Leonard Nimoy adapted it from his childhood synagogue experiences and called it the Vulcan salute: “Live long and prosper!” (An accurate translation of part of the Birkat Kohanim!) If you have ever seen the TV program Star Trek, you have seen the hand gesture of the Jewish Kohanim.

Therefore, no one was allowed to look at him during the blessing, out of respect and awe of the power of the Almighty. According to Jewish tradition, the divine presence would shine through the fingers of the High Priest as he blessed the people. Shin is also the letter on the mezuzah and stands for El Shaddai, God Almighty. While pronouncing the blessing, the Kohen would spread his fingers apart, placing his thumbs together to represent the Hebrew letter shin. This became known as Nesiat Kapayim (Neh-si-AHT Kah-pa-YEEM), Lifting Up of the Hands. 3:5), fasting, and holding his cleansed hands in a specific gesture (based on Lev. The Kohen Gadol (Ko-HEN Gah-DOLE), or High Priest, as the only one who could pronounce the Priestly Blessing over God’s people, was traditionally required to do it barefoot (based on Ex. The New Covenant says the same thing in James 1:17, “Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” He, rather than the Kohanim, is the source of all goodness and blessing. In this short blessing, the name of God is mentioned three times, emphasizing the fact that all blessing comes from the Lord. It is the blessing of a loving God and Father to each of His children. Before pronouncing the Priestly Blessing, today’s Kohanim recite in unison: “Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with the sanctity of Aaron and commanded us to bless His people Israel with love.” It is the only “mitzvah” in Judaism whose accompanying blessing must be performed “with love” (b’ah-ha-VAH).Īlthough the Aaronic priests were told to pronounce the Birkat Kohanim over the Children of Israel, the blessing is phrased in the singular “you.” It is a personal blessing, addressed to the needs and desires of the individual. Tens of thousands of people gather for this impressive event, receiving this historic blessing from hundreds of descendants of Aaron. Twice a year, at Pesach and Sukkot, a mass Priestly Blessing takes place at the Western Wall. It is, in fact, the only remaining functional link between the present day synagogue and the ancient temple in Jerusalem. In Israel, however, the Birkat Kohanim is said daily in the synagogue. It was given to Israel while in the wilderness, but today it is pronounced by descendants of Aaron, Kohanim (Ko-ha-NEEM) of priestly lineage at special times in the diaspora: Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur. In English it is called the Priestly Benediction, the Priestly Blessing, the Aaronic Benediction, or the Beautiful Benediction. In Hebrew it is the Birkat Kohanim (Beer-KAHT Ko-ha- NEEM). (Yeshua’s prayer of Matthew 6:9-13 is a model of how to pray more than an actual prayer.) As the High Priest, they were instructed to pray a prayer given by God Himself-the only such prayer in the entire Bible. These are the words of the blessing that the God of Israel told Moses to give to Aaron and his sons. Yeesa Adonai panav eleicha v’yasem l’cha shalom. The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you When scientists unrolled the scrolls, they found the words of Numbers 6:24-26: This special portion of the Holy Scriptures, discovered by archaeologist Gabriel Barkay while excavating a burial cave in Jerusalem’sHinnom Valley, was found on two tiny silver scrolls. We want to share with you this month the oldest biblical text ever found, dated around the late 7th to the early 6th century B.C., 400 years older than the biblical texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

English transliteration to hebrew