Parshat Naso: Drinks for everybody!

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PARSHAT NASO

By Rabbi Avi Billet

Issue of June 5, 2009 / 13 Sivan 5769

As the aftershocks of Shavuot slowly wear off, I find myself thinking about the blessing the kohanim give to the congregation during the Mussaf service. We could definitely use more doses of that.

Everywhere in Israel, as well as in some Sefardic or Middle Eastern communities outside of Israel, the kohanim gather in the front of the synagogue every morning. But in Ashkenazic communities in our parts, this exclusive rite is reserved for the holidays. Otherwise, throughout the year, the chazzan recites an introductory passage followed by the three verses which are the blessing.

“May G-d bless you and keep watch over you. May G-d make His presence enlighten you and grant you grace. May G-d direct His providence toward you and grant you peace” (6:24-26).

Many parents use this formula to bless their children on Friday night, invoking a message regarding Ephraim and Menashe for boys, and one regarding the four mothers for girls.

What is the blessing all about? Why is it presented in our parsha? What can we learn from the way it is presented in the Torah, including its introduction and summation?

Targum Yonatan translates the intro in the following way (6:23): “Speak to Aharon and his sons saying, “This is how you should bless the children of Israel” with their hands outstretched, as they stand on the podium, using this language…” Targum Yonatan concludes his translation of the introductory verse transcribing the following three verses –– the blessing itself –– in Hebrew (distinct from his usual Aramaic), before he actually translates each of the verses into Aramaic accordingly.

“G-d should bless you in all of your dealings, and should guard over you from Lilith and from scary demons, and the children of daytime demons, and the children of the morning demons, and the ‘mazikim’ and the evening demons. G-d should shine his divine countenance towards you in your delving in Torah, and should reveal secrets to you, and have compassion for you. G-d should raise His divine countenance to you when you pray, and He should grant you peace in all of your borders” (Targum Yonatan 6:24-26).

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch points out the unique character of this commandment. The kohanim are commanded to bless the Jewish people (Devarim 10:8, 21:5, and as demonstrated in Vayikra 9:22) at a certain time and in a very specific way. They bless not because they are special humans, but because they have been appointed to a role which only they can fill.

Furthermore, he adds, the three verses each parallel the levels of the camps discussed earlier in the parsha. “Y’varekh’kha” manifests itself in the Israelite camp. “Ya’er” begins its fulfillment in the Levite camp. “Yisa” takes place in the encampment of G-d –– also known as the mishkan.

In this light, the parsha also parallels these three encampments. The laws of sending certain parties out of the encampments deal, for the most part, with the Israelite camp. The laws of sotah and nazir deal with the Levite camp. The laws of the birkat kohanim relate to the encampment of G-d. Thus it fits in very nicely and belongs here.

The classic commentaries focus on the introduction and summation and leave us with this message:

There is an emphasis that the blessing is really not about the kohanim at all. They are the mediators and yet they never are recipients of the blessings themselves for they are always giving the blessing when they might otherwise be receiving it.

Or are they?

Rashi explains, when the Torah says “They shall put My name on the Israelites and I will bless them,” the “them” refers to the Israelites and the kohanim. Either that G-d will agree with and support the blessing the Kohanim conferred upon the Israelites, or He will bless the Kohanim directly.

In this sense, it seems the kohanim are not being left out, and they are, in fact, being blessed themselves, being blessed by G-d along with everyone else.

We could all use more blessings. While it would make for an interesting study why kohanim in all groups in Israel bless the congregants while outside of Israel the custom is otherwise, the point here is to draw more attention to what we have the opportunity to hear from the chazzan on a daily basis, and draw strength from it, whether we are concerned about demons, or whether we are just in need of blessings for strength and peace.