Priestly Blessing Essays

The soul of the kohen stems from the divine attribute of “abundant kindness.” In the mystical works this attribute is compared to a powerful river whose waters cannot be stemmed.

To bless, we must love, and to be blessed is to know that we are loved by the One vaster than the universe.

The chazzan reaches the moment, the Kohanim turn around, lower their prayer shawls over their eyes, raise their hands towards the crowd and the Priestly Blessing begins. What an amazing religion we have where certain people have been specifically assigned the job of blessing the masses with sanctity and love:

They were coming. Tens of thousands of them, all ages and nationalities, a spectacular ocean of humanity flowing through the gates of the Old City...

In commenting on one of the blessings in the Priestly Benediction, the Talmud reveals an important aspect of the Jew's attitude to Judaism.

The kohanim remove their shoes and extend their hands, fingers parted and palms stretched outwards; the congregation hide their faces under their prayer shawls. What is the deeper significance of this celestial ritual?