This enlightens us as to the incredible accomplishment of the three holy Avos, who studied Torah together fifteen hours a day for fifteen years. They intended to prepare the groundwork for their future generations of descendants—for HKB”H to enter into a spousal relationship with the people of Yisrael and have His Shechinah—the name י"ה --dwell in the Beis HaMikdash between Himself and them.
Now, the dwelling of the Shechinah occurs primarily through Torah-study. As we are taught in the Gemara (Berachos 6a), even a solitary Jew studying Torah alone is attended by the Shechinah. For this reason, the Shechinah dwelled between the two “keruvim” atop the Aron of Testimony, which housed the basis of the entire Torah—the luchos. Hence, the Avos devoted themselves to the study of the sixty masechtos of Torah she’b’al peh.
This illuminates for us the mitzvah and structure of Birkas Kohanim. It is comprised of three Berachos in three pesukim representing the three holy Avos. It contains י"ה –fifteen—words representing the fifteen years that the Avos studied Torah together fifteen hours each day preparing the groundwork for the dwelling of the Shechinah via the name י"ה between Himself and Yisrael. It is comprised of sixty letters representing the sixty masechtos of Torah she’b’al peh. The message is clear! If we want HKB”H to dwell His Shechinah among us, we must dedicate ourselves to the study of Torah she’b’al peh.
Let us embellish this thought. The prevailing Jewish minhag is to betroth a woman with a ring. At the wedding ceremony—the “kiddushin”—the Chasan pronounces the familiar formula: "הרי את מקודשת לי בטבעת זו כדת משה וישראל"—you are hereby consecrated to me with this ring in accordance with the laws of Moshe and Yisrael. This constitutes marriage by means of an object possessing monetary value.
But why a ring specifically and not some other object of value? Now, we have learned in the Gemara (Yevamos 62b) that the scholars in Eretz Yisrael taught that a man without a wife lives without Torah. Based on this notion, we can propose that a ring is round like the letter “samech,” whose numerical value is sixty. Thus, it alludes to the sixty masechtos of Torah she’b’al peh. So, betrothing a woman with a circular ring signifies that in the merit of the marriage, the man will merit the sixty masechtos of Torah she’b’al peh.
This explains magnificently the connection between the fifteen words in Birkas Kohanim and its sixty letters. The fifteen words corresponding to the name י"ה signify that HKB”H dwells among the people of Yisrael like a husband with his wife; while the sixty letters corresponding to the sixty masechtos of Torah she’b’al peh represent the round ring shaped like a “samech,” with which HKB”H betrothed Yisrael.
