everything happens differently—a prayer can reach its Recipient as “keshet ruach”—instantly. We draw this power from Hannah's Prayer. Therefore, it is a special segula to recite “Hannah's Prayer” during the month of Kislev—the prayer of a woman who convinced the Almighty that she was in the right and received an answer to her prayer. Hannah’s Prayer – How to Reach the Heavens Prayer of Hannah (Transliterated)