BackHuman Blessings
By: Rabbi Barak Bar-Chaim
Parashat Naso contains the Mitzvah for Kohanim (the descendants of Aharon) to bless the Jewish people. Similarly, we find in the Talmud that people would seek blessings from righteous sages. Judaism emphasizes only praying directly to God and not praying to intermediaries. Why, then, is it acceptable to receive a blessing from a Kohen or from a righteous sage?
From the verse that states “…Thus (as follows) you shall bless the people of Israel…” we learn that the Kohanim are commanded to use the exact words mentioned in the Torah and cannot add any additional blessings of their own. The Rashbam (grandson of Rashi) explains that if the Kohen would be allowed to make up his own blessing, it would lead one to erroneously think that the Kohen himself (through his desire to bless the people) is bestowing good will and blessing upon the person. He explains that the Kohen’s blessing is, in fact, the Kohen praying to God to bless the people. The Kohen is beseeching God to rest His Divine Presence upon the nation and bless them. Similarly, when one receives a blessing from a righteous sage, the righteous sage essentially asks God to bestow His blessings.
In a similar vein, the Talmud (Baba Batra) teaches us about prayers of righteous sages made on behalf of others. Rabbi Pincḥas Bar Ḥama expounded: “Anyone who has a sick person in his home should go to a sage, and the sage will ask for mercy on the sick person’s behalf, as it is stated: ‘The wrath of a king is as messengers of death; but a wise man will pacify it’” (Proverbs 16:14). While all prayers are heard by God, the prayers of the righteous (who are extremely close to God) are very powerful. In recognition of this, we ask righteous people to pray on our behalf.
While we turn to the righteous and the Kohanim to beseech God to bless us, it is vital to remember that this should be done in addition to our own prayers for blessing. May we merit to receive blessing from God and, in particular, may we be blessed with peace for ourselves, Am Yisrael, and the entire world.