During the holidays of the year, the Israelites would travel to the Tabernacle to offer sacrifices and celebrate with their families. On one such festive occasion, Elkanah observed this tradition. The primary approach among commentators is that this took place on a festival day designated for bringing sacrifices, with some identifying the holiday specifically as Shavuot [רד״ק]. To mark the joyful time, Elkanah brought peace offerings. Because the obligation to rejoice on a festival is fulfilled by eating meat, he shared the sacrifice with his household, distributing gifts and portions of the food [מלבי״ם, אהבת יהונתן, שטיינזלץ].
The manner in which Elkanah distributed these portions reflected his different feelings toward his two wives. When he gave meat to Peninnah and her children, he did so out of a sense of duty and burden, acting as someone merely finishing an obligation to the mother of his children. In stark contrast, his gifts to Hannah were driven by an immense love for her character, accompanied by a deep, ongoing desire to keep giving to her time and time again [חומת אנך].
A complex family dynamic unfolded around the sharing of this food. Some explain that Elkanah would cast lots among the household for the portions, deliberately ensuring that one portion was extra large. Due to Hannah's righteousness, the lot would always fall to her. This arrangement angered Peninnah, who felt that conducting a lottery among family members was forbidden by Jewish law and amounted to gambling [צוארי שלל]. Peninnah would routinely provoke Hannah, reminding her of her barrenness by making a point of caring for her own children in front of her. Yet, others explain that Peninnah’s true intentions were pure. She sought to grieve Hannah in order to inspire her to pray to God from the very depths of her heart for a child [צאינה וראינה].
Hannah’s inability to have children was not due to any natural physical flaw. It was certainly not the result of Elkanah giving her a sterilizing potion to preserve her beauty. Instead, she was barren because God deeply desires the prayers of righteous people. Elkanah understood that her situation was a matter of divine providence and a testament to her righteousness, which caused him to love her even more [אהבת יהונתן]. Seeking to comfort her, he explained that she had no reason to weep over missing the commandment to procreate, as women are not obligated by Jewish law to fulfill it. He promised to be her steady support in her old age, assuring her that her partnership in his Torah study was far more precious and valuable than having ten sons [צוארי שלל, צאינה וראינה].