![]() ![]() Today Orthodox Jews continue this practice as a reminder of what praying was like in days past. When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, the Divine Presence would shine on the fingers of the Kohanim as they would bless the Jews, and no one was allowed to look out of respect for God.Looking at the Kohanim could be distracting. Instead one should look at the ground and concentrate on the blessing. One is not supposed to look at anything during the blessing.Orthodox Jews do not look at the Kohanim (priests) while they are saying the blessing, for two reasons: The idea of God "lifting up his face" is an idiomatic expression meaning that he looks toward you in peace and blessing. Grammatical Note: The verbs in this blessing are all "jussive," usually expressing wish, desire, or command, though understood in this context (i.e., as part of the specific blessing that was to be recited by the kohanim during ceremonial occasions), the verbs should be regarded as declarative or oracular. May the LORD lift up his face upon you and give you his peace." May the LORD shine his face upon you and be gracious to you This is further indicated by the verse that immediately follows the birkat kohanim: "So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them" (Numbers 6:27). Note that the LORD does not command the kohanim (priests) to bless the people using their own words, but rather provides the exact formulation for the blessing, prefacing the instruction with the words: "Thus shall you bless." This reveals that the blessing comes from the LORD Himself, and the priests are but the means for transmitting His gracious will. This ceremony is sometimes called Nesiat Kapayim, the "lifting of the hands." According to Jewish tradition, the Divine Presence would shine through the fingers of the priests as they blessed the people, and no one was allowed to look at this out of respect for God. The four fingers on each hand are sometimes split into two sets of two fingers each (thus forming the letter Shin ( שׁ), an emblem for Shaddai), or sometimes they are arranged to form an overlapping lattice of 'windows.' As the priest(s) chant the melody of the blessing, the cantor recites each word. They then ascend to stand before the Ark and each one covers his head and arms with a tallit (prayer shawl) while privately reciting the blessing: "Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who makes us holy with the holiness of Aaron, and has commanded us to bless His people Israel with love." When they have finished, the cantor will say, "Kohanim." as a signal for the priests to begin.Įach priest then raises his hands, with the palms facing downward and the thumbs of his outspread hands touching. This custom is apparently based on the verse, "Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD!" ( Psalm 134:2). During an (Orthodox) service, for example, the priests first remove their shoes and have their hands ritually washed by Levites (if any are present). The Torah prescribed that only the descendants of Aaron (i.e., the kohanim) were allowed to convey this blessing upon the people of Israel, and indeed this practice continues in synagogue services today. Today, many synagogues end their service with this blessing as a benediction. Traditionally, the priests blessed the people every morning after the sacrifice at the Temple. THE PRIESTLY BLESSING is found in Numbers 6:23-27. ![]() Speak to Aaron and his sons: In this way shall you bless
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