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Birkas Kohanim

Written by Benjamin A Rose

“Birkas kohanim”
God commanded Aaron and his descendants, the kohanim, to bless the people with three special blessings:
“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: T

his is how you must bless the Israelites. Say to them: May God bless you and keep watch over you. May God make His presence enlighten you, and grant you grace.

May God lift His face toward you, and grant you peace.” [Bamidbar 6:23-26]
The last blessing, however, is not clear. What does it mean that God should “lift His face toward you”?

The Need for Leniency
While the first blessing refers to our physical welfare, the second blessing is concerned with our spiritual well-being. Spiritual enlightenment, however, brings with it additional responsibilities.

As we gain knowledge and enlightenment, the expectations for ethical living, purity of thought, and refinement of character are greater.
If we consider the resulting moral demands, we may become apprehensive and even discouraged. In order to counter this concern, the kohanim bestow a third blessing, “May God lift His face towards you”.
To ‘lift one’s face’ is a Hebrew idiom, meaning to show favor or leniency.

The Torah commands a judge, for example, not to ‘lift his face’ towards one of the litigants. The judge must be careful to avoid even the impression that he favors one side of the case, even though he is in reality impartial. The other litigant may feel that the case is already lost, and lose heart.
The kohanim bless us that, despite the ethical expectations that come with spiritual enlightenment, we should not lose heart. G-d will be lenient, taking into account the material reality in which we live.
We may, however, feel embarrassed or uncomfortable about this Divine leniency.

Therefore, the final blessing ends with the gift of peace – peace of mind. “And grant you peace.”

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