Thus You Shall Bless

Author: Dwight A. Pryor

THE MAJESTIC CADENCE of the Priestly Blessing (Birkat Kohanim) has eneare
itself to the hearts of !elie"ers for #illennia an $laye a %entral role in Je&ish an
Christian liturgy'
Though si#$li%ity is one of its hall#ar(s)the !lessing %onsists of only fifteen &ors in
He!re&)the %aen%e re$etition of the sa%re na#e* Adonai (+,H,-,H)* an the
in%reasing %res%eno of three* fi"e an se"en &ors res$e%ti"ely* %o#$oun its regal
i#$a%t' After all* the &ors &ere i%tate "er!ati# !y the .ing of the uni"erse/
The LORD spoke Thus shall you bless the Israelites:The LORD bless you and keep
youthe LORD make his !a"e to shine upon you#and be $ra"ious to youthe LORD li!t up
his "ountenan"e upon you#and $i%e you pea"e&' ((um ):**+*),
Aaron an his es%enants &ere authori0e to $ronoun%e the !lessing o"er the %hilren of
Israel* !ut Aonai e#$hasi0es that He alone is the sour%e an guarantor of the !lessing:
-o they shall put my name on the Israelites#and I mysel! .ill bless them/' ():*0,&
IN BIB1ICA1 TIMES the Birkat Kohanim &as re%ite aily in the 2irst an Se%on
Te#$les' A &orshi$$er 3&ith %lean hans an a $ure heart4 &ho as%ene the Holy Pla%e
!earing gifts)sa%rifi%es an offerings of $raise)&oul 3%arry a&ay a !lessing fro# the
156D4 (Ps 78:9)'
The liturgi%al %entrality of the Priestly Blessing %ontinues toay in synagogues' In so#e*
su%h as in Israel* the !lessing is re%ite aily: in others it is reser"e for s$e%ial o%%asions
li(e festi"als'
Des%enants of Aaron are still re;uire to re%ite the !lessing* &hi%h they o in the
#anner of ol* staning &ith hans e<tene u$&ar an out&ar* the fingers se$arate
li(e the He!re& letter shin (a $osture $o$ulari0e as the =ul%an salute !y Mr' S$o%( in
-tar Trek)' Their hans for# a latti%e as it &ere through &hi%h the -hekhinah !lessing of
HaShe# shines through fro# Hea"en'
-HAT D5ES THIS ANCIENT !lessing #ean> The essential transa%tion re"ol"es
aroun $la%ing the 156D?s na#e u$on %o"enant $eo$le' Thus the Na#e is in"o(e three
ti#es for e#$hasis an fo%us' A%%oring to the Tal#u the original na#e of +,H,-,H
&as s$o(en !y the $riests at the Te#$le until the thir %entury B'C': thereafter Adonai
(156D) &as su!stitute for the Tetragra##aton to $rote%t its san%tity fro# those
un&orthy to hear it'
The @o &ho %reates is the @o &ho %o"enants* an the %o"enantA(ee$ing @o ta(es for
hi#self a treasure $eo$le &ho !ear His na#e an for &ho# He %ares an %o#forts*
$ro"ies an $rote%ts' The Priestly Blessing therefore i#$lores the 156D to !e $resent
to His $eo$le &ith a is$osition of goo &ill an fa"or'
S$e%ifi%ally the !lessing aresses 3you4 in the singular* ini%ating that ea%h $erson is
i#$ortant to @o' Also* &hen Israel is 3one4 in unity* there @o %o##ans the !lessing
(Ps BCC)'
To 3!less an (ee$4 #eans to guar an $rote%t* an is unerstoo to a$$ly es$e%ially to
#aterial nees: to grant you $ros$erity an su%%ess* an yet to $rote%t you fro#
!e%o#ing greey an %o"etous' The Sages suggest that the !est $rote%tion of &ealth is to
use it for %harity an goo ees'
3To #a(e His fa%e to shine u$on4 is the o$$osite of 3hiing His fa%e4 &hi%h i#$lies
anger or is$leasure (%f' Dt CB:BD)' 32a%e4 or panim is use iio#ati%ally in S%ri$ture to
suggest affe%tion an fa"or)i'e'* to 3sho& you a s#iling fa%e4 (6ashi)'
3To !e gra%ious4 is to e<ten #er%y an to eal gra%iously &ith* in%luing illu#inating
the Torah for our unerstaning'
3To lift u$ His fa%e4 again is an iio# #eaning to loo( u$on &ith fa"or' Eueen Esther
3foun fa"or !efore his fa%e4 (F:9) &hen she a$$roa%he the .ing on !ehalf of her
$eo$le'
3To gi"e you $ea%e4 is to grant freeo# fro# strife an isorer an to !ring har#ony*
&holeness an a!unant &ellA!eing' 1ittle &oner that shalom seals the Priestly
Blessing'
This #agnifi%ent !lessing tells us #u%h a!out the %hara%ter of the @o of Israel' It also
shoul say #u%h a!out ho& then &e shall li"e)as !lesse $eo$le &ho in turn are
is$ose to !less others' -hen &e e<ten the fa"or of the 156D to&ar one another &e
res$onsi!ly %arry the Na#e this !lessing $la%es u$on us'
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