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Today I want to discuss the mitzva of the Priestly Blessing (birkat hakohanim) which appears in Parashat Naso, and perhaps this mitzva will also carry us into the next parasha – Beha'alotcha. The text reads as follows (Numbers 6:22-27): "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: This is how you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them, May the Lord bless you, and keep you: May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you: May He lift up His countenance to you and give you peace. And they shall put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them."

I will return to these verses shortly, but first let's look at the definition of this mitzva and its sources, as they appear in Sefer Hahinuch: "The Priests were commanded to bless Israel every day, as it is said, 'This is how you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them." Thus we see that the mitzva is a daily blessing by the priests. The priests were instructed to carry out many tasks, but this one applied not only to the Temple but outside it as well. We will soon see that there are differences between those duties that the priests were commanded to perform within the Temple and those performed beyond the Temple as well as inside. When I say 'beyond the Temple' I am of course referring not only to the area outside the Temple, but also to those times when the Temple was no longer in existence. The Priestly Blessing was not conditional on the existence of the Temple. Apparently the Blessing must be delivered exactly as written in the Torah.

The author of Sefer Hahinuch has raised a difficult question, which we will deal with shortly – why does God command the priests to bless us? Why doesn't He bless us Himself? The Alscheich puts it very well when he says that if the Almighty wants the priests to bless us, they could simply appeal directly to Him, saying: 'O Lord, bless them and keep them, shine the light of Your face upon them and be gracious unto them, lift up Your countenance to them and give them peace.' Why the need for an intermediary? Sefer Hahinuch says: "This mitzva is rooted in the Lord's desire, out of His great goodness, to bless His people through His servants who dwell continuously in the House of the Lord, whose thoughts cleave to His work, and whose souls are bound up with awe of the Lord throughout the day. By their merit the people will be blessed, and all their deeds will be blessed likewise, and the grace of God will be upon them." According to Baal Hahinuch, the uniqueness of the priests lies in the fact that technically they are constantly connected to the Almighty. A priest need not be particularly distinguished or illustrious. He can even be a known transgressor – nevertheless he has the right to bestow the Priestly Blessing. There are only two transgressions that render him unworthy of bestowing the Priestly Blessing – idolatry and murder. Other than that, whether or not he is observant and fulfils the mitzvot, he is considered worthy to bestow the Priestly Blessing. Baal Hahinuch goes on to say that: "You should not wonder and say that if God desired that they be blessed he would so command them, and there is no need for the Priestly Blessing. For I have many times repeated that the Blessing will be bestowed upon us by virtue of the goodness of our actions, since the Hand of the Almighty is open to all who ask, if they are prepared to receive goodness. For this reason has He chosen us from all the nations, desiring only that we should merit His goodness. He has cautioned us and commanded us to qualify our behavior and make ready our bodies through His commandments so that we should merit His goodness. In the greatness of His righteousness He has also commanded that we request the Blessing from Him through His pure servants, for this has merit for our souls, and by its means we will be worthy of His goodness."

Ba'al Hahinuch asks a pertinent question: why does God command the priests to bless us? Why doesn't He bless us Himself? Not so, says Ba'al Hahinuch – it is not the priests who are blessing us, but the Almighty Himself. The function of the priests is to ensure that we are a vessel worthy of receiving the Blessing, and by transforming us into such a vessel, the Blessing itself makes us worthy. So why davka the priests? Because they have special merit – they are the servants of God and as such they are devout in service throughout the day.

As for the rules pertaining to the mitzva, he writes as follows: "… the priests will only raise their hands in blessing if there are ten present, including the priests." But what happens if all ten present are priests? This is not merely a hypothetical question, and it is answered in the Shulhan Arukh (Orach Haim 128:25): "If all the men in the synagogue are kohanim (priests) and there are only ten present, they all ascend to bestow the Priestly Blessing." In such a case, who is left for them to bless? "Whom do they bless? Their brothers in the fields." A kind of virtual blessing.

We return to Sefer Hahinuch: "What is the manner of the raising of their hands? When the 'Shaliach Tzibur' begins the "Retzeh" prayer, all the kohanim in the synagogue arise and ascend the podium. They face the 'heichal' with their backs to the congregation, and their fingers folded into the palms of their hands. When the 'Shaliach Tzibur' has completed the 'Hoda'ah' prayer, they turn towards the people, extend their hands, raise them to the level of their shoulders and begin to chant the Priestly Blessing. The 'Shaliach Tzibur' utters each word before them, as it is written 'saying to them'." How does Ba'al Hahinuch interpret this phrase? Let's take a look at the text: 'Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: This is how you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them…' Who says to whom? The priests to the children of Israel or the children of Israel to the priests? Ba'al Hahinuch understood it to mean the latter, which is why '…the 'Shaliach Tzibur' utters each word before them.' The Almighty conveys the blessing uttered by the priests, but I must tell them what to say. By the way, if ten priests are present in the synagogue and there is nobody to 'lead' them in the Priestly Blessing, yet they are commanded to bestow it nevertheless. It is as if those brothers in the fields who provide a 'virtual' response, also 'virtually' lead them in the Blessing.

"…And they respond in pleasant tones. When they complete the first verse the people respond 'Amen.' The same goes for the second and third verses. Once all three verses have been uttered the 'Shaliach Tzibur' commences the 'Sim Shalom' prayer, and the kohanim turn back to the Ark, fold their fingers into the palms of their hands and remain on the podium until the prayer is completed. They then return to their places. It is customary nowadays for the kohanim not to ascend the podium but rather to stand before the Ark and follow the procedure described above. Before turning to face the congregation, they utter the benediction, 'Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments and commanded us by the sanctity of Aaron, commanding us to bless His people Israel in love."

Where are we so commanded? Where does it say that His people Israel are to be blessed in love? The Mishna Brura in Orach Haim brings a rare incidence which can nevertheless occur: "Two priests who hate one another … are permitted to ascent together (to bestow the Priestly Blessing). One cannot say to the other 'you ascend for Shacharit and I will go up for Musaf' or the other way round, for it may be that he wants to go up for both. But if a priest is hated by the congregation or he hates them, it is dangerous for him to bestow the benediction. Therefore he should depart from the synagogue before the 'Retzeh" prayer if he is unable to subdue his inclination and remove the hatred from his heart and therefore it was ordained to bless His people Israel in love." Now we begin to understand, but we still don't know the source of this commandment to bless in love!

A French speaking Jew once told me that he doesn't understand the question. "The phrase 'This is how you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them…' is the pshat – the plain text," he said. "What is needed is the drash – the commentary, in order to fully understand the matter." However, this does not bring us any nearer to understanding the issue of 'love'. All the commentators have at some time attempted to explain the source of the injunction to bless 'with love.' In the Zohar we read as follows: "We learn that any kohen who is not loved by the public should not recite the priestly benediction. There was once an incident with a kohen who recited the benediction and before he finished he turned into a heap of bones. What was the reason? Because he did not make the blessing with love. Another kohen went up in his place and brought about a 'tikkun'. Thus, any kohen who does not love the people or is not loved by them, should not go up to bestow the priestly blessing, as it is written, 'He that has a bountiful eye shall be blessed.' Do not read 'shall be blessed' but rather 'shall bless'."

The phrase 'He that has a bountiful eye shall be blessed' is from Proverbs 22:9. It can also be interpreted as 'he who gives of his bread to those poorer than himself.' This is still not clear. Does it mean that only a kohen with a bountiful eye can bestow the priestly blessing? Let's assume that I have a bountiful eye and I love the community but I have a disagreement with them. I forgive them but they don't like me any more – does this mean I no longer have a bountiful eye? And we haven't yet touched on the issue of blessing 'with love.'

Let's return to the original text. "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: This is how you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them…" We have already pointed out that the last words can either refer to the priests or the children of Israel. Now let's look at the final verse (27): "And they shall put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them." Bless whom? Who is the subject of this sentence? It can be either the children of Israel or Aaron and his sons, and our sages suggest both interpretations.

The question that disturbs me is the verse that we opened with: "And they shall put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them." Nowhere else do we read this curious injunction to 'put a name' on something or somebody. Can somebody explain how to put God's name upon the children of Israel? I understand how one can be blessed in the name of God. Incidentally, the text describing the duties of the priests reads as follows (Deuteronomy 10:8): "At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in His name…" This, I can understand. The blessing is bestowed by uttering the full Name of God. There is a mishna where Rabbi Tarfon describes, in emotional terms, hearing his uncle, his mother's brother, uttering the Name of God during the Priestly Benediction. But this is not the same as putting a name upon someone.

One last observation: we first encounter the Priestly Benediction before the injunction for the kohanim to utter it in the Mikdash. When Aharon finished sacrificing the sin offering, before he and Moses went out to the people to bless them, the text reads (Leviticus 9:22): "And Aaron lifted up his hands towards the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings." Rashi explains: 'And blessed them – with the priestly benediction.' The entire chapter describes how Aaron offered up sacrifices, and when he had finished so doing, while he was still standing above, by the altar, he blessed the people before descending. I would have expected the text to read that he descended after he completed the sacrifices, and then he raised his hands and blessed the people. But that's not how it is written. The Talmud Yerushalmi asks the same question we have dealt with until now: "What is the source of the raising of hands? This is how you shall bless the children of Israel – at Shacharit. At Musaf – it is written "And Aaron lifted up his hands towards the people…" There is something missing from this text, for surely it should read "And he came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering," and after that "And Aaron lifted up his hands towards the people, and blessed them." This teaches us that upon his descent from the altar he lifted up his hands and blessed them."

Rabbi Soloveichik, of blessed memory, says that the Yerushalmi points to two sources for the Priestly Benediction: One is the Priestly Blessing as it pertains to the halachot of prayer (tefila), the synagogue, the place where ten Jews convene. The other is the Priestly Blessing as it pertains to the Mikdash. The Yerushalmi asks how we know that the Priestly Blessing is an integral part of the sacrificial service. The answer lies in the text: first Aaron blessed the people, and then he finished the sacrifices. In other words, the Priestly Benediction is an integral part of the Temple service.

I still don't understand why it is necessary to bless the people 'in love'. And how does one 'put my name' on the children of Israel? In fact, what is the meaning of the concept 'to bless'? I would like to add another question in two parts: Why does the Priestly Benediction appear in Parashat Naso? Why doesn't it appear in the most natural and logical place – in the listing of the priestly duties? In Parashat Shemini it is written that "Aaron lifted up his hands over the people and blessed them." Surely the continuation should be "This is how you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them…" Why doesn't it appear there? How does Rashi know that "Aaron lifted his hands…" refers to the Priestly Blessing? Because he had already studied Parashat Naso in Bamidbar.

In Parashat Naso, the two chapters prior to the Priestly Blessing deal with a faithless wife and a Nazarite. This is followed by a large chapter dealing with princes, and then comes Beha'alotcha: "When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick." The section on the princes is very strange. Twelve repetitions, twelve descriptions, in the same words, using the same formula – this is the offering of Nachshon ben Aminadav, this is the offering of Netanel ben Zo'ar… This section ends with a mathematical calculation – if twelve princes bring twelve golden spoons – how much does that come to? And if they also offer incense – how much? And in the middle of all this – the Priestly Benediction! Why here?

Let's begin with the concept of "blessing His people Israel in love." Before we do so, however, we must examine the term 'to bless'. The Torah abounds with blessings. The Almighty blesses the children of Israel, fathers bless their children, grandfathers bless their grandsons… Only twice, however, are we commanded to do so – the Priestly Blessing and the Blessing After Meals. It's true that there is no connection between them other than the word 'blessing' (berakha). Abarbanel offers to explain the meaning of the concept. He maintains that although he is not familiar with its origins, he knows of three uses: One is the form of bestowing upon someone something which he lacks – this is the blessing of the Almighty, and we have many instances of this; then there is the blessing which we bestow upon the Almighty - for example, the Blessing After Meals – which does not imply that God is lacking anything or that He needs our blessing. Rather, as the philosopher at the beginning of the Kuzari points out, He requires our basic belief. According to Abarbanel, such a blessing is in fact intended as praise and adulation. The third form of blessing is when one person conveys God's blessing upon another, and the Priestly Benediction is the perfect illustration of such a blessing. Abarbanel says that this form of blessing manifests itself in prayer – appealing to the Almighty in a different manner. When I entreat the Almighty to fulfil my request, I am asking that my request be blessed. When I bless my child, I am in effect asking God to bless him.

My problem with Abarbanel's interpretation is that, while I admire it, I cannot accept it. There are sufficient words in the Hebrew language to differentiate between these three forms – one could be tefilah, the next shevach and the third beracha. Why are they all referred to as beracha? And what is meant by 'blessing God'? Rabbi Hirsch says this is the reason why it is important not to look at the Kohanim. In the Mikdash it was halachically prohibited, but there is a dispute as to whether it is halachically prohibited in the synagogue as well, but whatever the case, we must not look at them. Rabbi Hirsch says that this prohibition is not some kind of weird custom. Rather, it gives us pause to recollect that the blessing is conveyed through them.

The Alscheich was a contemporary of Abarbanel, give or take a year or two, in France, not Spain. He takes issue with the latter's approach: "Why do the priests address the people of Israel saying: 'May the Lord bless you'? Would it not be better for them to speak to God, saying: 'Lord bless them and keep them' rather than that they should speak to the people, saying 'May the Lord bless you.' Therefore it is written: 'This is how you shall bless them' – you shall relate to those who are blessed, saying to them directly 'May He bless you' rather than addressing the Lord."

As for 'placing God's name on the children of Israel, the Alscheich has the following to say: "The reason is that by so doing 'they shall put My name upon the children of Israel,' for by speaking to Israel they direct them to receive the blessing by placing the name of the Almighty, Blessed be He, upon the people, so that He speaks to them, saying "May you be blessed…" In this manner they will be directed and influenced to receive the benediction."

This is a completely different approach to that favored by Abarbanel. We are familiar with the Hebrew word 'berakha'. This word has other uses as well. For example, 'lehavrich ilan' – if I have a tree with roots and I want it to grow more roots, I can bend a branch and attach it to the ground. The branch will strike roots in the earth. This process can be repeated many times. Another meaning of the root form 'berekh' is both 'knee' and 'to cause to kneel.' In Bereshit we read that "he caused the camels to kneel down at the time when the maidens came to draw water from the well." He made the camels kneel ('vayavrech') at the pool ('breicha') which is actually the source of blessing ('berakha').

What, really, is a berakha? It is the power that draws us back to the source whence all blessings flow. When I bless God I don't have the difficulty that Abarbanel faced. Why do I have to bless God, who is already blessed? When we begin a benediction with the words "Blessed art thou, O Lord…" what does it mean? Is God blessed because I blessed Him? In the section on Birkhat Hamazon (the Blessing After Meals) Sefer Hahinuch explains that when I utter these words I am in effect saying, 'Master of the Universe, You are the source of all blessings.' When I say 'May He be Blessed' my meaning is: 'I want everyone to direct themselves to You by recognizing that You are the source of all blessings.' When I take the branch and bend it, those who don't understand what I'm doing ask why I'm destroying the tree. I want to explain to them that I am simply utilizing the potential of the branch. The branch contains a potential root, but this potential cannot be utilized because the branch is incapable of striking roots by itself. When I bless the lads in my name and the names of my fathers I am in effect performing the same action (havrakha). I am saying 'In order for them to be blessed, I want to call them by my name and those of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and then they will enjoy a multitude of blessings. The closer I bind them to their roots, the closer I am connecting them with the source of all blessings.' When I bend the branch, it may appear as a contortion – why don't I permit the branch to grow further, why do I twist it in such an unnatural position? But by so doing I am returning it to its roots, and it derives strength from its contact with the earth. So long as there is the potential for a root in the branch, it will derive strength when I strike it into the earth, and this becomes another stage which can in turn be rooted further.

When I say of the Almighty that He is Blessed, my meaning is: 'Lord of the Universe, Your hand is extended over all. I want as many as possible to receive it. So long as they do not receive it, Your name will not be upon the children of Israel. I pray that nothing but Your Name should be upon the children of Israel so that is the only thing they see above them. Once Your name is upon them, then 'I will bless them' – I will connect them with the source, which is to be found in Your name.'

When the Almighty blesses me, He doesn't say 'Take money out of the Automated Bank Teller…' Rather, He says to me 'I am connecting you with the source of all.' When I bless my fellow man, my blessing is that we shall both be connected to the source – may God bless him and keep him…' I also pray that God should make His face shine upon him, because it is possible to have roots but not to have light. And finally, may He lift up His countenance upon him – and then there will be peace between God and my fellow man. Now for the main issue – the command to bless in love. Why? There are many long and involved explanations for this. How do we know that we are commanded to bless His people in love? How can we not bless in love? After all, the very concept of blessing implies love – no benediction is possible without it. To be blessed, as we have seen, is to be returned to one's roots. If I hate people I can't do it, and likewise, if the people hate me, I can't do it either. Something comes between us, preventing us from returning to the source. Under two sets of circumstances the kohen cannot raise his hands in the priestly benediction: if he is an idol worshipper he has cut himself off from the source, and the same applies if he has shed blood – he has cut himself off from the source because he has killed a soul. If he harms a member of the public, it shows he has no understanding of the connection between the branch and the root. In his eyes, the branch is superfluous and unnecessary. He has demonstrated a lack of understanding for the source of all, and he is incapable of blessing Israel in love.

When the priests conclude the Benediction they say: "Master of the universe, we have done that which You decreed, now we ask that You do for us that which You promised us." As one who has never been a kohen, and chances are I never will be, I confess I have always felt somewhat slighted by this. After all, when I finish laying tefillin every day, do I say: 'Master of the universe, now that I have done that which You decreed, it's time for you to do something for me as well'? What's the big deal here? You kohanim have uttered the Priestly Benediction, and you really did a great job – but was it really so difficult? Nobody congratulates me on a job well done when I fulfil a mitzvah. We must bear in mind that the commandment is not to bless, but to do so in love – extraordinary love, the love inherent in 'love your neighbor as yourself'. This is almost impossible – I cannot hate the public, because that will prevent me from inclusion among the priests who convey the Priestly Benediction. Thus, the injunction to bless the people in love is to place My name upon the children of Israel and bless them – it means that we are all connected to the Name of God, and we are all expressions of His Name.

Why does it appear in Parashat Naso? Because it is the most suitable place for the Priestly Benediction. Parashat Naso, the first ten chapters of Sefer Bamidbar, describe the order of families according to each tribe. Each one knows his place, his rank, his tribe, his father's house. Suddenly, in the middle of Parashat Naso we stop and turn our attention to two problematic groups who haven't found a place of their own among the people: faithless wives and Nazarites. We are saying, in effect, that the system cannot continue to function unless it knows how to behave towards faithless wives and Nazarites, recognizing their place in the system. The text then continues with the priestly blessing, and then come the princes.

The question has often been asked, why it is necessary to repeat the offerings of the princes in such detail – it's quite annoying! I think it's necessary for each prince to be listed because of a very deep seated and natural desire for recognition - I am who I am, I am special! What makes me special? Perhaps it's my style of dress, the way I choose to wear my hair. It's very important that the system makes allowances and sanctions these differences. Let's take this further. Suppose for a moment that I spend a long time in front of the mirror, ensuring that my appearance is just the way I want it, and then someone else turns up looking exactly the same – he's destroyed it for me! So what's the greatest test of one's uniqueness? When I visit the zoo, all the elephants look the same to me, I can't tell them apart. But if I were the mother of an elephant I would know exactly which one is Reuben, and which one is Shimon, and I would be totally scornful of you for not discerning the difference.

The further I am from the source, the more external aids I require to express my different-ness. Today we refer to it as being 'in'. For those who are not acquainted with this concept, let me explain by saying that the further 'out' you are, the more 'in' you are… If you have gone one step further, then you're really 'in.' We understand this driving force, but it's important, from a psychological point of view, to understand where it stems from. A parent never confuses one child for another, each one is unique. In the same way, the princes and their offerings appear identical, but they cannot be mistaken for one another, and together each has his own uniqueness.

The faithless wife and the Nazarite don't know how to do this, and this is the reason why they both stray from the accepted path - the Nazarite, too, is looked upon as a transgressor. The Priestly Benediction comes between the Nazarite and the faithless wife, on the one hand, and the national self-realization of the princes, on the other. The Priestly Benediction is based upon one simple principle – it is directed at each individual, not the people as a whole. If I bless the entire nation in love, if I am the Father, I don't need everyone to dress differently in order to identify each and every one and discern the differences between them. I will never mistake one for another. I know exactly who you are, not because you are different, but because you are yourself.

I hesitate to say this, but in my humble opinion, when we read "This was the offering of Nachshon ben Aminadav… This was the offering of Netanel ben Zoar…" it really is saying 'this is the revelation of the shechina, that which makes you unique.' This is the blessing, and inherent in the blessing is the root. If there is a root, every single leaf has its own unique personality. So if the priest has a problem with any one leaf, he cannot bestow the Benediction. For some things we require the Holy Temple, but in order to bless the people of Israel in love all that is equired is – the people of Israel. And seeing that they exist, there cannot be a single day without a Priestly Blessing. There may be times without joy, but never without a Priestly Blessing, the connection with the root and the source.

The tribe of Levi, headed by the priests, are entrusted with the spiritual and moral values of the nation. Only those who know how to bless in love can do this. Only one who knows such love is suited to this task, anyone else can make sure that the system appears to be in order, but that's all he can do. He can represent the moral aspects of the system. The search for oneself is a spiritual, psychological tendency with extremely positive aspects. It is the quest for what is unique, special and different and it is basically good. Where deviations occur it may perhaps be because we haven't discovered their source, and once we have done so we may have a system without faithless wives and Nazarites, but with offerings and princes.

The Baal Hahinuch, basing himself on the halachic definition, decreed that when the kohanim ascend the podium they bend their fingers; while bestowing the blessing they extend their fingers; and when they have finished they once again bend them. When their hands are closed, it is as if they are receiving the blessing. I don't understand this. I only know that when the fingers are curled over the palm of the hand, every finger is equal, and when they are extended each one has its own place – this is the Priestly Blessing. When they ascend the podium they close their hands and return to the source – all are equal. When they turn to face the people they transmit the power and force that fuels the nation. Who is this nation? It can be those in the fields – they don't have to be physically present in order to benefit from the blessing. The priests extend their fingers, each has its own size, its own place, its own uniqueness. And then they return to the source. This is the priestly beenediction – blessing His people Israel in love.