The Ties That Bond

“And Rochel said, ‘[With] bonds of Hashem I have been bound to my sister and I have also prevailed,’ and she called his name Naftali” (Bereishis 30:8).

This week’s parshah discusses the births and the naming of the Shevatim. Naftali’s name shares the root letters with the word tefillah. As Rashi explains, Rochel Imeinu chose this name to allude to the many tefillos she prayed to bear children and Hashem granted her request.

Rashi adds that another root of Naftali is psil, string. A string is created from many thin threads spun together to form one entity. Noam Elimelech ties this word in to tefillah as well, explaining that just as threads unite to form a string, when one prays, he unites with Hashem. (Rav Elimelech Biderman, “Torah Wellsprings”)

It was a Friday night when I first read about Ohel Sarala, in the pages of this magazine — and organization started by Rabbi and Mrs. Ginzberg in memory of their daughter Sarala. I was immediately drawn to the description of the Ginzbergs and how they had the strength to channel their personal tragedy into a merit for Klal Yisrael.

“Listen to this,” I said to my daughters, who were reading next to me on the couch. “There’s a new organization that links single women and couples experiencing infertility to daven for each other. It’s all done anonymously.”