The Priestly Blessing (known as ‘Birkat Kohanim’, literally ‘Blessing of the Cohens’) is a Jewish prayer which was first recited by Aaron, the High Priest in the Holy Temple and brother of Moses. It was instigated at the request of G-d to bless His people on His behalf.
“And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying; speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying; so shall you bless the children of Israel….they shall place my name upon the Children of Israel, and I shall bless them.” (Bamidbar/Numbers 6:23-7).
“Aharon raised his hands towards the people and blessed them…” (Vayikra/Leviticus 9:22).
The priestly blessing is:
May the Lord bless you and keep you
May the Lord shine His countenance toward you and be gracious to you
May the Lord lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace
To this day Aaron’s descendants (known as Kohanim) are bestowed with the honor of channeling G-d’s blessing to his people during certain synagogue services.
The priestly blessing is the oldest known Biblical text that has been discovered; it was written on amulets found in graves in dating from the First Temple Period.
Judaism permits only Kohanim to perform the Priestly Blessing to a congregation, as part of the synagogue service. However, the same blessing is used by parents to bless their children each Friday night before the beginning of the Shabbat meal.
In order for the Priestly Blessing to be said in synagogue, there has to be a ‘minyan’ present; ten men (including the Kohanim). Prior to performing the priestly blessing the hands and feet of the Kohanim are washed by a Levi. They then walk in front of the ark (where the Torah scrolls are kept), cover their heads with their prayer shawls and say an initial blessing.
The person leading the prayers then slowly recites the three verse blessing, with the Kohanim all responding in unison, repeating it word by word after him. After each line, the congregation responds “Amen”
During the course of the blessing the Kohanim hold the palms of their hands upwards and outwards, using a special hand gesture. This positioning of the fingers and hands form a vessel through which G-d can channel his blessing towards the congregation. The prayer shawl of each Kohan is draped over his head and hands so that neither he not the congregation can see his hands while the blessing is being given.
The Talmud states that it is forbidden to gaze upon a Kohen during the chanting of the blessing. Some commentators feel that this is because the presence of G-d rests upon the Kohen at this time. It is therefore customary for male members of the congregation to spread their prayer shawls (tallit) over their own heads during the blessing so as not look at the Kohanim. If a man has children, they will stand under his prayer shawl to be blessed. Many adults have fond, nostalgic childhood memories of standing beneath their father’s tallit and hearing the chanting of the Priestly Blessing.
Female members turn their faces downwards or sideways or hold their prayer book in front of their face in order to hide the Kohanim from their sight.
With the destruction of the Temple, most Kohanic duties became defunct, but the Priestly Blessing remained as it was never directly attached to the Temple. These days there are various customs regarding if and when the blessing takes place. The custom of many synagogues in the diaspora is to perform the Priestly Blessing only on religious holidays, however in other synagogues it takes place every Shabbat (Sabbath). Inside Israel and in Sephardi synagogues it is performed daily.
The Priestly Blessing dates back to biblical times and, as with other aspects of Judaism, has been faithfully passed down from generation to generation to ensure that it is still prevalent today. It is a moving and symbolic custom for the Kohanim but is also a very meaningful and uplifting experience for those receiving it.