“Voices of Faith: The Dialogues of Hannah and Her Seven Sons”

“Hannah’s Last Lessons: The Torah Conversations Between a Mother and Her Seven Sons”

Below is the complete , structured , expanded version of the conversations between Hannah and each of her seven sons , drawn from Talmud (Gittin 57b) , Midrash Eichah Rabbah 1:50 , Midrash Mishle , Yalkut Shimoni , and commentaries of Rishonim & Chassidic masters .

This is the fullest reconstruction the sages provide. Each son embodies one Torah commandment , one Sefirah , and one inner flame of Jewish faith .

I. FIRST SON — “THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD.”

• Source: Gittin 57b, Eichah Rabbah 1:50

  Antiochus demands: “Bow to the idol.”

  The first son answers: “Heaven forbid! I bow only to the God of our fathers.”

  Hannah whispers: “My son, remember the command: ‘I am Hashem your God… You shall have no other gods.’ (Ex. 20:2–3)”

  He steps forward boldly and declares: “Even if you take my life, I remain with the One who gives life.”

  Torah Commandment: No idolatry

  Sefirah: Chesed — Loving loyalty to God

  Flame: The first Menorah branch

II. SECOND SON — “YOU CANNOT REPLACE THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE.”

• Source: II Maccabees 7:7–9; Midrash Mishlei 31

  After killing the eldest, the king offers the second son power and wealth.

  The second son replies: “You rise and fall like a man. But the King of the Universe lives forever.”

  Hannah says: “My son, remember: ‘Know this day and place it upon your heart — Hashem is God in Heaven above and on earth below.’ (Deut. 4:39)”

  He says to Antiochus: “You may sever my limbs, but you cannot sever my soul from my God.”

  Torah Commandment: Affirming God’s Kingship

  Sefirah: Gevurah — Strength against oppression

  Flame: The second Menorah branch

III. THIRD SON — “THE TORAH IS NOT OURS TO CHANGE.”

• Source: Gittin 57b; Yalkut Shimoni, Maccabees 7

  The king demands he eat pork — symbol of negating Torah.

  The third son says: “The Torah was given to us at Sinai. You did not give it, and you cannot take it away.”

  Hannah strengthens him: “My son, the Torah is eternal. (Deut. 33:4)” “Whoever abandons Torah loses his life.”

  The boy cries out: “We do not abandon the laws of our ancestors.”

  Torah Commandment: Kashrut = loyalty to Sinai

  Sefirah: Tiferet — Beauty of Torah truth

  Flame: The third Menorah branch

IV. FOURTH SON — “WE BELONG TO THE CREATOR, NOT TO YOU.”

• Source: II Maccabees 7:13–14; Midrash Eichah

  The king mocks the boy: “Who will save you?”

  The fourth son replies: “You can kill us, but God will resurrect us.”

  This is the earliest clear statement of techiyat ha-meitim (resurrection) outside Tanach.

  Hannah tells him: “My son, look at the heavens and earth. God created them from nothing.” (Eichah Rabbah)

  He proclaims: “The hands that made the universe will restore my life.”

  Torah Commandment: Faith in Creation and Resurrection

  Sefirah: Netzach — Eternal endurance

  Flame: The fourth Menorah branch

V. FIFTH SON — “WE DO NOT FEAR MORTAL MEN.”

• Source: II Maccabees 7:16–17; Midrash Mishlei 31

  The king says: “Why defy me? I have power to kill.”

  The fifth son answers: “You have power only over flesh. God has power over body and soul.”

  Hannah whispers: “My son, fear not flesh and blood. Fear only the One who said ‘Let there be light.’”

  The son says: “Your reign ends. His reign is forever.”

  Torah Commandment: Fear of God > fear of man

  Sefirah: Hod — Humility and spiritual glory

  Flame: The fifth Menorah branch

VI. SIXTH SON — “OUR SUFFERING IS TEMPORARY; OUR COVENANT IS ETERNAL.”

• Source: II Maccabees 7:18–20; Eichah Rabbah

  The king grows frustrated: “Why won’t you submit?”

  The sixth son declares: “Because we are bound by a covenant sealed in blood and fire.”

  This references: Brit Milah, Sinai, The eternal covenant with Israel

  Hannah speaks: “My son, remember Avraham your father who offered even his beloved son for God’s command.”

  He answers: “Our suffering purifies us. Your cruelty condemns you.”

  Torah Commandment: Keeping the Covenant (Brit)

  Sefirah: Yesod — Foundation of identity

  Flame: The sixth Menorah branch

VII. THE YOUNGEST SON — THE MOST FAMOUS CONVERSATION

• Sources: Gittin 57b; Eichah Rabbah 1:50; II Maccabees 7:24–41

  The king tries a different approach:

  Promises riches

  Offers positions

  Allows the boy to pretend to bow

  Hannah pulls him aside and speaks her most iconic words: “My child, go and tell Avraham: You bound one son to the altar; Hannah has offered seven.” (Eichah Rabbah)

  She continues: “Do not fear this tyrant. Fear only the Creator.”

  The king tries trickery: “Just pick up my ring, so it looks like you bowed.”

  The child answers: “Shame on you, wicked king! If you think I fear you, I fear only God. Even your tricks will not sway me.”

  Hannah embraces him and says: “My son, look at the heavens and the earth — all created from nothing. Do not deny the Creator to honor a creature.”

  He responds: “I will not break the commandments even in appearance.”

  He is executed.

VIII. Hannah’s Final Words

After all seven are killed, Hannah ascends a rooftop and prays:

“Master of the Universe,
You gave me seven sons.
For Your sake I have returned them.
Receive my spirit with theirs.”

This is Kiddush HaShem in its purest form.

Summary Table — Each Son’s Torah Command & Sefirah

INTRODUCTION: WHY HANNAH’S STORY IS ABOUT TORAH COMMANDMENTS

I. HISTORICAL FRAME: THE MOTHER WHO IGNITED A REVOLUTION

• 1. The Second Book of Maccabees 7:1–41
  The text describes a mother whose seven sons were tortured and killed by Antiochus IV for refusing to violate Torah. She strengthens each son with words of faith and finally gives her own life.
• 2. Rabbinic Identity: “Hannah”
  In Midrash Eichah Rabbah 1:50 and Gittin 57b, she is called Hannah, linking her spiritually to the biblical Hannah (mother of Samuel):
  Both mothers reveal supernatural spiritual motherhood.
  Both exemplify mesirat nefesh (self-sacrifice).
  Both raise children who bring light into dark eras.
• 3. Her Story and the Chanukkah Rebellion
  The sages say her heroism sparked the moral fire of the Maccabean uprising. Not through swords — but through unyielding identity, sanctity, and the refusal to assimilate.

II. PESHAṬ — THE SIMPLE READING: THE TEST OF FAITH IN EXILE

• 1. Antiochus’ Decrees (1 Macc. 1:41–50)
  Ban Torah
  Ban circumcision
  Ban Shabbat
  Ban Kashrut
  Force Jews to adopt Greek identity
• 2. Hannah’s Defiance
  She sees Torah not as a lifestyle but as the soul of Israel. By refusing Antiochus, she embodies the verse: “You shall live by My commandments — and not die by them.” (Leviticus 18:5)
  Yet the Talmud explains that this applies except in cases of:
  Idolatry
  Murder
  Forbidden sexual immorality
  Hannah and her sons sanctify God’s Name (Kiddush HaShem) in all three categories.

III. REMEZ — HINTS & SYMBOLS: WHAT THE SAGES REVEAL

• 1. The Number Seven
  The Maharal explains that seven represents the completion of nature. Hannah’s seven sons reveal the fullness of Israel’s devotion through the whole created order.
• 2. The Dreidel Letters —: נ ג ה ש “A Great Miracle Happened There”
  Chassidic commentaries link each letter to a layer of faith demonstrated by Hannah:

Thus the dreidel is not merely a toy — it encodes the spiritual map of the Maccabean struggle.

• 3. Greek Philosophy vs. Torah Light
  The Ramban explains that Greece represents beauty without holiness, intellect divorced from Divine morality. Hannah’s sons die proclaiming: “We would rather die than abandon the laws of our fathers.” The clash is not military first — but metaphysical.

IV. DERASH — MIDRASHIC & TALMUDIC EXPANSION

• 1. Her Words to Her Sons (Gittin 57b)
  The Midrash records her whispering to each son: “Go to Abraham your father and tell him: You bound one son upon the altar; I have offered seven.” This is not arrogance — it is teaching that faith grows from generation to generation, each adding light.
• 2. Her Rebuke of Antiochus
  The Midrash says she mocked the king: “Woe to you, wicked one! You think you destroy us, but you only take us to eternal life.” The sages derive from this that true victory is not physical survival but the eternity of the soul.
• 3. Her Final Teaching
  Before she dies, she prays: “Master of the Universe, take my soul with the souls of my children.” The Zohar calls this the Tefillah of the Mother of Israel, a prayer that activates the Shekhinah’s protection.

V. SOD — KABBALISTIC DEPTH: THE MYSTERY OF LIGHT, WAR, AND PEACE

• 1. Greece Represents “Darkness” (Zohar III:187b)
  But not ordinary darkness — the darkness that disguises itself as light (false wisdom). The greatest danger is when assimilation looks beautiful.
• 2. Hannah as the Embodiment of Binah
  In Kabbalah, the mother symbolizes Binah (Understanding). Binah gives birth to seven lower sefirot — just as Hannah gives birth to seven sons. Her willingness to sacrifice reveals:
  Binah ascending back to the Infinite (Ayin)
  The return of understanding to its divine root
  Thus the seven sons become seven channels of divine light restored to their source.
• 3. Her Sons as the Seven Flames of the Menorah
  The Arizal writes that the menorah’s seven branches correspond to seven spiritual qualities. Hannah’s seven sons reveal:
  Chesed — Kindness: loyalty to God
  Gevurah — Strength: resistance to tyranny
  Tiferet — Beauty: the beauty of holiness
  Netzach — Victory: eternal Jewish endurance
  Hod — Humility: martyrdom in nobility
  Yesod — Foundation: transmission of faith
  Malkhut — Kingship: God’s sovereignty revealed
  The sons die — but their flames ignite the miracle of Chanukkah.

VI. WAR & PEACE IN THE LIGHT OF THE SAGES

• 1. War: The External Battle
  The Maccabees fought against:
  Cultural deletion
  Identity erasure
  Spiritual destruction
• 2. Peace: The Internal Victory
  The sages teach: “There is no peace except Torah.” (Avot d’Rabbi Natan 17) True peace is inner integrity — the soul aligned with God. Hannah does not choose war; but her spiritual war births physical salvation.

VII. HANNAH’S LEGACY TODAY — THE MIRACLE OF JEWISH SURVIVAL

• 1. Mesirat Nefesh as a Generational Power
  Chassidut teaches that her strength remains in every Jew. Whenever someone resists assimilation, a spark of Hannah lives.
• 2. Chanukkah as Her Holiday
  Even though she died before the battle ended, the sages say: “Her light became the oil of the menorah.” (Zohar, Midrash HaNe’elam)
• 3. War & Peace in Every Generation
  Antiochus represents the eternal force that tries to make Israel forget who they are. Chanukkah celebrates the eternal force that refuses to forget.

VIII. FINAL Synthesis — What the Sages Want Us to See

• 1. Hannah is the Hidden Maccabee.
  She wages the war of identity.

• 2. Her seven sons are the seven branches of the menorah.
  Their deaths become the eternal light.

• 3. The dreidel letters proclaim her victory:
  נ ג ה ש – “A great miracle happened there.”
  The miracle is not only the oil — but the Jewish soul that cannot be extinguished.

WHY THE SAGES CONNECT HANNAH TO CHANUKKAH

1. Her Story Is the Spiritual Spark of the Rebellion

• Before there was a military victory, there was a spiritual battle.
• Hannah taught that:
  • Torah is non-negotiable
  • Identity is worth sacrifice
  • One small flame defeats darkness

2. Her Seven Sons = Seven Flames of the Menorah

• The Arizal and later Chassidic masters explain:
  • Each son corresponds to one Sefirah of the seven lower attributes.
  • Their deaths purified the spiritual channels of Israel.
  • Their light becomes the Menorah’s light.

3. Chanukkah = The Triumph of Torah Over Dominion

• Greece wanted:
  • Torah abolished
  • Jewish identity dissolved
  • Holiness replaced with culture
• Hannah answered with the voice of Sinai. Her story is the Torah of Chanukkah: Light that refuses to go out.

4. A Great Miracle Happened There

• The word “dreidel” is a Yiddish word meaning to turn and is a spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each of its four sides. The four letters, nun, gimel, hei and shin form an acronym for the words “nes gadol haya sham” – a great miracle happened there. These four letters have the gematria of the word ‘Mashiach.’
• The total numerical value of the phrase on the Dreidel (Nes Gadol Haya Sham) is 358, which is identical to the numerical value of the word Mashiach (Messiah). This suggests a spiritual connection between the miracle of Hanukkah and the ultimate redemption.

Summary — The Torah Commandments in Hannah’s Story

• Faith in God Alone — No Idolatry
• Sanctity of the Body — No Sexual Immorality
• Preservation of Innocent Life — No Murder
• Teaching Torah to Children — Parental Obligation
• Kiddush HaShem — Sanctifying God’s Name
• Creation Faith — Affirming the First Principle of Torah
• Her conversations with each son are literally lessons in Torah commandments.