The Priestly Blessing, (in Hebrew: Birkat Kohanim, ברכת כהנים) is a Jewish ceremony and prayer recited during certain specific Jewish services. It is based on the Biblical verses: Hebrew (עִבְרִית ‘Ivrit) is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Jewish communities around the world. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people with around 15 million followers as of 2006 [1]. It is one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths and one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today. ... Jewish services are the communal prayer recitations which form part of the observance of Judaism. ... 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum This article discusses usage of the term Hebrew Bible. For the article on the Hebrew Bible itself, see Tanakh. ...

(And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak unto Aaron and his sons, saying, in this manner shall bless the children of Israel; you shall say to them:)

May the Lord bless you and keep you - יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה, וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ

May the Lord shine His face upon you - יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ

May the Lord lift His countenance upon you, and grant you peace - יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם

(So shall they put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them). :(Numbers 6:23-27) [1]

On certain occassions, in Orthodox and some Conservative synagogues, this blessing is said by actual descendents of Aaron, called Kohanim (priests), members of Judaism's priestly clan, through a special ceremony. Numbers can mean: Number The Book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Bible NUMB3RS, a CBS television show This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Orthodox Judaism is the stream of Judaism which adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmud (The Oral Law) and later codified in the Shulkhan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law). It is governed by these works and the Rabbinical commentary... Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, is a modern denomination of Judaism that arose in United States in the early 1900s. ... The position of a Kohens hands when he raises them to bless a Jewish congregation A Kohen (or Cohen, Hebrew priest, pl. ...

The ceremony

At the beginning of the ceremony, the Leviim in the congregation (Levites, members of the tribe of Levi) wash the hands of the Kohanim and then the Kohanim remove their shoes, cover their heads with their tallitot, and go up to the bimah. The hazzan or prayer leader recites the three verses of the blessing, word by word, and the Kohanim repeat each word after him. After each verse, the congregation responds with Amen. In the Jewish tradition, a Levite (לוי Attached, Standard Hebrew Levi, Tiberian Hebrew Lēwî) is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. ... Levi or Levy (לֵוִי Standard Hebrew Levi, Tiberian Hebrew LÄ“wî) was the founder of the Levite tribe of ancient Israel. ... The tallit (Modern Hebrew: ) or tallet(h) (Sephardi Hebrew: ), also called talles (Yiddish), is a prayer shawl cloak that is worn during the morning Jewish services (the Shacharit prayers) in Judaism, during the Torah service, and on Yom Kippur. ... Interior of the Amsterdam Esnoga: We see the tebáh (reader’s platform) in the foreground, and the Hekhál (Ark) in the background. ... A hazzan or chazzan (Hebrew for cantor) is a Jewish musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the synagogue in songful prayer. ... The word Amen (Tiberian Hebrew אמן ’ĀmÄ“n So be it; truly, Standard Hebrew אמן Amen, Arabic آمين ’ĀmÄ«n) is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and in the Quran. ...

Over the course of the blessing, the hands of the Kohanim are spread out over the congregation, with the fingers separated to make three parts, to make the special sign of the priestly blessing. Usually, the tallitot cover the arms as well, up to the palms of the hands. During the reading of the text, it is customary to close one's eyes and rock gently side to side. Performing the ceremony of the priestly blessing is known in Yiddish as duchening. Shin or Sin is the twenty-first letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic (in abjadi order, 12th in modern order). ... Yiddish (Yid. ...

When performed

Position of Kohen's fingers and hands when blessing the congregation

This ceremony is traditionally performed daily in Israel during the repetition of the Shacharit Amidah (prayer during the morning service), and on Shabbat during the repetition of the Shacharit amidah and during Mussaf. In the Diaspora in Orthodox communities, the ceremony is performed only on Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur. On week-days and Shabbat the priestly blessing is recited by the shaliach tzibbur, or a chazzan, after the Modim prayer, towards the end of the Amidah. Free Publicly open sketch of the traditional mystical position of the hands of Jewish Kohanim priests when they bless the congregation This engraving is taken from the tombstone of a deceased Kohen (or Cohen) as its commonly used as their unique identifying symbol when they are laid to eternal... Even in death, many kohanim choose to have this symbol, the special positioning of their fingers and hands during the Priestly Blessing, placed as a crest or symbol on their gravestones to indicate their status. ... The Amidah (Standing), also called the Shemoneh Esreh (The Eighteen), is the central prayer in the Jewish liturgy that observant Jews recite each morning, afternoon, and evening. ... Shabbat (שבת shabbāt, rest Hebrew, or Shabbos in Ashkenazic pronunciation), is the weekly day of rest in Judaism. ... Jewish services are the prayers recited as part of observance of Judaism. ... Mussaf The additional prayers offered on Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and Jewish Festivals in a traditional Jewish prayer service immediately following the regular morning service. ... The Jewish diaspora (Hebrew: Tefutzah, scattered, or Galut, exile) is the dispersion of the Jewish people throughout the world. ... Passover (Hebrew: פסח; transliterated as Pesach or Pesah), also called חג המצות (Chag HaMatzot - Festival of Matzot) is a Jewish holiday that always begins on the 15th day of Nisan (on the Hebrew calendar), which falls in the early spring and commemorates the Exodus and freedom of the Israelites from ancient Egypt. ... Shavuot, also spelled Shavuos (Hebrew: שבועות (Israeli Heb. ... Sukkot (סוכות or סֻכּוֹת sukkōt, booths) or Succoth or Sukkos is a Biblical pilgrimage festival which occurs in autumn on the 15th day of the month of Tishri (mid- to late-October). ... This article is about the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. ... Yom Kippur (יום כיפור yom kippūr) is the Jewish holiday of the Day of Atonement. ... Shabbat (שבת shabbāt, rest Hebrew, or Shabbos in Ashkenazic pronunciation), is the weekly day of rest in Judaism. ... A hazzan (or chazzan, Hebrew for Cantor) is a Jewish musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the synagogue in songful prayer. ...

The blessing

The source of the text is the Book of Numbers, chapter 6, where Aaron and his sons bless the Israelites with this blessing. The Book of Numbers is the fourth of the books of the Pentateuch, called in the Hebrew ba-midbar במדבר, i. ... Aaron (אַהֲרֹן, a word meaning bearer of martyrs in Hebrew (perhaps also, or instead, related to the Egyptian Aha Rw, Warrior Lion), Standard Hebrew Aharon, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAhărōn), was one of two brothers who play a unique part in the history of the Hebrew people. ... The Twelve Tribes redirects here; for other uses, see The Twelve Tribes (disambiguation). ...

This is the oldest known Biblical text that has been found; amulets with these verses written on them have been found in graves in dating from the First Temple Period, and are now in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem (see Ketef Hinnom). It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Temple of Solomon. ... The road sign The Shrine of the Book The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, was founded in 1965 as Israels national museum. ... Jerusalem (Hebrew: Yerushalayim; Arabic: al-Quds; Greek Ιεροσόλυμα; Latin Aelia Capitolina) is an ancient Middle Eastern city on the watershed between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea at an elevation of 650-840 meters. ... One of a series of rock-hewn burial caves at Ketef Hinnom (shoulder of Hinnom) near Jerusalem is the archaeological site in Israel that is most famous for the recovery in 1979 of two silver scrolls that were used as amulets, bearing in inscribed the well-known apotropaic priestlyblessings of...

Various interpretations of these verses connect them to the three Patriarchs; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or to three attributes of God; Mercy, Courage, and Glory. The Patriarchs, known as the Avot in Hebrew, are Abraham, his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. ... Abraham (אַבְרָהָם Father/Leader of many, (circa 1900 BCE) Standard Hebrew Avraham, Tiberian Hebrew ; Arabic ابراهيم ; Geez አብርሃም ) is regarded as the founding patriarch of the Israelites whom God chose to bless out of all the families of the earth. ... It has been suggested that Ishaq be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that Yaqub be merged into this article or section. ...

Customs connected to the blessing

• According to halakha, a Kohen who has caused the death of another may not participate in the blessing.
• If a Kohen does not wish to participate, he must leave the sanctuary for the duration of the blessing.
• In Sephardi (Spanish and Portuguese) Jewish communities it is the custom for congregants to spread their tallitot over their own heads during the blessing and not look at the Kohanim so as to emphasize that the blessing is from God. If a man has children, they will come under his tallit to be blessed, even if they are quite old.
• This blessing is also used by some parents to bless their children on Friday night before the beginning of the Shabbat meal. Some rabbis will say the blessing to a boy at his bar mitzvah ceremony. It also may be said before a long journey, and some people will write it out and wear/keep it as an amulet. It is often used in the liturgy as the first section of Torah to be read in the morning after reciting the blessing before studying Torah.

Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ... Sephardi Jews (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew SÉ™fardi, Tiberian Hebrew ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Sfaradim, Tiberian Hebrew ) are a subgroup of Jews originating in the Iberian Peninsula, generally defined in contrast to Ashkenazi Jews. ... Shabbat (שבת shabbāt, rest Hebrew, or Shabbos in Ashkenazic pronunciation), is the weekly day of rest in Judaism. ... When a Jewish child reaches the age of maturity (12 years and one day for girls, 13 years and one day for boys) that child becomes responsible for him/herself under Jewish law; at this point a boy is said to become Bar Mitzvah (בר מצווה, son of the commandment...

In Reform and Liberal Judaism

In liberal (and American Reform) congregations, the concept of the priesthood has been largely abandoned, along with other caste and gender distinctions, so as to provide equality among all Jews. Thus, this blessing is usually omitted or simply read by the hazzan. North American Reform Jews omit the Mussaf service, as do most other liberal communities, and so if they choose to include the priestly blessing, it is usually appended to the end of the Shacharit Amidah. Some congregations, especially Reconstructionist ones, have the custom of the congregation spreading their tallitot over each other and blessing each other that way. This custom was started when a Reconstructionist rabbi from Montreal saw children in Pisa, Italy run under their father's tallitot for the blessing, and he brought it home to his congregation. Even in death, many kohanim choose to have this symbol, the special positioning of their fingers and hands during the Priestly Blessing, placed as a crest or symbol on their gravestones to indicate their status. ... Caste systems are traditional, hereditary systems of social stratification, such as clans, gentes, or the Indian caste system. ... Gender describes a classification using masculinity and femininity. ... A hazzan or chazzan (Hebrew for cantor) is a Jewish musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the synagogue in songful prayer. ... Jewish services are the prayers recited as part of observance of Judaism. ... Pisa is a city in Tuscany, central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. ...

In Conservative Judaism

In Conservative Judaism, the majority of congregations do not perform the priestly blessing ceremony, but some do. In some American Conservative congregations that perform the ceremony, a bat kohen (female priest) can perform it as well. ^[1]. Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, is a modern denomination of Judaism that arose in United States in the early 1900s. ...

If there are no Kohanim

In the case where no Kohanim are present in the synagogue (but there still is a minyan) the hazzan will read the prayer verse by verse, and the congregation will respond after each verse with "Amen, may it be God's Will." This practice is also done on days and times when the Amidah is publicly repeated but the Kohanim do not recite the priestly blessing. A minyan (Hebrew: plural minyanim) is traditionally a quorum of ten or more adult (over the age of Bar Mitzvah) male Jews for the purpose of communal prayer; a minyan is often held within a synagogue, but may be (and often is) held elsewhere. ... A hazzan or chazzan (Hebrew for cantor) is a Jewish musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the synagogue in songful prayer. ...

Trivia

In the mid 1960s, actor Leonard Nimoy used a single-handed version of this gesture to create the Vulcan Hand Salute for his character, Mr. Spock, on Star Trek. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Leonard Simon Nimoy (born March 26, 1931) is an American actor, film director, poet and photographer best known for playing the character Spock in the Star Trek franchise, namely the original television series. ... Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played the half-Vulcan Spock on Star Trek, devised the Vulcan Salute, consisting of a raised hand, palm forward with the fingers parted between the middle and ring finger. ... Spock, commonly called Mr. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ...

References

1. ^ [Mayer Rabinowitz, Women Raise Your Hands, OH 128:2.1994a

Further Reading

• The Laws of Birchat Kohanim - the Priestly Blessing chabad.org
• Reasons for the customs of the Priestly Blessings (Birchat Kohanim) from the Jewish Knowledge Base
• www.cohen-levi.org procedure for the blessing of the kohanim (info on ceremony and picture of hand position for blessing)
• Bircas Kohanim: The Priestly Blessings: Background, Translation, and Commentary Anthologized from Talmudic, Midrashic, and Rabbinic Sources Artscroll Mesorah Series, 1981. ISBN 0899061842