The first words I hope to say as chazan on Rosh Hashanah are:

הִנְנִי הֶעָנִי מִמַּעַשׂ Here I am, poor in deeds.

הִנְנִי הֶעָנִי מִמַּעַשׂ

Here I am, poor in deeds.

Before beginning Musaf, I will acknowledge how inadequate I am for the task of representing the community before G-d. On the day we crown the King of the universe, I will begin with my own smallness. And it is completely true.

As I prepare, I find myself returning to Chana. Her story contains two prayers that seem very different: one intensely personal, the other filled with visions of kingship and national destiny. Yet on Rosh Hashanah we encounter both, because together they tell a single story.

Chana appears twice in the Rosh Hashanah experience. Her story forms the haftarah of the first day, and her prayer helped shape important elements of the Rosh Hashanah Musaf service. The Gemara derives key laws of prayer from Chana’s conduct and associates the nine blessings of the Rosh Hashanah Musaf Amidah with the nine mentions of G-d’s name in her song.

Her first prayer comes from deep personal pain. She longs for a child and believes that G-d can help her when nobody else can.

וְחַנָּה הִיא מְדַבֶּרֶת עַל־לִבָּהּ רַק שְׂפָתֶיהָ נָּעוֹת וְקוֹלָהּ לֹא יִשָּׁמֵעַ Chana was speaking upon her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard. (I Shmuel 1:13)

וְחַנָּה הִיא מְדַבֶּרֶת עַל־לִבָּהּ רַק שְׂפָתֶיהָ נָּעוֹת וְקוֹלָהּ לֹא יִשָּׁמֵעַ

Chana was speaking upon her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice could........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)