Dear Friends,
A personal thought tonight… Although I have been a rabbi for nearly 39 years (the anniversary of ordination is this Shabbat), I first encountered and studied this week’s Torah portion five and a half decades ago. It was my Bar Mitzvah portion, and I hit the jackpot.
I wasn’t saddled with the portion addressing leprosy, or the portion describing the myriad punishments which God would level on our forebears for our backsliding ways. No – I received the portion of God’s most majestic blessing, the Priestly Blessing, in Hebrew: Birkat Kohanim – the words spoken by the priests at sacred occasions. And, being a Kohein – a descendent of the priests, myself - it was cool back then, and rewarding ever since.
Most of us have heard the Blessing repeatedly at synagogue festivals and High Holy Days, and at baby-namings, B’nai Mitzvah and weddings: “May God bless you and keep you. May God shine light upon you and be good to you. May God take note of you and grant you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Of course, although I, too, have recited this blessing at countless occasions, I never fail to wonder at its efficient, raw impact, and at the concise encapsulation of God’s mightiest offerings in a few, poetic Hebrew words. The structure of the blessing is fascinating: its first line contains three Hebrew words, its second has five, and its third has seven. The number of letters also increases mathematically from 15 letters to 20 letters to 25 letters. Clearly, this is no simple nor random utterance.
Moreover, when I offer this blessing at synagogue or life cycle celebrations, I commonly drift back to my Bar Mitzvah, and marvel at how this text has journeyed my Jewish life alongside me. In fact, on the yokes of my atarot – the Tallit-like shawls which I wear over my robe on the High Holy Days – are inscribed the Hebrew words of this blessing, so they enwrap me during each service of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. they continually anchor me from my initial to my ultimate message as a responsible Jew. It is a nice feeling.
Thus – for you – a question: is there a text, a garment, a message which you have carried or has carried you, or which has clothed you during your Jewish life journey? How do you sustain it? How does it sustain you? When does it most noticeably appear? What does it look like or sound like? I hope it is a blessing!
Thus on this Shabbat: May God bless you and keep you. May God shine light upon you and be good to you. May God take note of you and grant you peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
A personal thought tonight… Although I have been a rabbi for nearly 39 years (the anniversary of ordination is this Shabbat), I first encountered and studied this week’s Torah portion five and a half decades ago. It was my Bar Mitzvah portion, and I hit the jackpot.
I wasn’t saddled with the portion addressing leprosy, or the portion describing the myriad punishments which God would level on our forebears for our backsliding ways. No – I received the portion of God’s most majestic blessing, the Priestly Blessing, in Hebrew: Birkat Kohanim – the words spoken by the priests at sacred occasions. And, being a Kohein – a descendent of the priests, myself - it was cool back then, and rewarding ever since.
Most of us have heard the Blessing repeatedly at synagogue festivals and High Holy Days, and at baby-namings, B’nai Mitzvah and weddings: “May God bless you and keep you. May God shine light upon you and be good to you. May God take note of you and grant you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Of course, although I, too, have recited this blessing at countless occasions, I never fail to wonder at its efficient, raw impact, and at the concise encapsulation of God’s mightiest offerings in a few, poetic Hebrew words. The structure of the blessing is fascinating: its first line contains three Hebrew words, its second has five, and its third has seven. The number of letters also increases mathematically from 15 letters to 20 letters to 25 letters. Clearly, this is no simple nor random utterance.
Moreover, when I offer this blessing at synagogue or life cycle celebrations, I commonly drift back to my Bar Mitzvah, and marvel at how this text has journeyed my Jewish life alongside me. In fact, on the yokes of my atarot – the Tallit-like shawls which I wear over my robe on the High Holy Days – are inscribed the Hebrew words of this blessing, so they enwrap me during each service of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. they continually anchor me from my initial to my ultimate message as a responsible Jew. It is a nice feeling.
Thus – for you – a question: is there a text, a garment, a message which you have carried or has carried you, or which has clothed you during your Jewish life journey? How do you sustain it? How does it sustain you? When does it most noticeably appear? What does it look like or sound like? I hope it is a blessing!
Thus on this Shabbat: May God bless you and keep you. May God shine light upon you and be good to you. May God take note of you and grant you peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
