Parashas Naso: Birkas Kohanim Kavanah Primer (2017 Update)

This post is designed to be read/reviewed prior to hearing Birkas Kohanim as a means of maximizing the benefit of hearing these blessings. This is an update of last year's Parashas Naso post; the first half is exactly the same, but the second half is expanded and clarified. There is a summary chart at the very end, if you need a quick review. 

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Parashas Naso: Birkas Kohanim Kavanah Primer

Introduction

The parashah of Birkas Kohanim is quite short:

Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying, "Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying: So shall you bless Bnei Yisrael, saying to them: 'May Hashem bless you and safeguard you. May Hashem shine His face towards you, and be gracious to you. May Hashem lift His face towards you, and establish peace for you.' Let them place My Name upon Bnei Yisrael, and I shall bless them." (Bamidbar 6:22-27)

I would like to take up two very basic questions: 

(1) How does Birkas Kohanim work? Am I supposed to believe that these mere mortals somehow "magically" cause these blessings to rain upon me by reciting these pesukim? And if not, then what is the mechanism? 

(2) What, exactly, are the Kohanim blessing us with? Most of the phrases in the berachos seem to be either too general or too cryptic. What do the words mean? 

The Mechanism of Birkas Kohanim

Our first question is addressed by the Sefer ha'Chinuch. [1] He writes:

At the root of this precept lies the reason that in His great goodness, Hashem desires to bless His people through the ministering servants who stay constantly in the Temple of Hashem, whose every thought is attracted to His service, and whose spirit is bound to reverent fear for Him the entire day. In their merit, the blessing would take effect for them; all their deeds would be blessed, and the pleasant goodness of Hashem would be with them.

Now, do not wonder and ask: If Hashem desires that they be blessed, let Him command His blessing [to abide] with them, and there [would be] no need for the blessing of the Kohanim? For I have already told you beforehand, many times, that by force of the worthiness of our acts, blessing will be bestowed upon us. For His hand (blessed is He) is open to every person who asks, as he is worthy and readied for the reception of the good.

Therefore, because He chose us out of all the nations and wished that we should merit to attain His good reward, He adjured us and commanded us to arrange our activities and make ourselves worthy through His mitzvos, to be deserving of the good. Moreover, in His great goodness, He commanded us that we should entreat Him for blessing, and we should beseech it through the pure ministering servants. For this will bring merit to our souls, and as a result we will be worthy to attain His goodness.

Did you catch that? His question is clear, but his answer is so subtle that it's easy to miss. The key is his statement about how God's blessings are allocated in general: "by virtue of the worthiness of our acts, blessing will be bestowed upon us, for His hand is open to every person who asks, as he is worthy and readied for the reception of good." In other words, the Sefer ha'Chinuch - like all mainstream Rishonim - maintains that the closer we are to Hashem, the more beneficence we receive via His hashgachah (providence). To the extent that we align ourselves with His will, the blessings will flow. 

According to the Sefer ha'Chinuch, Birkas Kohanim is a vehicle designed to help us "arrange our activities and make ourselves worthy through His mitzvos, to be deserving of the good." In other words, by understanding and contemplating what the Kohanim are saying, and choosing to live in accordance with the ideas and values reflected in their words and their way of life, we render ourselves more worthy of Hashem's blessing. 

This concept is alluded to in the pasuk immediately after Birkas Kohanim, as the Rambam [2] explains:

Do not be astounded and say, "What benefit is there in a blessing from this commoner?" For the receiving of this blessing is not dependent on the Kohanim, but on Ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu, as it is stated, "Let them place My Name upon Bnei Yisrael, and I will bless them" (Bamidbar 6:27) - the Kohanim do the mitzvah that they were commanded, and Ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu, with His mercy, blesses them in accordance with His desire.

The mechanism is reminiscent of the mishnah in Rosh ha'Shanah 3:8:

“It happened that when Moshe raised his hand Israel was stronger, [and when he lowered his hand Amalek was stronger]” (Shemos 17:11). Do the hands of Moshe wage war or crush the enemy? No! Rather, this teaches us that so long as Israel turned their thoughts upwards and subjugated their hearts to their Father in heaven, they were victorious; but otherwise, they fell. You can say a similar principle about the following: “[Hashem said to Moshe:] Make for yourself a fiery serpent and place it on a pole, and it will be that anyone who was bitten will look at it and live” (Bamidbar 21:8). Does a snake cause death or give life? No! Rather, so long as Israel turned their thoughts upwards and subjugated their hearts to their Father in heaven, they would be healed; otherwise, they would perish.

So too, the Sefer ha'Chinuch and the Rambam are effectively saying: "Do the words of the Kohanim bestow or withhold blessing? No! Rather, so long as Israel turn their thoughts upward to the blessings of the Kohanim and subjugate their hearts to their Father in heaven, they will be blessed." 

In light of this answer to our first question, the need to answer our second question becomes even more urgent. The berachos only function to the extent that we understand their meaning and act accordingly. If we want to be blessed, we'd better understand the meaning of these blessings! Thankfully, the meforshim (commentators) are here to help. I will now summarize the interpretations of three different meforshim - each of whom takes a very different approach.

The Meaning of Birkas Kohanim

I have selected three meforshim (commentators) whose interpretations I will now summarize. I chose them (a) because unlike many other meforshim, these three explain every part of Birkas Kohanim, and (b) these three reflect radically different approaches to the underlying subject or theme of Birkas Kohanim as a whole.

Approach #1: Sforno [3]

Here is a translation of Sforno's commentary on each component of Birkas Kohanim:

• May Hashem bless you. with wealth and possessions, for "if there is no flour (i.e. money), there is no Torah" (Avos 3:17). and safeguard you. from robbers.
• May Hashem illuminate His face towards you and be gracious to you. may He uncover your eyes with the light of His countenance [enabling you] to see wonders from His Torah and His creations - after you have attained your needs through His blessing.
• May Hashem lift His face towards you. for eternal life, in accordance with the idea: "for with You is the source of life; in Your light we will see light" (Tehilim 36:10), and as the Sages say: "the righteous sit with their crowns on their heads and derive enjoyment from the radiance of the shechinah (divine presence)" (Berachos 17a). and establish peace for you. a peaceful repose which is eternal - without any admixture of punishment - which is befitting for every perfected individual for eternal life.

Sforno learns that the first berachah is a request for material success in Olam ha'Zeh (this World): we ask Hashem for an increase in material wealth, and we ask Him to protect that wealth. The second berachah is about spiritual success (i.e. success as a truth-seeking tzelem Elokim) in Olam ha'Zeh: we ask Hashem to grant us insight into the chochmah (wisdom) of His Torah and His universe. The final berachah is about spiritual success in Olam ha'Ba (the World to Come), which is beyond the physical and is everlasting.

According to the Sforno, these three berachos are designed to be viewed as a progression: we ask Hashem for material success in Olam ha'Zeh so that we may attain spiritual success in Olam ha'Zeh so that we may attain eternal spiritual success in Olam ha'Ba. Thus, the Birkas Kohanim as a whole is a reminder of the Torah's take on man's hierarchy of needs. In order to make ourselves worthy of Hashem's berachah, we must have an accurate conception of what we are asking for and why we are asking for it. It would be a distortion to ask for material success without recognizing its proper place (i.e. that it is merely instrumental to spiritual success), or to ask for spiritual success without recognizing that this requires a foundation of material wealth. Reviewing this hierarchy of needs qualifies us to receive them.

Approach #2: Bechor Shor [4]

Here is a translation of the Bechor Shor's commentary on Birkas Kohanim, which has been slightly edited for the sake of brevity:

• May Hashem bless you. in your offspring, in your body, in wisdom, in length of days, in greatness, in your going out and in your coming in, in the city and in the field, in your fruit basket and in your kneading bowl - and with joy, that you should be happy with your lot ... all of these fall under the expression "berachah" ... and safeguard you. He should guard you from all harm, that it not approach you ... Thus, the first blessing is that He should bless you with all of the good, and protect you from all of the bad. 
• May Hashem illuminate His face towards you and be gracious to you. Some may give a gift to a friend without a pleasant countenance, as Ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu gave the quail and then punished them, as it is written, "the meat was still between their teeth, [not yet chewed, when the wrath of Hashem flared against the people]" (Bamidbar 11:33). Therefore Ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu said [in this blessing:] "May Hashem illuminate His face towards you" - that He should bestow this gift with a pleasant countenance. Some may give a gift which causes everyone else but the giver to be resentful. Therefore [He said:] "and be gracious to you" - that it should find favor in the eyes of those who see you, and that they should rejoice over your good. ["be gracious"] also implies that He should bestow this gift with a happy countenance ... and with mercy ...
• May Hashem lift His face towards you. In other words, He should grant it to you with an uplifted face ... b'derech kavod (i.e. in a dignified/honorable manner). and establish peace for you. [In a manner that] does not incite against you the yetzer ha'ra, the satan, the nations of the world, or any affliction, or any type of harm.

Unlike the Sforno, the Bechor Shor learns that all the goods of Olam ha'Zeh - material and spiritual - are included in the first berachah, and the three berachos do not reflect a progression. Instead, he maintains that we only ask for actual tovos (goods) in the first berachah. The second and third berachos qualify the first: we ask Hashem that the tovos He bestows be received in the best possible manner, namely, that they be in line with His will, with the goodwill of our fellow man, in manner that allows us to maintain our dignity, and in a way that doesn't provoke antagonism - neither from internal nor external causes.

Approach #3: Ralbag [5]

The Ralbag's approach diverges entirely from that of the Sforno and the Bechor Shor. I will translate his commentary [6] on the first and third berachos word-for-word, but since his interpretation of the second berachah relies heavily on an Aristotelian model of epistemology, I will paraphrase it in a manner that is more palatable to the non-Aristotelian ear.

• May Hashem bless you. The word "berachah" means "an increase in good." Its meaning here, according to what I think, is that during this lifetime the berachah from Hashem should come to us in our perfection of our rational faculty, which was created without any perfection or wisdom ... and it is through Hashem's influence that we grasp concepts, thereby increasing our perfection throughout our physical lives. and safeguard you. and after we die, this perfection will continue to last (i.e. be "safeguarded") eternally. 
• May Hashem illuminate His face towards you. Although man's rational faculty has the ability to abstract concepts from the patterns we observe perceive via senses, this isn't enough to guarantee conceptual knowledge; rather, we require divine assistance, which is metaphorically described here as "Hashem illuminating His face" towards us; this divine influence is what allows us to grasp concepts. and be gracious to you. Hashem does not grant this assistance by way of necessity or compulsion, but rather, by way of graciousness and kindness. 
• May Hashem lift His face towards you and establish peace for you. In other words, when you are in a precarious situation in which you might err in your analysis, Hashem's kindness may bring you the divine influence [which is necessary for accurate conceptual knowledge] ... and establish peace for you in your ideas.

The subject matter of birkas kohanim according to the Ralbag is clear: the entire berachah is about intellectual perfection - man's true success - and has nothing to do with material success whatsoever. In the first berachah we Hashem to enable us to perfect our rational faculty by gaining as much conceptual knowledge as possible during our lifetime - a perfection which lasts after we die, and will be "safeguarded" in Olam ha'Ba. In the second berachah we ask Hashem for the divine assistance - which is necessary for us, but a chesed from Hashem - in abstracting the correct concepts from the multitude of sensory particulars. In the third berachah we ask Hashem to protect us from error in our analysis, thereby ensuring that we reach a state of peace - that is, harmony between our ideas and reality.

Summary

According to the Sefer ha'Chinuch, Birkas Kohanim effectuates actual blessing to the extent that we understand it and align ourselves with the ideas therein. The three different meforshim offer three possibilities as to what Birkas Kohanim is about: 

• According to the Sforno, Birkas Kohanim is a request for Hashem to provide us with our material needs so that we may pursue spiritual success in Olam ha'Zeh which results in the best possible existence in Olam ha'Ba.
• According to the Bechor Shor, Birkas Kohanim is a request for Hashem to provide us with all good, and to provide it in a manner that is ideal - in the eyes of Hashem, in our own eyes, and in the eyes of our fellow human beings.
• According to the Ralbag, Birkas Kohanim is a request for Hashem oversee our intellectual development and assist us in our pursuit of truth.

The great thing about Birkas Kohanim is that one can have all of these interpretations in mind when being blessed by the Kohanim. The main thing is that we use Birkas Kohanim as a tool "to arrange our activities and make ourselves worthy through His mitzvos, to be deserving of the good." All three interpretations help us towards that end.

In conclusion, here is a chart which summarizes the three interpretations.

[1] Sefer ha'Chinuch, Parashas Naso: Mitzvah #367
[2] Rabbeinu Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam / Maimonides), Mishneh Torah: Sefer Ahava, Hilchos Tefilah u'Birkas Kohanim 15:7
[3] Rabbeinu Ovadiah Sforno, Commentary to Sefer Bamidbar 6:24-26
[4] Rabbeinu Yosef ben Yitzchak Bechor Shor, Commentary to Sefer Bamidbar 6:24-26
[5] Rabbeinu Levi ben Gershom (Ralbag / Gersonides), Commentary to Sefer Bamidbar 6:24-26

[6] Ralbag actually provides several possible explanations for each part of Birkas Kohanim. For the sake of brevity and simplicity, I have opted to only summarize one out of each of these possibilities and omit the others.