One of the mitzvos in this week’s parsha is the mitzvah of Birchas Kohanim, the commandment for the kohanim to bless the Jewish people on a daily basis. In Chutz La’aretz this mitzvah is only carried out on Yom Tov, however, in Eretz Yisroel, there is Birchas Kohanim every single day. In fact, one doesn’t need to travel to Eretz Yisroel to see this. The Sephardim, even in Chutz La’aretz, recite Birchas Kohanim every single day.
The Sefer Akeidas Yitzchok from Rav Yitzchok Arama [1420-1494] asks several fundamental questions on the mitzvah of Birchas Kohanim. His answer provides an entirely new insight into what Birchas Kohanim is all about.
He asks five questions:
- Why do we need the kohanim to give us blessings? The Ribbono Shel Olam is the mekor haberachah [source of all blessings]! Why should we need Kohanim to be a conduit for blessing? Why don’t we cut out the middleman and go directly to the source?
- The Gemara in Rosh Hashanah (28b) teaches that kohanim may not add any personal blessings to the Birchas Kohanim recorded in Parshas Naso. The Gemara cites the pasuk, “Do not add to the matter that I command you and do not detract from it...” (Devorim 4:2) as a source which prohibits any kohen from deviating from the specific text proscribed in this week’s parsha. If the kohanim are already given the license to bless the nation, then why limit them? Why do we not say, “Whoever increases is praiseworthy?”
The poskim in fact discuss the matter. There is a custom that when the kohanim descend from the duchen [platform] after having blessed the people, the non-kohanim who were blessed say to the kohanim “y’asher kochacha” [good job!] and the kohanim typically respond “boruch ti’heyeh” [You should be blessed]. The poskim discuss whether they are in fact allowed to say that. Is it not a violation of adding, so to speak, a non-authorized personal blessing to the Jewish people?
- The Sefer Charedim holds that not only is it a mitzvah for the kohanim to bless the Jewish people but there is also a mitzvah for the Jewish people to be blessed by the kohanim! This, too, seems odd. Is there a need to command anyone to receive a blessing? It seems superfluous to “require” such an action on the part of the non-kohanim.
- Birchas Kohanim is made up of three blessings, and each time we mention the Name of Hashem. (Yevarechecha HASHEM...; Ya’er HASHEM...; Yisa HASHEM.... In the Beis HaMikdosh they actually pronounced the explicit Name of Hashem. Why is this necessary? It seems redundant!
- Finally, what is the meaning of the last line of Birchas Kohanim? “And they shall place MY Name upon the Children of Yisroel and I will bless them.” Who is blessing Klal Yisroel here – the Kohen or Hashem? It is unclear!
The Akeidas Yitzchok beautifully explains that every single berachah begins with the words, “Boruch atah Hashem”. What do these three words actually mean? Older English translations use the expression “Blessed art Thou” and newer translations that are more “contemporary” use “Blessed are You”. However, these translations do not reflect the true meaning of “Boruch atah Hashem”. Rabbeinu Bechayah, the Akeidas Yitzchok and many other early commentaries write that the expression “boruch” comes from the Hebrew word בריכה, which those living in Eretz Yisroel will know means a pool or reservoir of water. “Boruch atah Hashem”, means, “Ribbono Shel Olam, You are the source of all blessing.”
When we say, “Boruch atah Hashem, Elokeinu Melech HaOilam borei pri haeitz”, we are declaring that I recognize that You the Master of the Universe are the source of all blessing and therefore if not for You, I would not have this apple. The Ribbono Shel Olam wants us to do this because He wants us to know that every single apple and every single piece of salami and every single piece of bread we eat comes from Him. It is not me. It is not my money. It is not my talent. It has nothing to do with me. It all comes from You! That is what the declaration, “Boruch atah Hashem” teaches. If we acknowledge the presents we receive from Hashem, He will keep giving us presents.
If someone gives you a present and you do not say thank you; you do not show appreciation, he may stop giving you presents. That is only natural. If we want more apples, we want more salami, and we want more cake or bread, then we must say, “Boruch atah Hashem” each time.
That is what berachos are about and that is what Birchas Kohanim is about as well. It is not a blessing from the kohanim. Kohanim do not give blessings. Only the Ribbono Shel Olam gives blessings. Rather, Birchas Kohanim is a ‘mussar shmooze‘: Yevarechecha Hashem v’Yishmerecha – You should know that blessing – and everything else — comes from Hashem. Ya’er Hashem Eilecha vy’Chuneka – Yisa Hashem Panav Elecha... Do you want anything in this world? Know that it comes from the Ribbono Shel Olam. That is why the text repeats and emphasizes the name of Hashem with each sentence.
With this understanding, it becomes very clear why the kohanim cannot “add another blessing of their own.” We cannot give the impression that it is the kohanim who are the source of the blessing. A kohen who would say, “I will go ahead and give another berachah” is defeating the whole purpose of Birchas Kohanim. On the contrary – the lesson of Birchas Kohanim is that there is no other source of berachos other than HaKodosh Boruch Hu.
This also explains the opinion of the Chareidim that there is a mitzvah on Klal Yisroel to hear Birchas Kohanim. Previously, we did not understand this opinion. Why should it be necessary to “command” anyone to go receive blessings? The answer is – Yes, it is necessary – because people do not like to hear mussar.
The reason the kohanim teach us this lesson is because it is the job of the kohanim to instil within the Yidden emunah in Hashem.
The kohanim are not getting up on the duchen and dispensing blessings. They are dispensing mussar! They are telling the audience “Listen, you may be a millionaire, you may be sitting on top of the world now – but it did not come from you! You are a klutz! As easily as you are the millionaire and he is the pauper, he could be the millionaire and you could be the pauper! Things are the way they are because the Ribbono Shel Olam wanted it that way.
Do I need to hear a mussar shmooze every single day? I am not interested in that! The Chareidim teaches that it is a mitzvah to hear this mussar shmooze every single day. “It is a mitzvah to “be blessed.”
Finally, this explains why Birchas Kohanim ends with the words, “And you will place My Name upon the Children of Yisroel and I will bless them.” Once they repeatedly hear Yevarechecha Hashem...; Ya’er Hashem...; Yissa Hashem... and they understand what ברוך means, and they know what a בריכה is, then I will be able to bless them. This is a whole different understanding of Birchas HaKohanim. They are not giving free gifts. They are not giving out blessings. They are teaching us that we need to know the source of all blessing in this world and that is only the Ribbono Shel Olam and no one else.
Since I heard this vort, my outlook on the mitzvah of Birchas Kohanim, which boruch Hashem, living in Eretz Yisroel I am able to fulfil daily has greatly changed, I hope this vort achieves the same for you.
