It’s Camp Gan Israel time at Chabad and, thank G-d, we are thrilled to have dozens of campers running around having a blast with their counselors doing activities, swimming, field trips, and more. The day starts with prayers, and I am privileged to do “Torah Time” with the eldest group.
I introduced the 15-minute program by explaining that the proper translation for “Torah” is “instruction” hence every word in Torah is an instruction to all of us at all times and places. This includes all the laws, stories, information and every detail you may find in Torah, and we discuss the lessons we can learn from a different Torah story every day. I know the kids got the message because they crow “Instruction time!” every morning when I walk into the room.
In this week’s parsha we learn about a mitzvah that is ostensibly limited to “Kohanim,” the members of the priestly family descended from Aaron the High Priest. The L-rd spoke to Moses saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: This is how you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them: "May the L-rd bless you and watch over you. May the L-rd cause His countenance to shine to you and favor you. May the L-rd raise His countenance toward you and grant you peace." They shall bestow My Name upon the children of Israel, so that I will bless them. (Leviticus 6:22-27) This is a tremendous blessing, containing all the goodness we can ever ask for, bestowed upon us from G-d through the conduit of the holy priestly family. During the times when the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, the Kohanim were obligated to bless all the assembled in the Temple with this special blessing, and the same occurred in all synagogues throughout Israel. This practice continues until today, but its frequency varies between some Sefardic communities doing it every day, congregations in Israel doing it every Shabbat, and Ashkenazic communities outside of Israel doing it only during festivals. Regardless of the frequency with which it happens, this would seem to be a mitzvah relevant only to the Kohanim. What type of instruction is there here for the rest of us? The performance of most mitzvot is typically prefaced with reciting a blessing and one must perform the mitzvah immediately after reciting the blessing, otherwise, it would be a “wasted” blessing. The same is true about Torah study. The prayer book provides a list of thanksgiving blessings to recite every morning, concluding with three blessings for Torah study. Since one must study Torah immediately afterward in order not to “waste” the blessings, our sages instructed us to recite the above-quoted six verses from this week’s parsha about the Priestly Blessing. It’s printed in all standard prayerbooks because Judaism wants us to start our day with an attitude of blessing. Although the ritualistic obligation to bless was commanded to the Kohanim, and they alone do this in the formal settings of the Holy Temple and during official Synagogue services, the ability to bless others is universal. Everyone can share blessings, provided you do so joyfully and lovingly. Please share blessings as often as possible - we all need them.