וְתֶעֱרַב עָלֶֽיךָ עֲתִירָתֵֽנוּ May our entreaty be as pleasing to You (previous page). In the Ashkenazi rite, this passage is said only when the Priestly Blessing is said, that is, during the Musaf Repetition on festivals. Some argue that it was included to give the Kohanim time to ascend before the Ark.

BIRKAT KOHANIM – THE PRIESTLY BLESSING The Priestly blessings are unique among our prayers: not only are they ordained by the Torah itself, but so is their precise wording (Num. 6:24–26). They are therefore our most ancient prayer. The blessings are beautifully constructed. They grow in length: the first line has three words; the second, five; the third, seven. In each, God’s holiest name is the second word of the blessing. They ascend thematically: the first is for material blessing, the second for spiritual blessing, and the third for peace, without which no blessings can be enjoyed. The Torah is careful to state: “So they [the priests] shall place My name on the Israelites and I will bless them” (Num. 6:27). Thus it is not the priests 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 priests blessed the people daily. That remains the custom in Israel. Outside Israel, our custom is that the priestly blessings are said only on festivals, for only then do we experience the joy that those who live in God’s land feel every day. The priests lift their hands when reciting the blessing, as Aaron did when he first blessed the people (Lev. 9:22). Their fingers are spread apart, as a symbol of generosity of spirit (the closed hand symbolizes possessiveness, see Deuteronomy 15:7) and of the Divine Presence that shines through the spaces like the beloved in the Song of Songs who “peers through the lattices” (Song. 2:9; Bemidbar Raba 11:2). The priests cover their hands and faces with the tallit in memory of the Holy of Holies that was screened from public gaze by a curtain. The biblical command is preceded by the words, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them…” (Num. 6:22–23). In memory of Moses instructing the priests, the custom is that the leader of prayer prompts the priests, word by word (Maimonides, Laws of Prayer, 14:13; others argue that the custom is merely to avoid error on the part of the priests).

וְצִוָּֽנוּ לְבָרֵךְ אֶת עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאַהֲבָה And has commanded us to bless His people Israel with love. A unique stipulation which we do not find in connection with any other command. According to Rashi (Num. 6:23), God told Moses to instruct the priests that they should make the blessing “with concentration and a full heart.” Hillel suggested that it was Aaron’s gift for love and peace that made him and his children after him the conduit for divine blessings: “Be like the disciples of Aaron: loving peace, pursuing peace, loving humankind and bringing them close to Torah” (Avot 1:12). Love is the vehicle through which divine energy flows into the world.

יְבָרֶכְךָ May the Lord bless you with your material needs and good health and protect you from harm. May the Lord make His face shine on you, granting you spiritual growth, especially through Torah study (Targum Yonatan), and be gracious to you, so that you find favor in the eyes of God and your fellow humans. May the Lord turn His face toward you, bestowing on you His providential care (Rashbam, Ibn Ezra), or, may He grant you eternal life (Seforno), and grant you peace, external and internal, harmony with the world and with yourself.

הַיּוֹם This day. Said the Maggid of Koznitz: The evil urge comes to a person and says, “How can you repent? You are so filled with sins.” This is not the truth. A person who truly wants to repent must say, “It is true that I have sinned, but the past is the past. I will look only toward the future, and from now on I want to repent and return to God with all my heart.” Our sages therefore teach us that the word “Now” alludes to repentance.