Rabbi Naftali Weinberger
One of the featured speakers at last week’s Flatbush Memorial Day Hakhel Yarchei Kallah Event at Rabbi Yisroel Reisman’s Shul (Agudath Israel of Madison) was Rabbi Naftali Weinberger, author of the recent ArtScroll book – “The Priceless Treasure of Bircas Kohanim”. His lecture focused on various aspects of Bircas Kohanim (Priestly Blessings.)
Rabbi Weinberger began his lecture by noting that we find in the Gemora Tractate Sota a reference to the fact that Hakodesh Baruch Hu truly desires Bircas Kohanim, at act in which the Kohanim (the Jewish priests) bestow a blessing upon their fellow Jews.
Rashi says that Hakodesh Baruch Hu created a world in which the Kohanim can bless the Jewish people and that the Shechinah (the Divine Presence of G-d) is resting in front of the Kohanim at the moment that they bestow their unique blessings. Therefore, Rabbi Weinberger emphasized, they (the Kohanim) are not showing disrespect to the Aron Hakodesh when they turn their back to the holy ark in the synagogue while in the process of blessing the other Jews who are praying in the sanctuary.
This act of Birkas Kohanim, one of the Taryag (613) mitzvahs in the Torah results in even great Torah personalities such heads of yeshivot and world acknowledged Torah scholar and rabbinical leaders not feeling humiliated when standing in front of Kohanim at the moment of Birkas Kohanim, even if those particular members of the Jewish priestly class are not exceptional Torah scholars.
The fact is that according to Jewish law, at the moment that the Kohanim are blessing their fellow Yisroelim (Israelites), one who is being blessed is not supposed to look at the hands of the Kohanim.
Rabbi Weinberger pointed out that according to the classic “Sefer Chareidim,” it is a mitzvah (an obligation) for a Yisroel and Levite to get the Birkas Kohanim. However, other Torah Scholars including the Chazon Ish dispute the argument of Rabbi Elazar ben Moshe Azikri, 1433-1600) the author of “Sefer Chareidim.” Nevertheless, Rabbi Weinberger argues that a non-Kohen should strive to hear Birkas Kohanim.
Rabbi Yaakov Emden believes that today (after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdosh, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem,” Birkas Kohamim is mitzvah d’rabbonim, not a Taryag mitzvah, but one after mandated by the rabbis after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdosh, as remembrance of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem where it was carried out daily. Hopefully with the coming of Moshiach and the restoration of the Beis Hamikdosh, it will revert to being a mitzvah d’raisah.
Strongly disagreeing with Rabbi Emden is the Chofetz Chai who insists that the blessings of the Kohanim remain to this day, even with the Beis Hamikdosh to be a Taryag mitzvah.
Rabbi Weinberger said that if a man hears the Priestly blessings, it is obvious that his wife who must stay home to take care of their children is include in the blessings that the husbands receives. But, if she is not being blocked by circumstances that require her to stay at home, the wife cannot rely on her husband and should go to the shul and her the Bircas Kohanim herself. The Ben Ish Chai states that the women who make the effort to go to shul will be rewarded from Above for doing so.
While Sephardim around the world recite Birkas Kohanim daily, Ashkenazim [outside the Land of Israel] only have their Kohanim recite the priestly blessings on 13 days (the two days of Rosh Hashana, the day of Yom Kippur, the first two days of Succos, Shemini Atzeres, Simchas Torah, the first two days of Passover, the last two days of Passover and the two days of Shavuos.)
Rabbi Weinberger pointed out that in the times of Rashi [Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 1040-1105] the Ashkenazim did recite Birkas Kohanim every day. When did the Ashkenazim stop having the Kohanim recite the priestly blessings every day? It goes back to the Beis Yosef according to the Maharil [Rabbi Yaakov Molin, 1360-1427] whose influential “She’elot U’Teshuvot and Minhagim” continue to influence Ashkenazi Jews till this day.
Another reason, offered by Rabbi Weinberger as to why Ashkenazi Jews outside of Israel do not have Kohanim bestowing priestly blessings every day is because of the pressure to get out the synagogue after morning services in order to earn a parnassa, livelihood. It takes time for the Kohanim to have their hands washed [by Levites] and then recite that blessings.
Another interesting point is that there is a group of Ashkenazi Jews outside of the Land of Israel who don’t just have the Kohanim recite the blessings 13 times a year on festival and the Yomim Noraim (Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur), but actually 27 times a year. They are the German Jews. While other Ashkenazi Jews have their Kohanim recite the blessings at the Mussaf service, the German Jews also have their priests recite the Birkas Kohanim at the Shacharis services and on Yom Kippur also for the Neilah that concludes the services for the holiest day of the year.
For other interesting insights into the powerful blessings of the Kohanim, you may want to read the entire book “The Priceless Treasure of Bircas Kohanim” authored by the lecturer – Rabbi Naftali Weinberger who is also the author of popular books on Rav Chaim Kanievsky, Rebbetzin Batya Kanevsky and Reb Aharon Leib Shteinman.
Reprinted from this week’s edition of The Jewish Connection.
