Naftali - Twelfth Tribe / Adar I – Twelfth Month
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At this time, we begin the twelfth Hebrew month on the festival calendar, the month of Adar I. As we have been doing in this series, the twelfth month is aligned with the twelfth tribe in the wilderness camping order, which is the tribe of Naftali (Numbers 2:29-30). Throughout this series of monthly articles we have been discovering the connection between the tribe and the month associated with that tribe. Let’s find out what connects Naftali with Adar I.
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It all starts with the naming of Naftali by Rachel after her handmaid Bilhah gave birth to him. In Genesis 30:8, she named him Naftali; “And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed and she called his name Naftali”
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What does this mean that she wrestled? As we read the account of the two sisters, Leah and Rachel, we clearly see the struggle between them for the affections of their husband Jacob. Providing Jacob with sons and daughters was a bone of contention between them which caused them to psychologically ‘wrestle’ with each other.
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Therefore, when Naftali was born unto Rachel, this second birth for her proved that Rachel was a worthy contributor in the wrestling match. Literally, when he was born, Rachel finally felt connected to Leah because she now was contributing children to Jacob as did Leah. That is why she said; “… and I have prevailed…” This brings us to the purpose that Naftali brings to the family of Israel. Naftali is considered as the ‘connected’ tribe or the ‘fastening’ tribe.
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Naftali’s ability as the connected tribe goes well beyond the wrestling between his mother and step-mother. As Naftali developed into a full blown tribe taking part in the exodus into the wilderness, this tribe’s attribute provides an important role for the whole nation/family of Israel.
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We get the foundation of this attribute from the blessing given by his father Jacob: “Naftali is a hind let loose, who delivers beautiful sayings” (Genesis 49:21). What a wonderful blessing upon a son. Literally, Jacob expressed very positive attributes towards Naftali. As he spoke the portion, “who delivers beautiful sayings”, Jacob foresaw that this son and future tribe would be providers (deliverers) of encouraging and uplifting sayings. What were the encouraging sayings that Naftili would deliver? The beautiful words of Torah.
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Are you familiar with the Hebrew word “tefillah”? Most people translate this word to the English word, “prayer”. But prayer is not really an accurate English word to use. Indeed, there isn’t a single English word to truly describe the meaning of tefillah, so it requires a phrase. Tefillah is a labor of awakening the hidden love within the heart until a state of intimate union with the divine is achieved.[i] To describe the action of tefillah would be to say that this is a connection to an intimate relationship with HaShem. Naftali who delivers beautiful sayings is a model we can use as a guide in our own personal development of an intimate relationship with HaShem. In other words… let us praise Him and let us go forth to other with words of praise about Him.
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This month of Adar I is the final month of the Hebrew festival year and in 30 days it will give way to the start of Nisan and the spring festivals. This month acts as a connector and a connection, a time to recall what we learned in the past twelve months with the festivals and Sabbaths, so that we can grow upon what we learned and go forward into the new festival season with newness. What happens when we recall the beautiful sayings that we have learned in the past year? We feel great joy and gladness – we want to praise and we want to share those beautiful sayings with others.
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Use this month to remember and connect again with what you have learned these past twelve months. It will benefit you greatly into the upcoming Hebrew festival year, to grow upon the beautiful sayings and to do so with the swiftness of a hind.
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PS: There is a historical story stating that some generations later, hinds were gifted by the king of the Northern Kingdom to the king of the Southern Kingdom. When the king of the Southern Kingdom wanted to send a goodwill message to the king of the Northern Kingdom, he would place the message on the hind and set it loose to return to the Northern Kingdom. The attribute of connection with the hind bringing good will between the Kingdoms was a great service to all the people.
[i] http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1452805/jewish/Tefillah.htm
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Next: Levi - Additional Tribe / Adar II - Additional Month
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