Community Torah Corner, June 2, 2023

One of my most salient memories from Shabbat dinners growing up is of my father singing the Birkat HaKohanim, or the Priestly Blessing, to my family. After he blessed my brother to be like Ephraim and Menashe, and my mother blessed me to be like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, my father would stand up, put his arms around us, and sing “the Yevarechecha” to the tune we used at my synagogue. Sometimes we would join in; most times we would just listen and take in the words of the blessing, each in our own way.

That’s part of the beauty of this blessing, which first appears in this week’s parsha, Nasso. The blessing is notably written in the singular, and yet was instructed to be given to B’nai Yisrael, as a collective. “Say to them,” God says. In this way, each person could feel the blessing that was speaking to each of them while being surrounded by their loved ones and larger community.

Yet, this blessing was not only intended for B’nai Yisrael, our ancestors who wandered in the desert. According to Ramban, God intended for this specific blessing to be given throughout the generations. While we no longer have priests in the same way as in biblical times, this Priestly Blessing appears in some of our liturgy, Shabbat and holiday observances, and lifecycle events.

And for good reason. The timeless words are enduring, beautiful, and comforting. With them, we are asking for our loved ones and fellow minyan-goers to be in relationship with God – to sense God’s presence, light, and graciousness in their lives and to feel at peace, with themselves, with their larger community, and with the world.

May it be so for each one of us. Ken Y’hi Ratzon.