Transcription
Good evening to all. Greetings to you too, dear brothers and sisters watching us from home. Our portion of the week is Parshat Naso. Blessed be His Name forever. We are indeed in the midst of the joys of the holiday of Shavuot, but "Tadir v'sha tadir tadir kodem" (a phrase emphasizing the importance of the current topic). So, we will focus on today's lesson on Parshat Naso, and in the next lesson, God willing, we will focus on the holiday of Shavuot.
From the variety of topics we discussed last year, we dwelled a lot on the story of the Sotah. We dwelled on the number of verses in the portion, which is 176, the longest portion, parallel to Chapter 119, which is the chapter in Psalms, 176 verses. Many verses in parallel in Masechet Bava Batra, 176 pages, the most. We dwelled on the numbering and so on. But this time, I chose to take a topic within the portion that is very powerful. We will see that it is one of the most central topics that exist today from what remains of the Temple, and that is the Priestly Blessing. Because we also have the presence of a Kohen in the congregation, perhaps there are several Kohanim, so let's try to learn it. As always, we learn things through questions, so this time too, let's ask the right questions. First of all, what is the immense power in the Priestly Blessing? We will see shortly that one of the things Bilam, who was close to prophecy, even above Moses in some matters, feared the Priestly Blessing and tried to abolish it. And if Bilam, who was a sorcerer, and we had lessons about who Bilam was, he feared it so much, then clearly the Priestly Blessing has power. And the question is, what is the power in the Priestly Blessing? A few quick, small questions about the Priestly Blessing: Why are they done with exactly 10 fingers? And why in this specific order of words? If you noticed, "Yevarechecha Adonai v'yishmerecha" (May the Lord bless you and keep you) is three words. "Ya'er Adonai panav elecha" (May the Lord make His face shine upon you) is five words. "Yisa Adonai panav elecha" (May the Lord lift His countenance to you) is seven words. Why exactly three, five, and seven? And why are the letters of the words "Yevarechecha Adonai v'yishmerecha," "Ya'er Adonai," "Yisa Adonai," etc., exactly 60 letters? Notice, we will discover secrets today and see that nothing is imprecise. Why exactly 60 letters? Why exactly 10 fingers? Why another question? Look, many questions can be asked. How can it be that the Kohanim stand with their backs to the Holy Ark? They don't stand with their backs to the Holy Ark. This is because I am giving a Torah lesson, so the idea is to face the congregation. But what about the Kohanim standing with their backs to the Holy Ark? Another question. I don't know if you know, but if a person has a bad dream, what should he do? Come for the Priestly Blessing. The Priestly Blessing nullifies the dream. That's what they say. Master of the Universe, may He who knows the text heal the dream. Because Joseph the Righteous, "May my dreams be like Joseph's dreams." This is something we say. We are accustomed to saying it on the three festivals. Now, on Shavuot, it will be said. And the question is, really, where does the power of the Priestly Blessing come from? And I'm just asking a simple question: Who, in the end, gives the Kohanim the power to bless? God. So if He gives them the power, why through the Kohanim? Why doesn't He give directly? Why is there a need for the Kohanim in the picture? Forgive me, Kohanim, but why are the Kohanim needed in the picture, seemingly directly from God? Why through someone? By the way, this is also a Midrash. The Midrash says that the people of Israel say to the Creator of the world, "We want the blessing directly from You." They say this to Him. What solution does God give? This is a small collection of questions that are very powerful for truly understanding the secret of the Priestly Blessing. There is a secret here. One must understand that there is a secret here. It's not simple. If they tell you, "Brother, go to the Kohen, and the Kohen will interpret your dream," this is very serious. Because one must understand why it is serious. Because a person who dreamed a dream is fasting, and he fasts even on Shabbat, and afterwards, on Sunday, he fasts a fast to annul the fast he made at the expense of Shabbat. So it turns out that the Kohanim have power. The question is, what is the power? More than that, I would say, from all the Temple services, nothing remains. What remains? The Priestly Blessing. The Priestly Blessing remains. That the Kohanim wash their hands, and the Kohanim take off their shoes, and the Kohen's garment will be without blemish, and the Kohen must love everyone and bless with love. This is really serious. The question is, really, what is the secret of the Kohanim? This is the question. Let's try now to speak in its own way and discover some depths within this story. It turns out it's not simple at all. There are many, many secrets given within this idea.
So, first of all, let's start properly from the Gemara. The Gemara in Masechet Sotah says that a Kohen who does not raise his hands is violating three prohibitions. Why? Because the Torah commands him. It says, "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, 'Thus you shall bless the children of Israel.'" It is a Kohen's obligation to go and bless. This is point one. And in parallel to the fact that they instituted the blessing, I would perhaps pause and ask, what is really the reason? I don't know how it is in your prayer books, but for us, when I pray according to the Siddur of Rabbi Saadia Gaon, after "asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al divrei Torah" (who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the words of Torah), immediately appears the Priestly Blessing, "V'ha'arev Adonai Eloheinu" (And may the Lord our God make pleasant). And then everyone says, "Kol Yisrael amrei lahem, Yevarechecha Adonai v'yishmerecha" (All of Israel say to them, May the Lord bless you and keep you). What is the reason that in many prayer books, the sages of France who compiled the prayer books, immediately after the blessing of Torah, "V'ha'arev Adonai Eloheinu," they included the Priestly Blessing, so that all of the Jewish people would say it? Why? Why? Why? Why is it really found in the blessings? And if we are already asking this question about the proximity of the Torah to the Priestly Blessing, at the end of the lesson, we will have an answer for it. Let's talk now about the portion. What is really the reason that within our portion, which seemingly speaks about the Nazirite, speaks about the Sotah, they included the Priestly Blessing? So, last year we spoke about the proximity of the Sotah and the Nazirite. "Rao Sotah b'kilkulah, yizir atzmo min ha'yin" (He saw a Sotah in her degradation, he shall abstain from wine). We had many, many lessons. The question here is really, what is the proximity? So, first of all, our Rabbis indeed bring it on the simple level. As always, we like to start with the simple meaning, and then hint, interpret, and secret, to climb a bit. So, first of all, on the simple level, they indeed write that just as the Nazirite is forbidden wine, so too the Kohen who blesses is forbidden wine. And if the Kohen drank, the Halakha brings this. This is the reason he is forbidden to raise his hands. He must wash with water, and so on, and so on. And this is the reason why they do not raise their hands at Mincha. There, indeed, in the afternoon, he sat and ate and drank, and then he is forbidden to raise his hands, unless it is a case of necessity. For example, on Yom Kippur, on fast days, they do raise their hands even at Mincha. But this is just a simple explanation. Why did they really include it? Other things are written that wine has connotations where it appears in the Torah. Whether it is the opinion of Adam and Eve, who squeezed a grape for him, or whether it is Noah, whose son cursed him as a result of drinking wine, or whether it is Lot, who harmed his daughters as a result of aged wine that was there. So our Rabbis come to say that wine, because it brought so much curse, they attached wine to the Nazirite and said, "Just as the Nazirite abstains himself, so too the Kohen shall abstain himself, so that it will be, how do you say, in the cleanest and best way possible." But this is only on the simple level. Why the proximity? What I really want to start raising with you is what the Sages understood. So the first thing I would start with is Bilam. Bilam, when he explains his fear to Balak, tells him that God said twice, "Thus shall your seed be as the dust of the earth," etc., etc., etc. "Bless the children of Israel." Therefore, when he speaks to Balak, he says to him, "Stand here at your burnt offering." And I will call you. He repeats this "you" because he fears the Priestly Blessing. And if Bilam fears the Priestly Blessing, then it is serious, because Bilam saw no one. He knew the moment when God is angry, and he knew. And it turns out he has a certain fear here. The question is, really, what is his fear that we see he is afraid of? This is the first question I would like to start our idea with. Our Rabbis explain, first of all, about the proximity to the Nazirite. Another point is that just as the Nazirite is holy from birth. If I take Samuel the Prophet, who was a Nazirite, Samson the Great, who was a Nazirite, all of whom received instructions, then our Rabbis come to say, "Just as the Nazirite is holy, so too the Kohen is holy." Just as the Kohen is holy, meaning, it is about a nation of holy people who are unique individuals. One must understand this. And one more thing must be said to see that the holiness is not only with them. Just as the Kohen has a commandment to bless, Israel has a commandment. Just as the Kohen has a commandment to bless, Israel has a commandment to be blessed. And this does not exist in everything. A rich person has a commandment to lend to the poor. The poor person does not have a commandment to take charity from the rich. The rich person has a commandment to lend money to the poor. There is no commandment to go and lend when he doesn't need it. If not, all day we would be busy with transactions of lending and returning, and this does not exist. But there is indeed a commandment for Israel to be blessed by a Kohen. This means, I don't want to waste time, but if there was a minute or two left after the Kaddish, and there was nothing to do, I would say to the Kohen, "Give us one Priestly Blessing in honor of the return of the captives, in honor of everyone returning." Give us a moment. Why do we have a commandment? It's like saying, "Let's do a commandment and learn something." Let's do a commandment, say "Amen" to the Priestly Blessing. This is a commandment. There is a commandment to be blessed by a Kohen. Therefore, I don't know where this finds you, but many times in lessons that I give on Shabbat in hotels in Jerusalem, there is indeed a Kohen in the congregation. I approach the Kohen and tell him, "Give us a Priestly Blessing." Yes, yes, explicitly. Yes, there is a commandment to be blessed by a Kohen. This is not understood by many. We will see later in the lesson the power of this, but to start understanding, let's immediately, how do they say, the students of the wise are in the congregation. Let's immediately run to the end. What is called, let's start a bit with the Zohar. The Zohar HaKadosh writes that along with the 613 commandments, there are six principal commandments, each of which is equivalent to 100 commandments. Thus writes the Zohar. And these commandments, the truth is, cannot be fulfilled during the morning prayer. God made it so that in prayer, it is possible to fulfill all these commandments, and each commandment is equivalent to 100 commandments. For example, the fear of God. So the verses of Pesukei d'Zimra are meant to cause us fear of the Creator of the world, because we see how all the energies in the world, "Halleluyah, the heavens, the earth, all give praise," and you receive trembling knees. You say, "I am now speaking with the King of Kings of Kings." This is not now with "JoJo," this is someone real. I am speaking with an entity that manages the universe. You receive the fear of God. After that, there is the commandment of blessing God, and this is the whole point of "Ahavat Olam" (eternal love) of the blessings of the Shema, which is the love of God. After that, there is this place of "Shema Yisrael," which is the unity of God. And thus we have the giving of oneself, the giving of one's soul, in the Tachanun. The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are the thirteen additional commandments. The Priestly Blessing is one of the commandments that brings with it also from the commandments, and it is found in the repetition of the Amidah. Meaning, a person who prays the morning prayer with intention, has actually finished the prayer and fulfilled 613 commandments, according to what the Zohar writes. Because there are six principal commandments there, each of which is equivalent to 100 commandments. But in relation to us, I leave the Zohar and return to our matter. It turns out that the Priestly Blessing has great value and is equivalent to 100 commandments. One must understand this. This means that when the Kohen performs the Priestly Blessing, he has fulfilled 100 commandments. When the congregation answers "Amen" to the Priestly Blessing, they have fulfilled 100 commandments. This is my mother and my father. This is one. I want to add here for a second to strengthen the words, because the question that immediately arises when I speak about the love of God, when I speak about the fear of God, when I speak about the blessing of God, when I speak about commandments that are fundamental to faith, I can understand why this commandment is equivalent to 100 commandments. Because a variety of commandments are included in the love of God. All the "do" and "do not do" are included in fear, so I can understand. But on the surface, what is the matter of the Priestly Blessing that it is equivalent to commandments? So, indeed, the commentators write in place. They really write to you that because the Kohanim are considered emissaries of the Creator, and when they bless the people, perhaps to a person it seems like a small and insignificant thing, but their blessing brings with it all the human good that exists, because God has given them the opening. And from the opening they open, all blessings are included. Therefore, a scene that we all know. The Torah. But I don't know if you have ever thought about it. The war that was with Amalek, where Moses our teacher said to Joshua, "Choose for us men, and then he stood on the stone, and when Moses raised his hand, Israel prevailed." And when Moses lowered his hand. What do the Kabbalists write in place? What was the story of raising the hand and lowering the hand? Commentators say that it is a hint to the Priestly Blessing. Why? Because the world exists because of the Priestly Blessing. And the raising of the fingers was indeed a matter of drawing down the light that exists in the Priestly Blessing. It is known that Moses our teacher was a Kohen. Afterwards, the priesthood, he gave it to Aaron. But in certain testimonies, Moses our teacher served as High Priest, and he was a Kohen until the end of his days, even though he gave Aaron the role of serving. But be that as it may, this is to teach that the Priestly Blessing indeed has its power. According to this, I want to start answering the questions I asked at the beginning. So, first of all, it is understood why the Kohanim do it with 10 fingers. It's not because God created it that way. It has an explanation. Because it is written that when God created the world, He made the world with the 10 Sefirot, which are equivalent to the 10 fingers, which are equivalent to the Ten Commandments, which are equivalent to... meaning, there is some 10-ness here. Let's not go into the Kabbalistic concept. It is actually called 10 Sefirot, which correspond to Chochmah, Binah, Da'at, which are the intellects, and Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, Malchut, which are the attributes. And when the Kohen blesses, there is essentially a complete face of the 10 Sefirot, which are the 10 channels through which abundance flows to the Jewish people. Therefore, the Kohen performs the Priestly Blessing specifically. Therefore, if he is missing a finger, it is difficult for him to perform the Priestly Blessing, because it is not just "what is there," but there is indeed a certain idea because of which the number is exactly 10. And according to this, our Rabbis say, you can understand why the world exists because of the Priestly Blessing. Because from the day the Temple was destroyed, indeed, all the blessing, and the taste in the fruits, and the fatness, and the purity, everything is indeed drawn through the Priestly Blessing. If this is so, then first of all, I want to answer what we asked before. I asked before, so first of all, we understood why 10 fingers. I asked why "Yevarechecha Adonai v'yishmerecha" is three, "Ya'er Adonai panav" is five, and "Yisa Adonai panav elecha" is seven. Where else do we have this play of three, five, and seven? This is actually the order of the aliyot to the Torah on Shabbat, Yom Tov, and a regular day. On a regular day, three are called up. On Yom Tov, five. And on Shabbat, seven. And in correspondence to this, these are the three, five, seven, which is essentially the order in which, so to speak, the Jewish people ascend to the Torah and receive the divine light. As our Rabbis say, this is indeed what happens. Just like in the verses of the Five Books of the Torah, the Torah was given for the sake of the Patriarchs, so too here, these three are in correspondence to the three Patriarchs. The Five Books of the Torah, in correspondence to the seven days of creation. Meaning, there is something very, very powerful here that parallels the way abundance flows and reaches the world. If this is so, then first of all, one must know an interesting thing: when the Temple existed and sacrifices were offered, when the Kohen finished offering the sacrifice, the Kohen would recite the Priestly Blessing to complete and continue the abundance in the world. Therefore, indeed, it is a commandment that remained from the Temple that exists to this day, because it essentially continues and brings down abundance further in the world. And therefore, it is indeed written that God says, when Aaron the Kohen stood before God, and he initially thought that the light was not shining for him, and God comforted him, and said to him, "You will yet merit to offer the sacrifices, and you will light the lamps, and the Menorah will be eternal." God said to him, "And all the blessings that I have given you in the Priestly Blessing are not nullified forever." This means that this abundance that was in the Temple exists to this day. Even if the sacrifices are nullified, and today we say the prayer "May it be Your will that our sacrifices be considered as if we sacrificed the Tamid sacrifice and as if we sacrificed the sacrifice," but the true abundance that existed in the Priestly Blessing, when the High Priest would bless, and he would mention the Ineffable Name of God, and the Levites would sing so that they would not hear what he was saying, and despite all this, there were harlots who would frighten those who left the Temple, who would shout so that even if you heard the Name of God, you would be stunned and forget the Name, and your mother's name, and remember that he had the Name. Because one of the reasons he left with the Name is that it is written that he cut himself and put it on a scroll and put it in his shoe, and when he left, therefore, the Name of God remained with him. Because while we forget God, he remembered Him. But one must understand that even today, when the Ineffable Name of God is seemingly not with us, when the Kohen blesses, abundance exists at exactly the same level as it was in the Temple, because this is what God says to Aaron the Kohen. "Even though it will be extinguished, the western lamp of the Menorah will burn forever, and the Priestly Blessing, the blessings that I have given you, will exist forever." And therefore, one can understand why it is indeed equivalent to the 10 Sefirot, which is how God created the world, because the same abundance continues to flow even today, even though the Temple does not exist. If this is so, I want now to stand and understand what is truly the power that exists in the Priestly Blessing. If we understand that the world exists because of it, and the abundance that existed in the Temple continues to flow today, what are the immense powers that exist there? So let's start now to speak in its own way to see how powerful it is. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, by whose word all exists. Amen.
Notice, when God created the world, who was the entity that blessed? God. God created Adam and Eve, and then what is written? "And God blessed them." He created Noah, blessed him, "And God blessed him." He created our father Abraham, and what is written? "The Lord blessed Abraham." All of them, Isaac, Jacob, the tribes. God is the one who blesses. But what happens at a certain point in the middle of creation, after the twelve tribes, towards Moses our teacher? God says, "I am stopping the blessing, and from now on, who are the ones through whom the blessing will pass? The Kohanim." Meaning, God says, "Until now, I was the primary blesser, and from now on, I am giving the authority to the Kohanim. The Kohanim are the ones who will transmit the blessing." According to this, we will understand the verse that is familiar to us, which is similar to "My beloved is like a gazelle." My beloved is indeed a metaphor for the Holy One, Blessed be He. "My beloved is like a gazelle, like a young deer. Behold, he stands behind our wall, looking through the windows." Why? Why is my beloved like a gazelle? The commentators say something interesting. Just as the gazelle jumps from place to place, leaps, and runs, so too the Creator of the world jumps from place to place. Why? Because the Kohanim suddenly perform the Priestly Blessing here, or suddenly perform it there, and God is in every place where the Kohanim perform the Priestly Blessing, God must be with the Kohanim to give the blessing. Therefore, it is called that God, so to speak, jumps from place to place. In the same Midrash, it is written that Israel said to the Creator of the world, "But we want Your blessing. Why do you tell the Kohanim to bless us?" And then it is written that God answers them, "Behold, he stands behind our wall." God says, "You have nothing to worry about. I am indeed giving them the authority to bless. But the one who stands behind our wall and peeks through the fingers is Me, the Creator of the world." According to this, I am answering the question with which I began. I asked one of the questions. How can the Kohanim stand with their backs to the Sanctuary? After all, behind them is the Holy Ark, behind them are the Torah scrolls that Moses our teacher brought from Sinai, apropos of Shavuot, soon. What is the answer? They have no problem. Since God is on their hands, they are not standing with their backs to them. They are standing with their faces towards God, who is on their hands. And therefore, it is forbidden to look at the hands of the Kohanim, because whoever looks is blinded. One of the explanations for why Yitzchak was blinded is because he looked and peeked at the Divine Presence when he lay on the altar, and his face was upwards. And therefore, the Sages say, this is the reason why when Kohanim bless, you put the tallit over your eyes and do not look at the hands of the Kohanim. Why? Because God is on their hands. So we already have another explanation for the questions I asked at the beginning, to truly understand the immense power that the Kohanim have, that the Divine Presence is indeed on their hands.
According to this, we can move forward another step. I asked why the number of letters. We understood why the number of words is indeed three, five, and seven, corresponding to the three Patriarchs, the Five Books of the Torah, and the seven days of creation. We learned that this is in correspondence to those who are called up to the Torah. Because the Torah is equivalent to the Priestly Blessing, we will get to that later. But now I want to understand. We learned why 10 fingers. Now let's understand why there are 60 letters there. So it is written in Chazal that the Holy One, Blessed be He, whose peace is indeed... we say this. I don't know how it is with you, but in the text, "Behold, Solomon's bed, sixty warriors around it, all girded with swords, skilled in war." So our Rabbis say, "Behold, Solomon's bed, sixty warriors around it." Our Rabbis say these are the 60 letters in the Priestly Blessing. And the warriors around it are those who mention the Name with strength: "Yevarechecha Adonai," "Ya'er Adonai," "Yisa Adonai," who mention the Name again and again. And what is the reason for mentioning the Name? That at the moment they mention it, they are fighting all the evil forces that exist. In some books of the great later authorities, they bring a frightening historical fact. And they say that if you look at when Hitler, may his name and memory be blotted out, began the Holocaust, you will see that the communities that were meticulous in reciting the Priestly Blessing daily were saved. And the communities that were almost completely annihilated were communities that did not perform the Priestly Blessing daily. Therefore, the commentators write a wondrous thing: that the Gaon of Vilna wanted to institute the Priestly Blessing daily in his community, because in Ashkenazi communities, it is not practiced more than the custom of Sephardic communities. And on the day he did this, they followed him from heaven, and on that day, they arrested him, put him in prison, and took him away. And then the Gaon of Vilna did not institute it. And when his student, Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, also wanted to institute it, on that day, a fire broke out that burned almost half the city. And every time they tried to institute it, because the Priestly Blessing has such immense power, something happened, and from heaven they prevented them from instituting it. And by the way, it is still like this today. I don't know how it is practiced here in your synagogue, but I, as someone who gives lessons in both Ashkenazi and Sephardic synagogues, among Ashkenazim, they do not perform the Priestly Blessing except on Shabbat, and sometimes not even on Shabbat, but only on the three festivals. And in Sephardic communities, every Shabbat, every day, everything. But this is not simple. This is not taken for granted. One must understand that this is a positive commandment from the Torah. For the Kohen, there are three positive commandments. And it is a commandment for us to be blessed. And it is very, very powerful. Now I want to show you how powerful it is to the extent that it is worthwhile for us, as a congregation that hears the Priestly Blessing. I asked before, this is one of the questions I brought in the promotion: What is the reason that a person who had a bad dream, and the Gemara brings that he dreamed of a metal sword, and they blessed over him, he is saved from the dream? So our Rabbis tell him to go and hear the Priestly Blessing, and if he hears the Priestly Blessing, the Priestly Blessing will improve his dream. This is the text. We are accustomed to saying it on the three festivals: "Master of the Universe, I am Yours, and my dreams are Yours. I dreamed a dream, and I do not know what it will be. May it be Your will that all my dreams, and all the dreams of Israel, be for good. Whether I dreamed about myself, or whether I dreamed about others, may they be fulfilled in me, and like the dreams of Joseph the Righteous, and like the dreams of Miriam the Prophetess." And all the text that God will heal, if it is a dream that needs healing, and if it is a dream that needs improvement. A complete text that is actually done. And the question is, really, what is the power of the Kohen? That the Kohen improves a dream. To such an extent. First of all, the commentators write that this is an interesting thing, that it is not only regarding a dream, but any request you have. Imagine you have a sick person at home. Imagine you want a blessing for livelihood. Imagine you want an opening of the mind and heart for the service of God. When the Kohen performs the Priestly Blessing, that is the time you can make your requests. I dare to do more. Don't do this so that the Kohanim will run away from here. And I approach the Kohen and say to him, "Can you please say my name when you perform the Priestly Blessing, and intend my name?" Yes, again, I am like a "protégé," like I come as a Rabbi who gives lessons, so I approach the Kohen and say to him, "Intend for me too." But even if he doesn't intend for you, and you don't need to bother the Kohanim, but it is possible to the extent that you... Yes, no, he will never say it. Because the Kohanim are people of kindness, they will be happy and intend, and everything is fine. It's just that if there are 150, 200 worshippers, it's hard for the Kohen to remember so many names. But even if he doesn't remember the name, and you intend at that moment, then the commentators write that at that hour, the Zohar HaKadosh brings, it is the will in all the worlds, and God judges with mercy. And at that moment, one can ask and pray. This is what the Zohar HaKadosh brings, these are the powers that happen at that moment. God has entrusted the keys at that moment to the Kohanim, and the Kohanim indeed have no accuser. God is within their speed, He is there beside them. There is no litigant. It is the most powerful moment of grace that can be. The question is, but okay, completely fine. A moment of grace, everything is fine, we went with it. The question is, but why does it nullify a dream? After all, what is the dream? I don't know if you remember, but a few years ago we had lessons on the topic of dreams and dream interpretation. A dream is not a trivial thing. A dream is essentially a certain revelation from heaven. I don't know if you are familiar? There is a famous Gemara, I think we spoke about it before, about that person who on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, a beggar came to him. It was a year of drought, there was nothing to eat. And a beggar came to ask for money, knocked on the door, and he told the beggar that he also had exactly what is needed for the holiday symbols: dates, figs, beet, challah, all the things, a fish head, a ram's horn, and no food. He said to him, "If there is no food, there is money. Surely you have saved something for yourself. Bring something." And he said, "The truth is, there is something, but it is for a time of trouble." He says to him, "What for a time of trouble? With God's help, on Rosh Hashanah, God decrees life. Bring what you have. God will give. Release it." And he was convinced and gave it. The man's wife heard the argument but didn't exactly hear what was being discussed. Then she approached to ask what happened, and he told her, "The last coin in the savings, I gave to the beggar." And she was furious. But it is always written that on the eve of Shabbat and holidays, Satan accuses. So she put on a smiling face, but as soon as the Shabbat meal ended, they had the holiday meal, they did all the symbols, and he realized that her face was not as it was yesterday. You know this. The man is sure everything is fine, but one look at the woman, and he sees that she is not fine, and he understood that tonight it is not advisable to be at home. And so the Gemara tells. The Gemara tells that indeed he left the place and went to sleep in the cemetery. He went to sleep in the cemetery. In the cemetery, the spirits tell stories. He heard the spirits talking among themselves. One said, "I am sleeping on a reed mat. I cannot float." She went to float. She said she heard an announcement in the heavenly court that whoever sows on the fourth of the first month, the harvest will not be successful because of... [cough] whether there is rain or no rain, it will all go to waste. There will be no rain, there will be hail, and everything will go to waste. So he knew that for three months until Hanukkah, he would not sow. After that, everyone's crops failed. And the Gemara brings that a year later, he said, "Our words were heard among the deceased, and therefore they abstained." But be that as it may, the commentators indeed explain the reason. When a person goes to sleep at night, there is indeed a world of dreams. This is what the Zohar HaKadosh brings, and following it, many commentators write something very, very interesting. They write, why are the people of Israel compared to doves, and the nations of the world to beasts? Because doves, it is written, this is a verse that Solomon the King brings in Proverbs, that a person who is stingy has nothing to throw to the doves, because they will not come to him, because they know around him that he is stingy, because they feel his stinginess. Thus writes Solomon the King, peace be upon him. "For in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird." Why is the net spread in vain? Because the doves, because they are delicate and because they are more sensitive, therefore they do not require slaughter like beasts, which are also... and also... but with them it is less. How? Perhaps I will not go into it now. We had lessons on this in Chumash Vayikra, if you remember. But the people of Israel also have this sensitivity. So, just as it is written about a bird, "For the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth," so too with the people of Israel, things are revealed to them at night. And there is... if there are some here who perhaps remember, years ago I gave lessons in Tanya, chapter 29. So there, in Tanya, it brings the Zohar, and it writes that it depends greatly on the person. There are people who go to sleep at night, and at the last thought, just before they close their eyes, it was a thought of Torah study, so they are revealed secrets of Torah, and they wake up in the morning, and suddenly a solution they had for some riddle is suddenly solved, a beautiful idea they had, suddenly they have a beautiful parable for it. And this is one side. And sometimes they are taken and tormented, and a person is absorbed at night, and sometimes people intentionally get absorbed to take their strength to clothe them with judgment, and so on. There are complete explanations that explain this. This also explains why many times you meet a friend, and every morning you pat him on the shoulder, and one day you give him a friendly pat, and he lashes out at you and says, "What?" And you say, "But we are friends, I do it every day." And he says, "Yes, but today is not my day." Why is it not his day? He doesn't know. But the truth is, because at night, instead of taking his soul and revealing secrets of Torah to him and giving him a good time, they took him to the realms of impurity and depicted him, and it's not good for him. You don't know how to explain why, but the Zohar tells you that because of this, when you recite the Shema before bed, you should indeed intend and think a programmed thought so that your soul is not tormented. But be that as it may, back to our subject. So, indeed, the Ramchal brings that the soul at night detaches, and a certain part of it ascends upwards, and it meets the officials of nature, the kings, sometimes the demons, each in their own place, and it receives a certain prophecy. Because this dream comes to reflect what is happening above. Just as Joseph the Righteous hears what is happening above, so too our soul hears. And therefore, you see with many people. I don't know where you are, but for me, as a volunteer [laughter] in Magen David Adom, it happens many times that people, when I come to a funeral, a Shiva, a Shloshim, no matter the context, and people tell me, "You know, I had a dream where I saw my father," and so on, and everyone with their dream, and the dream happened before. Why? Because indeed, something in the soul is bad, something in the soul is there. And then the question is, so if I received a vision and they told me something specific that is happening above from heaven, then how can the Kohen suddenly nullify it? This is the question. After all, I received some message here. From what power is he able to nullify this spiritual idea now? The commentators say something incredible. After all, when you dream at night, only 1/60th of your soul remains. How many letters did we say are in the Priestly Blessing? 60. So your 1/60th is nullified by the 60 of the Kohen's prophecy. A wondrous miracle. [Cough] Do you understand the power of the Kohen? You dreamed at night, it was 1/60th of prophecy. And when the Kohen stands before you, I asked why 60 letters? Now it is understood why. Because these 60 letters are 60 powers of prophecy that the Kohen brings. "Ya'er Adonai panav elecha." "Yisa Adonai panav elecha." "Yiten lecha shalom." How do you know all the blessings that Rashi writes about the blessing of sons and wife and children and material and spiritual abundance and guarding the abundance, as Rashi brings? So they tell you, "Yes, you had a prophetic vision, but it is only one-sixtieth." When you stand before the Kohen, the Kohen gives you and nullifies everything with 60, which is essentially what causes even if there was something bad, it is blessed. This is the reason why I asked at the beginning, from when you dream a dream, you stand before the Kohen. Now it is understood why. Because the Kohen's blessing nullifies your bad dream with 60. If we have reached this point, we can also close the ends with the first topic that I raised at the beginning. I asked at the beginning, what is the reason that the Priestly Blessing is attached to "asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al divrei Torah" (who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the words of Torah)? Why in the proximity of the morning blessings at the beginning of the prayer, they pushed the Priestly Blessing into the blessings of Torah? Seemingly, why is it related? And the commentators write something very, very, very beautiful. Why is it really like this? So, beyond what we said before, that we see that the words of the Priestly Blessing, "Yevarech Adonai v'yishmerecha" is three, "Ya'er Adonai" is five, and "Yisa Adonai" is seven, which is the number of aliyot to the Torah in the middle of the week, on a holiday, and on Shabbat, which is three, five, and seven. Our Rabbis say that there is also something here that is not only in the context of the number of aliyot to the Torah, but there is something that is also shared in both in a very similar way. So, first of all, the number 60 is also in correspondence to the 60 tractates. It is true that there are more, but we subtract Masechet Avot, and the word "Gaon" means one who is proficient in 60 tractates, its gematria is that, which is also a parallel to the fact that there is a common ground between the world of Torah and the Priestly Blessing. Around this topic, that "all her paths are paths of pleasantness," and the Priestly Blessing is said specifically to someone in peace. If, God forbid, the Kohen has a grievance against someone in the congregation, then he cannot perform the Priestly Blessing, because, God forbid, it could harm that person. He must reconcile with him. And the Kohanim, it's a bit of a complication, because on the one hand they are people of kindness, but on the other hand they are irritable, they have a short fuse. It's the opposite. >> If someone in the congregation has a grievance against the Kohen, he must leave the synagogue when the Kohen blesses. >> Yes, because the Kohen, as we said before, it's the opposite, that the Kohen has... >> So the Kohen is forbidden to perform the Priestly Blessing. >> Wow. >> It is very complicated. The Kohen is forbidden to perform the Priestly Blessing. It is complicated. One must know, and I started with this in the lesson. For example, we were at the beginning of the lesson, that it is complicated. The Kohen does not perform the Priestly Blessing because he has three positive commandments. Each commandment of "And they shall place My Name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them." He has positive commandments. And we spoke about the fact that even a person in the congregation has a positive commandment to ask the Kohen to bless him. It's not like with money, "Lend me, I need it. Don't lend me, I don't need it. Don't lend me." There is a matter of receiving a blessing. Therefore, I don't know if you know, but there are people who are God-fearing, and I know such a person in one of the synagogues in Ramat Gan where I give lessons. He moved synagogues. I asked him, "Why did you leave your regular synagogue? You donated a Torah scroll there. Why did you move to our synagogue?" And what was the answer? "I am in conflict with one of the Kohanim." So I said to him, "To such an extent that you moved synagogues so as not to remain?" He says to me, "No, it's a serious conflict." So he moved. He moved synagogues. Understand, it's crazy. Why? Why now? Let's understand according to the lesson I explained. Why do I simply want to move forward another step? But in one word, why? If when the Kohen performs the Priestly Blessing, as I brought the Zohar and the riddle and all the Kabbalists who explain, it is a moment.
Of grace, that God has no judgment at that moment. What happens if there is a dispute here, and currently, God's channel itself is in a state of strength? This is about history. These are synonyms. These are synonyms for the priest and synonyms for the person sitting in the congregation. And therefore, they tell him, "Brother, do not go out clapping, brother, you will have another place." Or blesses His people Israel with peace. Make peace among yourselves. Find the way to bridge. If Aaron the priest, we spoke about him, that he was a man of grace, and behind his deathbed, 80,000 infant corrections went, to all of whom Aaron was dear because he was a peacemaker. So this means that there is a very, very serious power of grace here that must not be canceled. I want to close with one more idea in this niche of the Priestly Blessing. There is a Gemara that tells an interesting story that Bluria the convert, she was a convert in the time of Rabban Gamliel, she asked Rabban Gamliel an interesting question. How is it written in the Torah that God tells the people of Israel that they are forbidden to show favoritism? Yes, we know that "you shall not pervert justice, you shall not show favoritism, you shall not take a bribe." Bribery blinds the eyes of the wise. A divine commandment. And this commandment also speaks about God, that our God, the great, mighty, and awesome One, who shows no favoritism and takes no bribe. What I command, I command Israel to do, and what I do, I tell them, they do not take bribes, I do not take bribes. And then what did she ask him? How in the Priestly Blessing do they say, "May the Lord lift His countenance to you"? So God does show favoritism. How is it written, "who shows no favoritism," and that God judges with true judgment, and on the other hand, God does show favoritism? This is the question she asked. He answered with a very interesting parable. He told a parable about a man who took a loan and swore in the king's name that he would return the loan. He did not return the loan, and he came to the king to ask the king for forgiveness for lying in his name, because he swore in the king's name. So the king said to him, "I forgive you for lying in my name, but how will you make amends with the person you swore to and promised to bring him the money?" Leave me alone, I am out of the picture. You swore, fine, go with it. But you promised a person money, go settle your affairs with him. What are you telling me stories now? And the answer he gave her, in essence, is that this is the difference between "who shows no favoritism" and "who shows favoritism." "Who shows favoritism" has no problem forgiving a person's matters to God. "Who shows no favoritism" is between a person and his fellow, and this is what he answered her. He told her, God is willing to forgive things between you and Him. You missed Shema, you missed a prayer, you missed something between you and Him. God says, "I am willing to forgive," but if you played with something that is between a person and his fellow, there God says, "I do not show you favoritism. I will not reconcile with you until you appease your friend." This is one answer that the commentators understand. Rabbi Akiva, see another answer. What is "who shows no favoritism" and "who shows favoritism"? Before the decree and after the decree. Before the decree, God says, "I am willing to show favoritism." Whoever knows the famous story of the Purim miracle, one of the questions Moses asked Elijah the Prophet, Mordechai the Jew, is whether the decree is sealed in ink or in blood, to know if it can be canceled or not. Because he told him, if it is sealed in blood, what was, will be. It will be impossible to change. Face, clear and simple. What was, will be. And then his son told him, "I am below, you are above, and we prayed together." And then the whole story of the Purim salvation happened. But there is a meaning here of showing favoritism and not showing favoritism. Another answer that the commentators explain is: "He shows favoritism" when they do the will of Heaven. "He does not show favoritism" when they do not. When they do the will of Heaven, "bribery blinds the eyes of the wicked." This is one of the most powerful things with the Creator of the world. You can commit transgressions, and then pray and ask for forgiveness from the bottom of your heart, and God shows favoritism. This is His power. Why? Because for this, He is merciful and gracious, who is willing to forgive the Jewish people even when we stumble. Another answer that the commentators bring is: He does not show favoritism when no repentance was done. When repentance was done, God shows favoritism. Another answer is that He does not show favoritism in the World to Come. But in this world, He shows favoritism. In the World to Come, you cannot ascend. Why? To start crying? It won't help. Unless some righteous person takes responsibility for you and sends you for another reincarnation. Whoever knows the stories of all those who had clinical death, who reached the heavens and missed life and asked to return. And then God said, "A righteous person came, someone, or the Rebbe of Lubavitch, took responsibility, and people descended to the world." There is such a chilling story. I don't have time to tell it, but there is such a chilling story with the Rebbe of Lubavitch of a Jew who truly underwent clinical death. And one day, people came to him with a lulav and etrog to merit him. And he said, "I have." They asked him, "How do you look?" A non-religious person. He told them, "Yes, that's true, but I knew that when I had clinical death up in heaven, a person came and took responsibility for my soul." And one day I saw his picture. I reached him. And I go to him every two or three months, and each time he gives me a mitzvah. And he told the story. It turns out that this is Rabbi Avichai, and he says every two or three weeks, "The mitzvah he gave me for this month was to take the Four Species." So he says, "He hasn't told me to wear a kippah yet. He hasn't told me many things yet, but he took responsibility for my soul." Today, he is a person who observes Torah and mitzvot. But this is "who shows no favoritism" in this world. In the World to Come, unless there is a righteous person of the generation who comes and takes responsibility for you. If so, these are the answers that the Gemara, the commentators, bring. Another answer is the well-known answer that God says to the angels. It is written that the angels said to Him, "who shows no favoritism." He said to them, "How can I not show them favoritism, when I commanded them to bless the Grace after Meals, specifically when they are gathered, 'and you shall eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless,' and they are meticulous in both the blessing and the eating?" And then God says, "Measure for measure, they fly to Me, and they thank Me for everything. So I truly cannot not show them favoritism." And from there comes this idea. Why do they really show them favoritism? If so, I just want to conclude the idea, just a minute before the end. I asked at the beginning of the lesson, if ultimately we understand that the power of the Priestly Blessing is the Creator of the world, because He stands behind the blessing and He shows favoritism, then seemingly, why are the priests needed here? Why does God give the blessing? Why are they needed? What are they doing here in the middle? Everything comes from Him. Indeed, I explained why it is forbidden to look at the hands of the priests, as God sits on their hands. Why is it not considered that they stand with their backs, because God is with them, and they stand facing Him. So if it is all His ways, then why is the priest needed in the middle? Here the commentators answer a startling answer. They bring a parable, but I will release the parable for now due to lack of time. But their idea is that when the priest continues abundance, and he cancels a dream, and he does all that we said, and he causes grace in the world, and you can stand before him and make requests, and the requests are fulfilled while he is performing the Priestly Blessing. When does all this happen? All this happens when the priest is a vessel in the hand of the Creator, and he is essentially nullified, and he is essentially a chariot for the Divine Presence. So he has no self-substance. Meaning, his essence is that he is completely nullified, and he is simply a channel for all divine abundance. Therefore, when I asked why they were placed in the middle, the truth is that they are not as entities in the middle. They are a people who were sanctified and became like priests to continue all the abundance. And when can they truly be a vessel for abundance? Here the commentators write something interesting, that essentially the commandment that rests upon them is, "The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine." In every word, they mention God. This is essentially to instill within the congregation listening to them that all divine abundance comes from whom? It comes from the Creator of the world. That both the protection, and the blessing, and the sustenance, it is all from the Creator of the world. And the moment they instill this faith, then this faith itself causes the blessings they bless to be fulfilled. Meaning, there are two sides to the coin. And the Midrash gives a very, very beautiful parable for this. A person was caught by guards at night, and they wanted to deal with him because there was a curfew, and it was forbidden to wander at night because there was a plague of theft, and whoever wandered at night was suspected of being a thief and a thief to be hanged. They caught him at night, and he began to cry, "Let me go!" And they said to him, "No, you will die now." So he said to them, "Understand, I am related to the king." Then they heard such a word, a person saying he is related to the king. So they said, "Let's wait until tomorrow and bring him to the king to judge him." Indeed, in the morning, they brought him. He stood before the king. The king looked and said to him, "I don't know this family. Do you know him, my second cousin, third cousin, something like that?" He said, "I don't know this family." He stood before the king. Then the king asked him, he said to him, "Tell me, do you know me?" So he said to him, "Look, the truth is, I am not family, but," he told him, "I trusted you that if I hadn't mentioned your name, they would have killed me." And then it is written that the king said to him, "Because you trusted in me, so my God, in You I have trusted, let me not be ashamed, I will ensure that nothing happens to you." The commentators say that when the priest stands to bless his people Israel with love, part of his role is to convey to the congregation the message of the fundamentals of faith, that the power to truly give the blessing is precisely through the Creator of the world. And the moment we pray, this is what the priest says, "The Lord will bless you." The Lord gives, not I. "The Lord make His face shine," "The Lord lift." And the moment you believe me that the blessing is with Him, then at that moment the abundance comes and descends. So there are, as it were, three levels. Whether it is by his intention, or by him being a channel, or by him teaching. But the immense power of the priest, through whom abundance truly comes. I will just finish because we are in the joys of the holiday of Shavuot. What was the expectation of the Creator of the world from the Jewish people, had there been no sins? That all the people of Israel would be a kingdom of priests, and all the nations of the world would bring the gifts of the priesthood. This was the initial thing that the Creator of the world wanted to happen, and that every family member would be priests. This was the goal. It did not happen because of the sins. But because we are on the eve of the giving of the Torah, as it is written in the Zohar, all things return to their essence, and God chooses us as a people. So may the blessed God grant that He take all of us as a kingdom of priests, and that we merit the rebuilding of the Third Temple speedily in our days. Amen. Rabbi Chananiah ben Akashya says: The Holy One, Blessed be He, wanted to merit Israel, therefore He gave them Torah and commandments, as it is said: "The Lord desires, for the sake of His righteousness, to magnify the Torah and to make it glorious."