This is part of an ongoing series focusing on women’s prayers throughout the ages, and what we can learn from women about the impact of prayer.


I’ve always loved the name Naftali. I love the way it sounds, I love what it means, and I love the people I associate it with. It was only natural for me to name my first-born son Naftali after my beloved grandfather, Naftali Kravitsky, who was a proud Chabad chassid and math professor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. I cherished the relationship I had with my grandfather, and had much reverence and love for him. His name evokes pride and a strong feeling of connection for me.

The interesting thing is, the name Naftali also means “connection” and “bonding.” Let’s take it way back to the original Naftali—named by our matriarch, Rachel, who became the head of the tribe of Naftali.

While Rachel’s sister, Leah, already had six boys, Rachel remained childless. She was filled with pain and ached to have a son who would later lead a tribe in Israel. Learning from our matriarch Sarah, Rachel gave her maidservant Bilha to Jacob, hoping that she would raise Bilha’s son as her own and in that way merit to have her own child. Bilha indeed gave birth to one son, named Dan, and then a second son, named Naftali.

When Naftali was born, Rachel said: “With Elokim’s bonds, I have been joined to my sister, and I have also prevailed.” She [therefore] called him Naftali (Gen. 30:8).

The root of the name Naftali has a few meanings, and they are connected (pun intended).

Rashi explains, in the name of Menachem Ben Saruk, that Naftali comes from the same root as the word פתיל patil, which means “tied” or “bonded.” The example of the term is tzamid patil, a “tied covering.” In this context, Rachel was hinting at her ability to bond and connect with her sister Leah, as she now had a son from her maidservant.

Rashi quotes, in the name of Onkelos, that Naftali also means tefillah, or “prayer.” Rachel named Naftali to express how he was the answer to her heartfelt prayers.

While the name Naftali means both bonding and prayer, in a certain sense, they are one and the same. By Rachel naming a future leader of a tribe Naftali, she is teaching us what prayer is really all about.

Prayer is like a superglue, allowing a person to bond and connect with G‑d. As Jews, we naturally have a spiritual tug in the form of a desire to escape the confines of reality and experience a sublime experience, the ability to unite with the Infinite. Prayer is where this happens.

In fact, prayer is called tefillah in Hebrew because it means to bond, as the Mishnaic term hatofel et hacheres—to bind two pieces of clay together. In order to cement two pieces of clay together, a very strong glue is needed. Prayer is that glue between creation and Creator—that opportunity not just to mumble words but to really feel attached and one with G‑d.

Prayer is the antidote to the restlessness the soul feels, and the fulfillment of its desire to transcend itself and feel part of its Source.

So prayer is bonding; it is connection; and it is Naftali. I cherish my son, his name and all it represents, symbolizing my ultimate attachment of a Jew to his or her Maker.

Like super glue.

Soul Note: Prayer is a ladder where the ultimate goal is a deep and satisfying connection with G‑d.