Parshat Naso

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying,

This is how you will bless the children of Israel.

Say to them:

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine upon you

and be gracious to you.

The Lord lift up His countenance to you

and give you peace.

They shall put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.

6:22 - 27

The function of blessing the sons of Israel is not an authorization conferred upon the descendants of Aaron, but a duty assigned to them. The Priestly Blessing does not emanate from the personal benevolence of the priests, but constitutes part of their service in the Sanctuary….There are no magic powers inherent in the priest himself or in the blessing he pronounces. The attitude of the one who pronounces it is an essential part of the blessing; indeed, it is his attitude that turns the formula he recites into a blessing…Every breath drawn by an individual who truly serves God will elicit a responsive chord from the universe around him.

Samson Raphael Hirsch (19^th Century)

Accordingly the three sections of the priestly benedictions illustrate an ascending order, starting with a blessing concerned with man’s material needs and then dealing with his spiritual wants, and finally reaching a climax combining both these factors together, crowning them with the blessing of peace. This ascending order and increasing surge of blessing is reflected in the language and rhythm. The first phrase consists of three words, the second of five, and the third of seven.

Nechama Leibowitz (Contemporary)

It is commonly supposed that “peace” is the restoration of harmony between parties that have been at odds with one another. People who conceive of “peace” as being merely that, deprive the concept of much of its value. If “peace” does nothing more than restore a balance where there had previously been an imbalance, it can hardly be considered a blessing…Actually, peace is more like the silver thread that joins two people or two entities combining them into a unified whole. Why is one of the names of God “Shalom,” peace? Because God ties together worlds, keeps them united and preserved their appearance and format.

Akedat Yitzchak (15^th Century)

It struck me that my understanding of the word “love” in context of this priestly blessing may have been too literal. I think the beauty of its composition is that it exists for all time, not only when there’s a temple and it’s clear that the priests are blessing the people with love, but even when there is no temple, they are still capable of blessing with ‘love.’ But it’s not the love we spoke of earlier, the priest sharing in the good fortune of his flock. Rather, the love he blesses the congregation with is a love to feel for each other. He literally blesses them, prays for them, that they may develop among themselves the capacity to love each other. “Love” is not necessarily the emotion of the priests; it’s the content of the blessing.

Shlomo Riskin (Contemporary)

The rabbis ruled that a kohen who hates his community or some of its members, or is hated by them, is not allowed to pronounce the benediction and must leave the synagogue at the point in the service when the benediction is pronounced. Another requirement for blessing the people is that it must be done joyfully and not with a long face. Someone who is himself distressed and depressed is incapable of sharing blessings with others, even if he honestly wishes to do so…..That is why nowadays the priestly benediction is pronounced daily only in the land of Israel and not in the Diaspora, even on the Shabbat. A Jew can express real joy, and therefore, also blessing, only in the land of Israel

Pinchas Peli (Contemporary)