Hu Ya’anenu, Hi Ta’anenu

You Who answered Sara in the palace—May You answer us;
You Who answered AvrahamAbraham is the first patriarch and the father of the Jewish people. He is the husband of Sarah and the father of Isaac and Ishmael. God's covenant - that we will be a great people and inherit the land of Israel - begins with Abraham and is marked by his circumcision, the first in Jewish history. His Hebrew name is Avraham. at knife-point—May You answer us;
You Who answered RivkaThe second Jewish matriarch, Isaac's wife, and mother to Jacob and Esau. Rebecca is an active parent, talking to God when she is pregnant and learning the fate of her children, then ultimately manipulating Isaac and the children to ensure Jacob's ascendancy. Her Hebrew name is Rivka. in her outcry—May You answer us;
You Who answered Yaakov at the river—May You answer us.
May You answer us, may You answer us,
May You answer us!
Hu Ya’anenu v’yom karenu, hi Ta’anenu.

You Who answered HagarAbraham's concubine and the mother of Ishmael, the patriarch of Islam. In the book of Genesis, when Sarah cannot conceive, she suggests that Abraham takeher servant Hagar as a concubine in order to conceive a child, which she promptly does. Feeling threatened by Hagar and her child, Sarah convinces Abraham to banish them from their home. God saves Hagar and Ishmael from dying in the desert. in the desert—May You answer us;
You Who answered RuthAn important female biblical character with her own book. The Book of Ruth, read on Shavuot, tells the story of Ruth’s devotion to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and their return to Israel. Ruth’s story is often read as the first story of conversion. Ruth is the grandmother of King David. in the gleaning—May You answer us;
You Who answered Avimelech at the well-spring—May You answer us;
You Who answered Noah with the Rainbow—May You answer us.
May You answer us, may You answer us,
May You answer us!
Hi Ta’anenu v’yom karenu, hu Ya’anenu.

You Who answered MiriamMiriam is the sister of Moses and Aaron. As Moses' and Aaron's sister she, according to midrash, prophesies Moses' role and helps secure it by watching over the young baby, seeing to it that Pharaoh's daughter takes him and that the baby is returned to his mother for nursing. During the Israelites' trek through the desert, a magical well given on her behalf travels with the Israelites, providing water, healing, and sustenance. at the seashore—May You answer us;
You Who answered MosheThe quintessential Jewish leader who spoke face to face with God, unlike any other prophet, and who freed the people from Egypt, led them through the desert for forty years, and received the Torah on Mt. Sinai. His Hebrew name is Moshe. at Mount SinaiAccording to the Torah, God, in the presence of the Jewish people, gave Moses the Torah on Mount Sinai (Har Sinai).—May You answer us;
You Who answered EliyahuElijah is a biblical prophet who is said never to have died. There are therefore many legends associated with Elijah. In the Talmud, unresolved arguments will be resolved when Elijah comes. He will herald the coming of the messiah. In Jewish ritual, Elijah is a liminal figure, arriving at moments of danger and transition – at a brit milah, a chair is put out for him, a cup is poured for Elijah at the Passover seder, and he is invoked at havdalah. His Hebrew name is Eliyahu. at Mount Horeb—May You answer us;
You Who answered HannahHannah is the mother of the prophet Samuel, who, through her prayers, is rewarded a child. She herself is also considered a prophet. Hannah's intense devotional style of prayer becomes the model, in rabbinic Judaism, for prayer in general. when she whispered—May You answer us.
May You answer us, may You answer us,
May You answer us!
Hu Ya’anenu v’yom karenu, hi Ta’anenu.

You Who answered ShifraShifra is one of the two Hebrew midwives mentioned in Exodus 1 who refuses Pharaoh's orders to kill the boy children, instead enabling them to live. She, along with her partner Puah, is instrumental in beginning the process leading to the Exodus. Shifra is often identified as Jochebed, Moses' mother. and PuahPuah, like Shifra, is one of the Hebrew midwives mentioned in Exodus 1 who defies Pharaoh's orders to kill the boy babies. This first act of defiance was instrumental in leading to the Israelite exodus from Egypt. Puah is often identified in the midrash with Miriam, Moses' older sister.—May You answer us;
You Who answered Yehonatan and David—May You answer us;
You Who answered Mordechai and EstherHeroine of the Purim story and Megillat (the scroll of) Esther. She is married to the king by her cousin Mordecai and ultimately saves her people from execution.—May You answer us;
You Who answered Bruriah and Me’ir—May You answer us.
May You answer us, may You answer us,
May You answer us!
Hi Ta’anenu v’yom karenu, hu Ya’anenu.

You Who answered Nachman of Bratzlav—May You answer us;
You Who answered Henrietta Szold—May You answer us;
You Who answered Sally Preisand—May You answer us;
You Who answer in every generation—May You answer us.
May You answer us, may You answer us,
May You answer us!
Hu Ya’anenu v’yom karenu, hi Ta’anenu.

You Who answered Rosa Parks in Montgomery—May You answer us;
You Who answered King and Heschel—May You answer us;
You Who answered Ida Nudel—May You answer us;
You Who answer in every generation—May You answer us.
May You answer us, may You answer us,
May You answer us!
Hi Ta’anenu v’yom karenu, hu Ya’anenu.

You Who answered… (Add your own)