The Priestly Blessing (Birkat Kohanim)

 

The Kohanim, the patrilineal descendants of Aharon the priest, are designated by the Torah as a tribe of priests.  They alone may perform the Temple service, they are the recipients of certain agricultural tithes, and in addition, we are commanded to give them special respect in everyday life.

 

The Kohanim are not a caste, and are not generally subject to restrictions that distinguish them in everyday life.  Members of priestly families are not forbidden to marry members of other tribes, nor descendants of proselytes.  However, there are certain restrictions that augment their sanctity by guarding their purity (see chapter 202) and their lineage (chapter 145).

 

One key to understanding the role of the Kohanim is the admonishment of God to the entire Jewish people: "And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Shemot 19:6).  We ARE human beings, we belong to mankind - but we have a special role to bless mankind with the blessings of the Holy One, and this obligates us to conduct ourselves with a special degree of holiness.  Likewise, the Kohanim belong to the Jewish people, but in order to be a vehicle for God's blessing they need to be set apart - as we will now explain.

 

WHAT IS A BLESSING?

 

Before we can examine the special nature of the priestly blessing, we should ask, what is ANY blessing?  What does it mean for one person to bless another?

 

The word berakha or blessing refers to any kind of material benefit, but most particularly to a material undertaking that is granted special success by the Holy One.  Such a blessing can come to indwell in our world through the agency of a human being, since man, being created in God's image, has the ability to act on God's behalf.

 

In order to constitute a channel, a vehicle, for bringing God's blessing into this world, a person has to be both Godly and earthly - he must be connected to both sides of the transaction.  This is the special quality of the righteous person, the tzaddik: a person sufficiently WITHDRAWN from mundane concerns to establish a firm connection to the supernal Source of blessing, but at the same time sufficiently CONNECTED to the mundane to be able to draw God's blessing down into this world.

 

The ability of the prophets to bless Jews and non-Jews alike with birth, healing, and livelihood was certainly based on their great holiness, their intense connection to God, but depended also on their deep connection to the people.  The great Jewish prophets were not solitary hermits but on the contrary energetic travelers who spent all their time visiting their "congregants" all over the Land of Israel.  Shmuel "went year to year in circuit to Bet El, and Gilgal, and Mitzpa...and he returned to Rama"  (Shmuel I 7:15-16).  Elisha, who is recorded as performing the greatest number of miracles, is found going from Yericho to Bet El to Carmel to Shomron (Melakhim II chapter 2), to Shunam and back to Carmel and thence to Gilgal (Melakhim II chapter 4).

 

So the Kohanim must be a part of the Jewish people, but also set apart from them; and the Jewish people as a whole need to be an integral part of mankind, but at the same time distinguished by the covenant as a "kingdom of priests."

 

(1, 7, 21)  BIRKHAT KOHANIM IN ISRAEL AND IN THE DIASPORA

 

In the Ashkenazi custom, Birkhat Kohanim is not said in the Diaspora on a regular basis, but only on Yom Tov and the High Holy Days.  Likewise, a mourner does not say this blessing (se'if 22).  The explanation commonly given is that it is impossible to transmit God's blessing except in a demeanor of joy.

 

We have already explained that the transmission of blessing depends on a special alignment of the forces of holiness.  At the top of this alignment is the Holy One, who stands ready to distribute His blessings to His creatures.  At the bottom are creatures who are worthy of Divine blessing and disposed to accept it.  In the middle is the vehicle of blessing, connected both to the world of holiness and the world of temporality. 

 

This process requires the receiver of blessing to acknowledge his position below the transmitter.  The descent of the Priestly blessing from God, through the Kohanim, to the people is exemplified by the practice of having the Kohanim ASCEND to the duchan, so that the people are below them as well as before them (se'if 7).

 

In the ideal situation, the blessing is transmitted onward by the Jewish people as a whole to all of mankind.  This requires some elevation of the Jewish people above the nations.  This relationship does not exist in the Diaspora, where the Jews are in a position of subordination.  Therefore, outside of Israel we say this blessing only on the holidays, which are the days when we remember in our prayers our special status among the nations: the Yom Tov prayer emphasizes that God "chose us from all of the nations, loved us, and favored us, and elevated us above all of the languages."

 

But in the Land of Israel, we are automatically at home; we never have a feeling of subordination.  On the contrary, we are conscious of a special sense of elevation.  A Jew who moves to the Land of Israel always speaks of going on aliya,  an ascent, even if he is coming from mile-high Denver.  For us, the Land of Israel is the highest place on earth.  (See Rashi on Bereshit 45:9.)  From the Land of Israel we are always able to spread blessing to the whole world, and we have already learned that according to our Sages prosperity is indeed channeled to the whole world via Eretz Yisrael  (Chapter 51).

 

BIRKHAT KOHANIM AND JOY

 

A parallel explanation for eliminating this blessing in the Diaspora is that blessing requires simcha, joy, and our joy is never complete outside the Land of Israel.  The requisite level of simcha is achieved only on the Yamim Tovim and the High Holy Days.

 

This joy is certainly not a matter of being amused or entertained.  On the contrary, on the solemn day of Yom Kippur we say Birkhat Kohanim three times, unlike Yom Tov when the blessing is made only once.  What is the special character of this simcha?

 

We could define joy as the opposite of alienation.  Most of our time is spent in a greater or lesser degree of alienation.  We are generally somewhat alienated from God, as we feel the weight of our sins separating us from holiness.  We are alienated from our selves, as our many pressing worldly obligations keep us from Torah study and other pursuits that enable us to express our innerness.  And we are alienated from our fellow man by the isolation and competition that everyday life imposes on us.

 

But on Yom Tov, and especially on Yom Kippur, we tear down these artificial partitions.  We purify ourselves before the holiday (see chapter 131 se'if 6) - especially before Yom Kippur.  Yom Tov, even more than Shabbat, is a time of giving and sharing; this helps free us from livelihood concerns.  (See chapter 98:32 and 103.)  And the Yom Tov celebration creates a special atmosphere of fellowship.

 

Not only blessing but also prophecy requires an attitude of "simcha," and our Sages inform us that the Holy Spirit dwells only where there is the joy of carrying out God's will (Shabbat 30b).  Joy means restoring our connection with our inner selves, and this automatically brings with it a restoration of our connection to holiness.

 

This connection with our inner selves, which reaches its highest level in the Holy Land, is also one of the reasons that a person can initially reach the level of prophecy only in the Land of Israel.  (See Rashi on Yechezkel 1:3.)

 

(3-6) SOBRIETY; CLEANLINESS; REMOVING SHOES

 

We explained above that in order to be a vehicle to bring God's blessing into this world, it is not sufficient to be connected to holiness - a connection to the world is necessary as well. 

 

The Kohanim who ascend the platform, like the Kohanim who serve in the Temple, are required to be completely sober - to be fully conscious and aware of what is happening, and not to be in some other-worldly state.  They must have clean hands, to demonstrate their commitment to ethical rectitude.

 

And they must also remove their shoes.  Even as they raise their hands aloft to God and summon the Diving Presence to dwell between their fingers (see se'if 9), the Kohanim are required to have their feet firmly planted on the ground.

 

(5) WASHING OF THE KOHEN'S HANDS BY THE LEVI

 

The source for the practice that the Levi washes the Kohen's hands is the verse "And your BRETHREN the tribe of Levi...will ACCOMPANY you and serve you" (Bamidbar 18:2).  The Torah disapproves of excessive servitude, and even when it orders service it is through a spirit of brotherhood and accompaniment.

 

(8) "CHOREOGRAPHY" OF BIRKHAT KOHANIM

 

The Kohanim ascend the platform facing the Ark, but just before they pronounce the blessing they turn their faces to the congregation.  This gesture beautifully expresses the principle we explained at the beginning of the chapter.  The transmission of God's blessing begins with a connection to God - a connection that is particularly strong among the Kohanim who attain a special holiness, through their various restrictions in terms of contact with the dead, their special regard for their lineage, and so on.  This connection is demonstrated by facing the Ark, where the Torah scroll is ensconced.

 

However, the blessing can not be transmitted unless there is an intimate connection to mankind as well.  The Kohanim illustrate this connection by demonstratively turning AWAY from the ark and facing the people.  "Rav Yitzchak said, Always be in awe of the community, for the Kohanim face the people and turn their back on the Divine Presence" (Sota 40a).

 

(9) THE HANDS OF THE KOHANIM

 

In the halakhic literature, the priestly blessing is usually referred to as "nesiat kapaim" - "the raising of the hands."  So the manner of raising hands during the blessing is an essential part of the ceremony.  The practice recalls the way in which Aharon raised his hands as he blessed the people in the desert (Vayikra 9:22).

 

The hands are a customary symbol of blessing.  Just as a person with FULL hands may distribute any particular OBJECT of blessing, perhaps even raising up his hands to better reach out to others, so the EMPTY hands can be viewed as being the means for distributing blessing itself.

 

The custom is to create openings between bunched fingers.  The Midrash likens these openings to "windows" through which the Shekhina - the Divine Presence - shines on us (Bamidbar Rabba 11:2).  A closed hand is the symbol of stinginess, and the Torah warns us not to close our hands on our poorer brethren (Devarim 15:7).  It is when we open our hands, letting our private blessing flow out and spread among others, that the Divine Presence is palpable among us.

 

(12) MELODY OF BIRKHAT KOHANIM

 

The Kohanim should pronounce the blessing only in the traditional melody.  Why is this different than prayer, where composing new melodies is an accepted part of our tradition and an important way of making the service meaningful?

 

In prayer, we express ourselves before God, and it is appropriate for each person to formulate private requests and in addition to create new melodies.  However, the Priestly Blessing is not our prayer towards God - on the contrary, it is His blessing to us!  Therefore, self-expression is not the order of the day, and we take special care that the ceremony is carried out in the clearest and most uniform fashion.

 

(13) RECITING VERSES DURING THE BLESSING

 

Some say that it is better not to recite verses during the blessing - can we imagine that a servant receiving a blessing should not listen attentively?  At the same time, there are congregations that DO customarily recite verses.  This also has a source in the words of our sages - can we imagine that a servant receives a blessing from his master and does not express his appreciation (Sota 40a)?

 

(20) A KOHEN WITH A BLEMISH

 

In the Temple, a Kohen with a detectable blemish could not serve.  Every faculty of the human spirit finds an expression in some aspect of Torah life, and the aesthetic faculty finds its expression most especially in the Temple service.  The demand for beauty in the Temple service imposed certain limitations on the Kohanim who were able to serve.

 

However, in the prayer service the aesthetic dimension is less important, and so a Kohen with a blemish MAY bless Birkhat Kohanim as long as his blemish does not lead to distraction or detract from the dignity of the ceremony.  This is the reason that most blemishes do not disqualify a Kohen nowadays, when it is customary that the Kohen cover himself with a prayer shawl during the blessing.

 

(21) A KOHEN WHO KILLED

 

A Kohen who killed intentionally may not say Birkhat Kohanim.  This is learned from God's message to Yishayahu:

 

"And when you spread out your hands I will hide my face from you; even if you multiply prayers I do not hear, for your hands are filled with blood."  (Yishayahu 1:15, applied to Birkhat Kohanim in Berakhot 32b)

 

In general, the Kohen's ability to bless us is not based on his individual moral stature, but on his inherent holiness as a Kohen - just as a Jew retains his unique holiness even if his acts are sadly unworthy of a spiritual descendant of the Patriarchs (Yerushalmi Gittin 5:9).  So, a Kohen who sins is not disqualified from saying Birkhat Kohanim.  Why is the case of bloodshed any different?

 

As we explained in se'if 9, the transmission of the Priestly Blessing through the HANDS is an essential aspect of the blessing.  The open hands are the symbol of generosity and blessing, and such an attitude is the very window to the Shekhina, the divine presence.

 

Likewise, CLEAN hands are the symbol of proper moral conduct, as the indispensable foundation for spiritual elevation.  (See beginning of chapter 2, and chapter 10:5.) Conversely, bloodshed is the ultimate exemplification of dirty hands.  It is the hands of the Kohen, and not the Kohen himself, that are disqualified by the act of killing, for it is unthinkable that an instrument of destruction should be displayed as a symbol of blessing.  (Tosafot Sanhedrin 35b d.h. "she-ne'emar.")