Parashat Naso 5770
A man comes to see his rabbi and asks, “rabbi, will you make me into a kohen?” The rabbi replies: “I can’t just make you into a kohen.” “Oh rabbi, you don’t understand how much it would mean to me… I want to be honored with the first Aliyah on Shabbat. Won’t you please make me a kohen!” “I understand,” said the rabbi, “but that’s not how it works.” Oh, but rabbi, I want to have the privilege of dukhening – of blessing the congregation on the holidays. Please rabbi, I beg you, please make me a kohen.” “I hear what you’re saying,” replied the rabbi, “but it’s simply not possible.” As the disappointed man turned to leave, the rabbi asked him, “by the way, why do you so badly want to be a kohen?” The man replied, “my father was a kohen and his father was a kohen and his father’s father was a kohen; and I just want to be one too.”
Growing up, I never really understood what the big deal was about being a kohen. I learned in school that the kohanim are the patrilineal decedents of Moses’ brother Aaron – the High Priest of ancient Israel. For generations, the Priests served in the tabernacle, and then in the Temple in Jerusalem, performing the sacred sacrifices and praying on behalf of the community on Yom Kippur. But, there hasn’t been a functioning priesthood since our Temple was destroyed nearly 2000 years ago. Nonetheless, families who trace their roots back to the Priestly line have guarded their status as kohanim for generations. They are the closest thing we have to a Jewish aristocracy. Many of us know that in traditional synagogues like our own, kohanim are still honored with the first aliyah to the Torah; and on the Jewish festivals, they bless the congregation with the ancient priestly benediction – often referred to as dukhenen. They stand on the bima with their shoes off, pull their tallitot over their heads and bless us with the Mr. Spock hands.
When I was a kid, I heard what many of you were probably told – that the blessing is so powerful, so sublime, that we shouldn’t gaze upon the kohanim when they are reciting it. I vividly remember standing under my grandfather’s tallit playing with the tzitzit. And while the kohanim droned on, I did what every one of us did – I looked! I peeked out and was disappointed when I wasn’t struck with blindness by magic laser beams shooting out of the kohens’ fingertips.
So, growing up I never quite appreciated the kohanim and their blessing. It seemed like a ceremonial gesture to an ancient past. But in recent years, I’ve gained new appreciation for birkat kohanim and I now look forward to the holidays when the kohens bless us. And a couple of days ago, I experienced something that really brought it into focus for me. On the second day of Shavout, my son Koby came running in from the lobby with the other kids and huddled very sweetly under my tallit. Standing there with him listening to birkat kohanim was a poignant moment. With my arms around him, I felt emotions welling up in me as I thought about how I myself say this blessing to him and his siblings every Friday night. Just before kiddish, Melanie and I draw our children close to us – one at a time – and we invoke the words that appear in this week’s Torah portion (Num. 6:22-27).
If we consider what the words mean, it becomes abundantly clear that this is a perfect blessing. The blessing consists of three succinct sentences. Each line is a little longer than the last (3 words, 5 words, 7 words). They seem to say essentially the same thing, but if we break them down, there’s a profound message in them. First, we should notice that the verses use what is called “biblical parallelism.” That means each sentence says the same thing in two different ways. The blessings follow the same patter – the first half is abstract, and the second half is more concrete.
Y’varechecha Adonai v’yishmerecha – May God bless you and protect you.
Ya’er Adonai panav elecha vi’chuneka. This one’s harder to understand. It literally says, “May God cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.” Vichuneka is from the word “chen.” Chen is God’s attribute of grace or generosity. What it means for God’s face to shine upon you – what it means to be the recipient of grace – is to get more than you deserve. If the first blessing is about getting what you need, this one says, “may you get more than you need.” This blessing describes what it’s like when God is pleased with us and feeling generous.
Yissa Adonai panav elecha v’ya-sem lecha shalom. This one literally says, “May God lift His face to you and grant you peace.” Lifting the face in biblical imagery is associating with showing favor. When God is unhappy with us, He is said to “turn away.” Turning toward, by contrast, is a gesture of approval. In law, lifting the face implies taking sides (see Deut. 10:17). What this blessing is asking for is for God to take your side even when you mess up. The blessing asks for shalom – peace. In Hebrew, the concept of peace (shalom) comes from the idea of being whole (shalem). In other words, this blessing asks God to make you feel whole even when you are broken. It invokes God’s forgiving nature. (cf. Rashi).
The Priestly blessings bring to mind a parental relationship. That is why Birkat Kohanim is so appropriate as a blessing for our children. It is the voice of a parent saying, “I will give you what you deserve and take care of you. When you make me proud, I will show you kindness and generosity. And, even when you falter, I will show you favor and make things right.”
What a beautiful thing to say to your children. How perfectly it describes the love of a parent for a child. If you currently bless your children with this blessing, I want you to think about what it means when you’re saying it. And, if you don’t do birkat kohanim with your children, I really hope you will. No matter what has happened during the week. No matter what your children have done (or you have done), or how you are feeling toward one another – it is a moment to embrace them and say “I will protect you, I will be kind to you, and I’ll always love you no matter what.”
My children don’t yet understand what the words of the blessing mean, but I can tell you that they look forward to receiving that blessing every week. Every child needs to hear these words. Every child deserves to be assured of his or her parents’ love. And, as a parent, we have a need to give the blessing just as much as our children need to receive it. It reminds us of the kind of Godly love that we can embody.
As children of God, each of us has a need to be blessed by these words. Each of us deserves to be blessed and be held by parental love. That is why we still cherish birkat kohanim. That is why those that trace their lineage to the ancient Priesthood are so relevant to us even to this day. When the Kohanim get up to dukhen they precede it with a special bracha which says, “Blessed are you God… who has sanctified us through Aaron, and commands us to bless His people Israel out of love.” The Talmud, in fact, says that a kohen must invoke the blessing with love for the Jewish people in his heart (Sotah 39a). If he is not feeling benevolent, he’s not allowed to dukhen. Birkat Kohanim is an expression of Godly love for us in the way that a parent loves a child.
I now understand why it is indeed such a powerful blessing. Now, when I listen to the Kohanim give it, I see myself as the child being held in the loving embrace of a parent. And, I now appreciate why it is such a high honor to be the conduit for this blessing. Birkat Kohanim, the three-fold priestly blessing, reminds us that as children of God, we deserve to be regarded with love; and that one of the highest things to which we can aspire in life is to be a source of blessing for others.
