Two Minute Torah Podcast

Naso 5768 by Richard S. Moline

Shalom, this is Richard Moline, KOACH Director, welcoming you to KOACH’s Two Minute Torah, a project of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

This week’s Torah reading, Parashat Naso, contains the Priestly Blessing – the Birkat Kohanim - containing some of the most famous verses in the entire Bible.

These words are recited frequently in our tradition. They are included in the repetition of the Amidah, they are recited daily by the kohanim in most Israeli synagogues on major Jewish holidays in the Diaspora, Jewish parents all over the world say these words every Friday night when they bless their children and so many of us heard them recited by the rabbi at our Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

The synagogue ritual is referred to as dukhening, coming from an Aramaic word dukhan meaning “platform” - a reminder of the area in the Temple where the kohanim stood prior to reciting these words. In Hebrew, it is also referred to as Nesiat Kapayim or "raising of the hands," a reference to the way the priests raise their hands while offering the blessing. Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in the original Star Trek, used the same hand gesture. The idea came to him after recalling the this ritual.

I’m a fan, but I have many friends who dislike it. Their objection, in part, stems from the idea that one person can bless another; as if to say that I have the power to give you a blessing just because I’m a kohein. They also object to the hierarchy of the Priests and the Levites. They feel it hearkens back to an era when more primitive forms of worship included animal sacrifice.

While I understand the objections, I can’t say I agree with them. First, I like the pagentry. I’ve had the privilege of being at the Kotel on both the intermediate days of Sukkot and Pesah, when thousands of people gather to see hundreds of kohanim dukhen. In spite of my discomfort with the whole Kotel scene, it is a majestic sight. The same with the synagogue dukhening I have experienced here in the United States.

Mostly, I’m fond of these verses because they are the ones my father blessed me with every Friday night and they are the same verses my wife and I bless our own son with to this very day. I proud to say that I’ve not missed the opportunity to offer this blessing to him every single week – regardless of which city or even in which continent one of us may find ourselves. Sometimes it’s by phone, sometimes voicemail, sometimes e-mail – but it’s a constant. I do hope it does something for him - - it certainly is a comfort for me.

Can we, as humans, offer blessings to others. I do think so. Blessings come in many forms, not only words, for me, they are most evident in relationships. My family and friends are true blessings to me. My community, my syangogue and my colleagues also provide me with blessings every single day. May we all be fortunate enough to transmit those blessings to others.

Shabbat Shalom!