Rabbi Marc Israel
This week’s Torah portion is Naso: Numbers 4:21 – 7:89
Since the birth of my eldest child almost 25 years ago, I have looked forward each week to Shabbat, when my wife and I recite the blessing for our children. It is a powerful moment of connection, both personally and religiously, in part because there is some mystery to its origins.
The blessing begins by quoting a verse from Genesis 48:20 or an adaptation of Ruth 4:11, depending on their gender, to link them to their biblical ancestors. It continues, as we invoke the words from this week’s parashah, Naso:
God instructs Moshe: Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: Here is how you shall bless the people of Israel. Say to them:
May the Eternal One bless you and protect you
May the Eternal One deal kindly and graciously with you
May the Eternal One bestow favor upon you and grant you peace.
So you shall link My name with the people of Israel, and I will bless them. (Bamidbar 6: 22–27)
This blessing was specifically ordained for the kohanim (Aaron and his descendants) to recite over the people of Israel and became known as Birkat Kohanim — the Priestly Blessing. It’s not clear exactly when it became custom for parents to recite this blessing over their children on Shabbat, but by the early 1600s many rabbinic guides note it as a “widespread practice.” However, the universality of the custom may blur the radical nature of this act.
Throughout the Torah, there are many roles that God assigns specifically to Aaron and his descendants. These include offering sacrifices, redeeming a first-born son, and determining ritual purity and impurity. In each of these cases, only the kohanim are permitted to perform these rites. When Korach protests the exclusivity of their role, claiming that “the whole community is holy,” the Torah says that he and his followers are swallowed alive by the earth. So, what makes the Priestly Blessing distinct from those other jobs to allow non-kohanim to recite it?
The difference: the concluding words of the passage “and I will bless them.” The sacrifices and other tasks assigned to the kohanim were completed in full by the kohanim. However, when it comes to blessing the people, our tradition teaches that despite saying the words, the kohanim do not complete the act. Rather, as Rashbam explains, they are offering “a prayer for God to bestow a blessing upon the people.” God blesses the people and the kohanim act as God’s partners.
The kohanim oversaw ritual life in the Temple, which made them a natural choice to invoke this prayer. However, after the Temple was destroyed, prayer began replacing sacrifices, and the role of shaliach tzibbur (the prayer leader) was open to all. Generally, whoever led the service would also recite Birkat Kohanim in the repetition of the Amidah. (Even communities that duchan — a more formal recitation of Birkat Kohanim, restricted to kohanim — will, in the absence of a kohen, have any shaliach tzibbur recite this passage.
Since the blessing is not the exclusive realm of kohanim and parents are already God’s partner in creating children, it is appropriate for parents to recite this passage as they bless their children each Shabbat.
My children are grown and out of the house; most weeks I now bless them by phone and not in person. Admittedly, something is lost when I can’t place my hands upon their heads and give them a kiss. Yet, the power of the ritual remains strong. I connect with my kids each Friday afternoon, wherever they may be in the world, and recite the exact words that have been used to call upon God to bless the children of Israel across all generations. Each week, I pray that I will be a worthy partner to God and that they will always feel the blessings of our rich and valuable tradition.
Rabbi Marc Israel is the rabbi at Tikvat Israel Congregation in Rockville.
