OU TORAH Chana By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz

Many have the practice to recite, in the prayer following Shemoneh Esrei, a verse that starts and ends with the same letter as their name, or that contains their name, or both. This is considered a source of merit. In this series, we will briefly analyze these verses. חֲנֹךְ לַנַּעַר עַל פִּי דַרְכּוֹ גַּם כִּי יַזְקִין לֹא יָסוּר מִמֶּנָּה Teach a child in the manner appropriate to him and even when he grows old he will not deviate from it. – Proverbs 22:6 This is an extremely appropriate verse for the name Chana, seeing how hard the Biblical Chana prayed for a child and was rewarded with the great Judge Shmuel (Samuel), who is equated with Moshe and Aharon. The Metzudas Dovid explains that this verse means to train a child in the service of G-d in an age-appropriate manner. What’s appropriate for a 13-year-old may not be appropriate for a five-year-old, and vice versa. If a child is given the right level of instruction at each stage of development, he will retain it throughout a lifetime.