Who Authored “Birkat
Kohanim”?
R. Yaakov
Bieler
Parashat Shmini,
5766
According to some Biblical
commentators,[1]
the first time that “Birkat Kohanim”[2]/”Nesi’at
Kapayim”[3]
(lit. the blessing of the Priests; the lifting of the hands, whose actual script
appears much later, in BaMidbar
VaYikra 9:22
And Aharon lifted his hands to the people and he blessed them, and he descended from performing the sin offering, the whole burnt offering and the peace offering.
Sifra, “Milu’im”
#30
“And he blessed them”—This is an
unspecific blessing that you do not know its contents. The verses return at a
later point and clarify:
(BaMidbar 6:24-26) “Let God Bless
you and Keep you” until “…And Grant you peace”.
Mishna Sota 7:6
(38a)
How is “Birkat Kohanim” to be
performed?
Outside of the
Within the
Outside the Temple, the Kohanim
raise their hands no higher than the level of their shoulders, while within the
Temple, they raise their hands up to the level of their heads, with the
exception of the High Priest, who raises his hands no higher than the “Tzitz”
(band of gold that is worn on the High Priest’s forehead [see Shemot 28:36] and
upon which the Tetragrammaton is written). R. Yehuda said: Even the High Priest
raised his hands higher than the “Tzitz” as it is said, (VaYikra
RaShI on VaYikra
9:22
“And he blessed them”—With the
priestly benediction…
Since both in the Midrash as well
as in the Talmud an identity is made between the two passages of VaYikra and
BaMidbar, and laws regarding the manner in which “Birkat Kohanim” are to be
carried out are based upon the description of Aharon’s blessing the people in
Parshat Shmini, the Oral Tradition understands the Biblical passages to be in
the form of a “Kellal U’Perat” (a general statement followed by specifics and
details) relationship, whereby originally we are told no more than that an act
of blessing has taken place and only apprised of its actual contents many
chapters later. Additionally, although the impression is given that the text of
“Birkat Kohanim” is first presented to Moshe by HaShem in BaMidbar, in fact it
actually was already Commanded in VaYikra, if Aharon was to have invoked these
same blessings in Parshat Shmini.
It is probably due to the
unlikelihood of “Birkat Kohanim” being presented in such a protracted and
illogical manner that causes RaMBaN to offer three alternate interpretations,
once he acknowledges the standard traditional position advanced by
RaShI.
RaMBaN on VaYikra
9:22
“With the priestly
benediction…”—this is the commentary of RaShI.
But if so, the section of
(BaMidbar
1) It is possible to say that Aharon
spread forth his hands towards Heaven and blessed the people, just as Shlomo
did, as it is said, (I Melachim 8:22) “And Shlomo stood before the altar of
HaShem in the presence of the congregation of Israel and spread forth his
hands towards Heaven”, and there it is said, “And he stood and
blessed all of the congregation of Israel, saying…” Therefore the text
does not state that Moshe commanded him (Aharon) to do so (in VaYikra
2) In the “Baraita” (the Midrash
Halacha stated above) of the section of the “Milu’im” (the consecration of the
Tabernacle) I have seen it said:
Sifra, “Milu’im”
#30
“And he blessed them”—This is an
unspecific blessing that you do not know its contents. The verses return at a
later point and clarify: (BaMidbar
Nevertheless I could still say
that the Rabbis of this “Baraita” were saying as follows: This blessing with
which Aharon blessed the people on his own accord is unspecified
(in VaYikra) and the text did not explain to us what it was. But the
blessing that the priests were commanded to say in all future generations has
been expressly set forth (in BaMidbar), applying to all priests forever.
3) Or it may be that the Rabbis of
the “Baraita” are of the opinion that here (in VaYikra) He Commanded him to say
the Priestly Blessing for only that day, and later on (in BaMidbar) this
blessing was given to Aharon and his sons for the succeeding occasions and
generations.
Obviously, RaMBaN’s second
hypothesis is the most radical of the three that he presents. It is only this
position that suggests that Aharon’s blessing in VaYikra contained words that
were completely chosen by himself, in contrast to the standardized blessing
Commanded by God in BaMidbar. The fact that we are not told what Aharon’s words
actually were might suggest that:
a) the language was not terribly articulate
and therefore unworthy of preserving for posterity,
b) the blessings contained very
temporal requests[10]
and would not be appropriate for use in future situations,
or c) because Aharon was so holy and
spiritual, his own formulation of blessing would be too esoteric for ordinary
Kohanim, and they had to be provided with a text that was more accessible so that they could maintain proper
intention while imparting the blessings to the Jewish people.
But a fourth possibility presents
itself as well, i.e., that the blessings that Aharon employed were exactly the
words that are recorded in BaMidbar 6. It then follows that God was so
“Impressed” with Aharon’s formulation of blessing, that He Codified Aharon’s
words that were originally spontaneously composed on the spur of the moment,
into blessings that would be recited by Kohanim for
eternity.
A precedent for suggesting such an
approach for understanding the evolution of “Birkat Kohanim” can be found in
Abrabanel’s introduction to the book of Devarim. As opposed to the preceding
four books of the Tora which are not associated with any sort of personal
oration or presentation, the last book of the Tora begins with the following
words:
Devarim
1:1
These are the
words that
Moshe spoke to all of
While it is clear that the
Commandments of the Tora were revealed to Moshe by HaShem, along with the
formulations by which such Commandments were first recorded throughout the
previous four books of the Tora, Abrabanel not only raises the possibility that Moshe’s
valedictory address, to which the overwhelming majority of Devarim is devoted,
were his own words, but he goes on to explain how one can reconcile giving Moshe
credit for these words and still believe that the Tora in its entirety,
including Devarim, was Revealed by God.
Abrabanel, Introduction to
Devarim
…Certainly, the matter of this
book and its truth is that Moshe Rabbeinu said these things and explicated the
Commandments that are mentioned here to Israel due to his impending separation
from them, and God Wished, once he (Moshe) had finished saying them to
Israel, that they be written in the Sefer Tora in accordance with what/how Moshe
had said them. And it is possible that HaShem Added to them (to Moshe’s
words) reasons and things at the time of its writing (see Devarim 31:9). If so,
the saying of these things were from Moshe, yet their writing in the Sefer Tora
was not from him. For behold Moshe did not write these things by himself,
because how could he write something of his own in the Tora of God? But rather
the entire Tora came from the “Mouth of God” with regard to all the words of
Tora because God Agreed with him (Moshe) and the words of the faithful
servant were straight in His Eyes…
If God is “Open” to recognizing
that the words of a human being can have great significance and poignancy to the
point that, as it were, HaShem is Ready to Give official recognition to the
words of His great Prophet Moshe, on a more limited scale couldn’t the same be
true with respect to Aharon? To the same extent that Moshe was clearly the
Jewish people’s leader when it came to rebuking them and teaching them the
Commandments of HaShem, making him a worthy source for Devarim’s subject matter,
wasn’t Aharon’s great love and concern for the people the appropriate
qualification for formulating the ideal and permanent blessing to be bestowed
upon
Although Aharon as God’s Surrogate
in terms of being in charge of the Tabernacle worship of HaShem, should
understandably be self-effacing[11]
in a manner resembling the extreme humility attributed to Moshe in BaMidbar
12:3, nevertheless, it might be possible to recognize in BaMidbar 6:24-26
reflections of Aharon’s experiences and personality, once we assume that he is
the author of this blessing. Furthermore, it is clear that the most momentous
event with which Aharon was directly associated in terms of the development of
the Jewish people subsequent to the Exodus from Egypt, was the sin of the Golden
Calf (Shemot 32:1 ff.). Perhaps the contributing factors that led to the
creation of this idol, its subsequent destruction and the punishment of those
who worshipped it provide the proper lense through which to consider “Birkat
Kohanim”.
“God should Bless you and Keep
you.”
BaMidbar Rabba
11:5
“Let God Bless you”—with wealth
(Not
unlike the spoils that the Jews took from the Egyptians prior to their departure
from
“And Keep you”—you should use it
to do Mitzvot.
(However, taking precious metals
and turning them into idols will lead to the people’s downfall. There is an
inherent danger in wealth that must be avoided.)
“He should Shine His Face towards
you and be Gracious to you.”
Midrash Tehillim 119 (cited in
Tora Shleima, R. Menachem Kasher, p. 101, #254)
(Tehillim 119:135) “Panecha HaEhr
BeEvrecha…” (Cause Your Face to Shine, when You are
Angry).
So said David: May it be Your Will
that You do not Look upon us in anger, but rather with a Shining Face, as said
Moshe, (?) “He should Shine His Face towards you and be Gracious to you.” For
this reason he (David) said, “Panecha HaEhr BeEvrecha…”
(Aharon had first-hand experience
in terms of HaShem’s Reaction to the sin of the Golden Calf to know that God’s
Anger can be lethal and extremely destructive.)
BaMidbar Rabba
11:6
“And be Gracious to you”—He should
Give you wisdom so that you will be gracious to one another, and be merciful to
one another, as it is said, (Devarim
(Aharon was dedicated to peace and
unity among the Jews. The infighting among different groups, including the
“Eirev Rav [the “Mixed Multitude”] contributed significantly to the sin of the
Calf and therefore it would be ideal if such contentiousness could be avoided in
the future.)
“Let God Lift His Face towards you
and Grant you peace.”
BaMidbar Rabba
11:7
“Let God Lift His Face towards
you”—Let Him remove His Anger from you, for the term “Yisa” (lift) means
removal, as it is said, (Beraishit 40:19) “Pharoah will remove your
head…”
“His Face”—this is the face of
anger, as it is said, (VaYikra 20:6) “And I will Place My Face against that
soul…” i.e., that anger that was meant to be set against you, it should be
removed.
(See the comments on Midrash
Tehillim 119 above.)
VaYikra Rabba
9:9
“And Grant you peace”—R. Mani
D’Sha’av and R. Yehoshua D’Sichnin in the name of R. Levi. Great is peace since
all blessings, goodnesses and comfortings that the Holy One, Blessed Be He,
Brings upon
(See the
comments on BaMidbar Rabba 11:6 above.)
One of the ways in which we can
make prayer more meaningful is to make our prayers as personal as possible, as
well as understanding the implications of the words that we are pronouncing. To
think that Aharon is reaching out to us over the millennia and expressing hopes
that we do not repeat the same errors that those of his generation committed
provides new scope and dimension to “Birkat Kohanim”.
Let us hope that these words come
true for us as well as for future generations.
[1] The idea appears to have
been originally expressed in the Midrash
Halacha and the Talmud (the combination of Mishna and Gemora) cited below, and
then incorporated into the Biblical commentaries of the likes of RaShI, RaMBaN,
Meshech Chachma and R. S.R. Hirsch.
[2] The term “Birkat Kohanim”
specifically relates to the blessings that the Kohanim used to bestow upon the
people, and it is commemorated in Ashkenazic prayers in the Diaspora by a
paragraph that is inserted in the repetition of the Silent Devotion on all days
with the exception of communal prayers on Yom Tov.
Kol Bo
The reason why we (specifically it
is the “Shliach Tzibbur” who inserts this paragraph (beginning “Elokeinu
VElokei Avoteinu Barcheinu BiVeracha HaMeshuleshet…”) in his repetition of the
“Amida”; however since he is the congregation’s surrogate, by our listening to
his recitation, it is as if each of us is actually reciting the paragraph as
well) say “Birkat Kohanim” after “Hoda’ah” (thanksgiving; the blessing of the
Silent Devotion that begins with the phrase “Modim Anachnu Lach” [we give thanks
to You]) this is because in their days (the days of the Temple and its Service)
they (the Kohanim) would ascend the platform each day, and corresponding to
this, we usually summarize this practice.
[3] The term “Nesi’at Kapayim” refers
to the literal extending of the hands of the Kohanim when they are bestowing the
blessings upon the people. While this is done daily by those praying in
RaMA on Shulchan Aruch, Orach
Chayim 128:44
…It is the custom in all of these
countries (of Ashkenaz) that the “hands are not raised” other than on Yom Tov,
because only then are they immersed in the joy of Yom Tov and goodness of heart,
allowing for the blessings to be properly bestowed. This is not the case on
other days, including even Shabbat, when people are troubled by thoughts of how
they are going to obtain their livelihoods and the fact that they had to
interrupt their work.
And even on Yom Tov, the “hands are
raised” only during the repetition of Musaf (in Israel, “Nesi’at Kapayim takes
place at both Shacharit and Musaf) because people are then anticipating leaving
the synagogue and rejoicing in the joy of the
holiday…
[4] “Let God Bless you and Keep
you.
God should Shine His Face towards you
and be Gracious to you.
Let God Lift His Face towards you and
Grant you peace.”
[5] NeTzIV on VaYikra 9:23 (“And Moshe
and Aharon came to the Tent of Meeting and they went out and blessed the
people, and the Glory of HaShem Appeared to the entire people”) suggests
that “Birkat Kohanim” was pronounced a second time in this verse. However,
Moshe’s participation and the omission of any mention of the lifting of hands
causes commentators like RaShI, Ohr HaChayim and HaKetav VeHaKabbala to
understand the blessing as a prayer that HaShem should Reveal Himself upon the
Tabernacle, which at the end of this verse He Does.
[6] The practical difference between
whether the words are to be treated as a single blessing or as three separate
ones is whether or not the Kohanim stop at the end of each verse in order to
allow the people to respond, “Amen”.
[7] Apparently, according to R. Yehuda,
if the Kohen Gadol were to lift his hands no higher than the level of the
“Tzitz” on his forehead, he would be “extending” his hands rather than lifting
them.
[8] RaMBaN suggests that RaShI and the
sources upon which he bases his commentary are all relying on the principle “Ein
Mukdam U’Me’uchar BaTora” (that one cannot assume that the order of the sections
of the Tora reflect the chronological order in which they were originally
presented).
[9] Although there is a “Stuma” (a
space within the Tora column which otherwise would contain 9 letters) between
the end of the section discussing “Birkat Kohanim” and BaMidbar 7:1,
nevertheless RaMBaN feels that the principle of “Semichut HaParshiot” (the
juxtaposition next to one another of different topics, suggesting a connection
between them) justifies asserting that the text of the Priestly Blessings were
given to Aharon much earlier, at the time of the completion of the Tabernacle
discussed in VaYikra 9.
[10] An example of such a limited
request is the interpretation given by some commentators to VaYikra 9:23,
summarized in fn. 5 above.
[11] To the extent that an individual is
an egotist, he usually has difficulty with subjugating himself completely to
Divine Authority. If maintaining such an attitude is challenging for an ordinary
individual, one who is in a leadership position struggles that much more so
against allowing the position which he occupies to “go to his head”. Even if a
person at the outset successfully manages to resist becoming enamored with his
power and status, over time, leadership responsibilities can erode one’s
religious sensibilities. We see this born out even with respect to the most
spiritual of kings, e.g., David and Shlomo. While the High Priest Eli appears
for the most part to have led a respectable religious life, his sons were
apparently unable to do so. Consequently, the humility that Aharon displays over
the course of his life stands him in good stead to be Chosen by God to serve as
the paradigm of High Priests. And yet some of his sons are also not immune from
the temptations of egocentrism as recorded by the deaths of Nadav and Avihu in
Parshat Shmini.