## Rabbi Sacks on Siddur, Festivals, Birkat Kohanim

###### Rabbi Sacks on Siddur, Festivals, Birkat Kohanim 1
[Rabbi Sacks on Siddur, Festivals, Birkat Kohanim 1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rabbi%20Sacks%20on%20Siddur/s/Festivals,_Birkat%20Kohanim/r/1)

**English Edition; Koren Publishers Jerusalem, 2017:**
THE PRIESTLY BLESSING
The Priestly Blessing is unique among our prayers: not only is it ordained by the Torah itself, but so is its precise wording (Num. 6:24–26). It is therefore our most ancient prayer. The blessing is beautifully constructed. It grows in length: the first line has three words; the second, five; and the third, seven. In each, God’s holiest name is the second word of the blessing. The threefold blessing ascends thematically: the first is for material blessing, the second for spiritual blessing, the third for peace, without which no blessings can be enjoyed.
The Torah is careful to state: “So they [the Kohanim] shall place My name on the Israelites and I will bless them” (Num. 6:27). Thus it is not the Kohanim who bless the people, but God. The priests – whose entire life was dedicated to divine service – were holy vehicles through which divine blessing flowed. In Temple times, the Kohanim blessed the people daily. That remains the custom in Israel. Outside Israel, the custom is that the Priestly Blessing is said only on Festivals, for only then do we experience some of the joy that those who live in God’s land feel every day.
During the Leader’s Repetition of the Amida, and prior to the Priestly Blessings, the Kohanim wash their hands in water poured from a special vessel by the Levites. They remove their shoes. When the Leader reaches “Find favor,” they ascend to stand in front of the Ark. They cover the head and upper body with the tallit, and raise their arms and hands during the blessing in a special manner. During the blessings, which they repeat word for word after the Leader, all other members of the congregation should be in front of them: those sitting behind should move forward at this time. Their faces should be turned toward the Kohanim, but they should not look at them while the blessings are being said.


###### Rabbi Sacks on Siddur, Festivals, Birkat Kohanim 38
[Rabbi Sacks on Siddur, Festivals, Birkat Kohanim 38](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rabbi%20Sacks%20on%20Siddur/s/Festivals,_Birkat%20Kohanim/r/38)

**English Edition; Koren Publishers Jerusalem, 2017:**
**אַדִּיר בַּמָּרוֹם***Majestic One on high:*a prayer said by the congregation, echoing three times the last word of the Priestly Blessing: peace.