It is a well-known story.1 Chanah the prophetess had been childless for many years. Each year, she and her husband Elkanah would journey to the Sanctuary at Shiloh. One year, embittered by her barrenness, Chanah left the sacrificial feast, entered the Sanctuary and opened her heart in prayer for a son:2

“She prayed at length before G‑d… only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. And Eli [the High Priest] thought her to be drunk.

And Eli said to her, ‘How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine.’

‘No, my lord,’ replied Chanah. ‘I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have not drunk wine or strong drink; I have poured out my soul before G‑d…’

And Eli answered, ‘Go in peace. May the G‑d of Israel grant your request….’ ”

A few words of explanation by the Rebbe enable us to peer beneath the surface of this familiar narrative. Eli never regarded Chanah as literally drunk; otherwise, he would have had her removed from the Sanctuary. On the contrary, he heard Chanah’s prayer and perceived her sincerity. When he accused her of drunkenness, he was speaking figuratively. He could not understand how Chanah standing before G‑d, in the holy Sanctuary could think of herself and ask for a son. He considered her to be intoxicated by her personal desires, immoderately given to self-concern.

To this, Chanah replied, “I am not drunk.” (I.e., “I did not want anything for myself.”) Rather, “I poured out my soul before G‑d.” (I.e., “My desire came from the very depths of my being.”)

Chanah was not at all motivated by self-concern. This may be seen from her vow to dedicate her son “to G‑d all the days of his life.”3 In “pour[ing] out her soul before G‑d,” she expressed the inner motivation of her soul. For at the core of each of our beings lies the desire for posterity. This desire is not self-oriented, but instead relates to G‑d’s desire for a dwelling in the lower worlds.

As soon as Eli heard Chanah’s explanation, he responded with a blessing, asking that Chanah be granted the opportunity to bring the innermost desire of her soul to fruition.

Throughout the years, tzaddikim have been sensitive to the prayers of men and women who like Chanah desire a posterity. And like the blessing giving by Eli, their blessings have borne fruit.