D'var Torah/Commentary on Parashat Naso 5768/2008
This week's parashah is Naso (Be'midbar/Numbers 4:21-7:89). The portion contains within it the Birkat Kohanim/Priestly Blessings, which are the oldest blessings in the Jewish tradition. In the parashah, God commands Aaron and his sons to bless the people with the words that have become so familiar to us, "May God Bless you and keep you; May God's face shine upon you and be gracious unto you; May God lift up the Divine face towards you and grant you Shalom/Peace." Until this day, in more traditional communities, the Kohanim - those believed to be descended from Aaron - stand in front of the congregation and offer this blessing in the same way we believe the ancient Kohanim did. They spread their hands out in front of them, palms facing down, and their fingers separated in the special manner reserved for the priests (though more familiar to many of us as Spock's "live long and prosper" sign on Star Trek, which Leonard Nimoy borrowed from his Jewish her