This week’s parasha (in the diaspora) is Nasso, the longest in the Torah. In it, we read how God commanded Moses to instruct Aaron and his priestly descendants to bless the people with the following formula:
יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה, וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ. יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ. יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם
Loosely translated: “God bless you and protect you; God shine His Face upon you, and be gracious to you; God lift His Face upon you, and place peace upon you.” (Numbers 6:25-27) This unique, enigmatic phrase carries tremendous meaning, and an interesting history, too. In fact, the oldest Hebrew inscription of a Torah verse ever found is this blessing!
In 1979, archaeologists in Ketef Hinnom near the Old City of Jerusalem discovered two small silver scrolls. After painstakingly unravelling the fragile scrolls (a feat that took three years), they discovered that they were inscribed with Birkat Kohanim, the priestly blessing, along with a few introductory lines. The scrolls have been dated back to the 7th century BCE, and are considered among the greatest finds in the history of Biblical archaeology.
What secrets are buried within the words of Birkat Kohanim?
Restoring Divine Light
In introducing the Priestly Blessing, the Torah commands koh tevarkhu, (כֹּ֥ה תְבָרְכ֖וּ), “thus shall you bless…” The Zohar (III, 146a) reminds us that koh is an allusion to the divine light of Creation. The value of koh (כה) is 25, hinting to the 25th word of the Torah, “light”. When Adam and Eve consumed the Fruit, that original divine light of Creation was concealed. This is the secret behind God calling to Adam: ayekah (איכה), usually translated simply as “where are you?” but really meaning ayeh koh, “where is the divine light?” Indeed, the very purpose of the kohen is to help restore some of that hidden divine light. This is why he is called a kohen!
It is also why it is customary not to look directly at the kohanim when they relay the blessing. The hidden light may be far too intense, and might cause the observer’s eyes to dim (Chagigah 16a). The ancient mystical text Sefer haBahir (#124) adds that the kohanim put together their ten fingers in that unique arrangement in order to channel the energy of all Ten Sefirot. Elsewhere, we learn that the hands of the kohanim come together to roughly form an inner samekh, the only circular letter in the Hebrew alphabet, representing infinite cycles and endless blessings. Sefer haTemunah teaches that the proper shape of a samekh is a combination of a kaf and a vav. (The sum of the values of kaf and vav is 26, equal to the Tetragrammaton, God’s Ineffable Name.) Kaf literally means the “palm” of the hand, and the linear vav represents a shining ray of light. These are the hidden rays of light, the light of koh, emerging through the hands of the kohanim as they bless.
In his commentary on the Torah, the Ba’al haTurim (Rabbi Yakov ben Asher, 1269-1340) states that koh reminds us also of the Akedah, when Abraham told his attendants that he and Isaac would go ‘ad koh, “until there”. The deeper meaning is that Abraham saw the divine light emanating from the top of Mt. Moriah, the future site of the Holy of Holies. This is how he knew exactly where to bind Isaac. Previously, God had already blessed Abraham with the words כה יהיה זרעך, that his offspring would be luminous (and numerous) like the stars (Genesis 15:5). The Ba’al haTurim adds that the Shema has 25 letters for the same reasons and, amazingly, the term “blessing” is mentioned 25 times in the Torah, as is the word “peace”!
The first line of Birkat Kohanim has three words and fifteen letters, the Ba’al haTurim points out, alluding to the three Patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—whose lives overlapped for 15 years. Recall that Abraham had Isaac when he was 100 years old, and Isaac had Jacob at 60 years old, ie. when Abraham was 160. Since we know Abraham passed away at the age of 175, there were 15 years when all three Avot lived together.
More specifically, the first line of the blessing is for Abraham, the second is for Isaac, and the third is for Jacob. This is why the second line speaks of illumination since, as is well-known, Isaac saw the intensely bright divine light unfiltered at the Akedah, and this is the reason he later became (physically) blind. The Sforno (Rabbi Ovadia ben Yakov Sforno, 1475-1550) adds that within the second line of the blessing is a request for God to give light to our eyes so that we could see God within all things, in all the wonders of the world, and in all the wealth (material and otherwise) that God has blessed us with.
The Ba’al haTurim continues that the third line of Birkat Kohanim is for Jacob, which is why it begins with the word yisa (יִשָּׂ֨א), reminding us of Genesis 29:1 when Jacob fled (וישא יעקב רגליו). It has seven words to indicate the subsequent births of the Twelve Tribes, who were (except for Benjamin) born to Jacob over a span of 7 years. The last line again has 25 letters to remind us of koh, and further alludes to the Sinai Revelation—another burst of divine light—when God said (Exodus 19:3) “thus [koh] you shall speak to the House of Jacob” (כה תאמר לבית יעקב). The Ba’al haTurim concludes that the final word of the blessing, shalom, has the same numerical value as Esau (376) to teach us that one should spread peace among all people, gentiles included, and even Esau!
Ibn Ezra (Rabbi Abraham ben Meir ibn Ezra, 1089-1167) says that “peace” means complete peace, with not even a little stone or a wild animal to bother a person. Meanwhile, the Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, 1194-1270) says that “peace” here refers to shalom malkhut beit David, peace upon the kingdom of David and his dynasty. We may infer from this that it refers as well to geopolitical peace in Israel, and a request to hasten the coming of Mashiach. This is related to the Sforno’s interpretation, as he says the verse refers specifically to the World to Come in which, as described in the Talmud (Berakhot 17a), the righteous will bask peacefully in God’s glory.
May we merit to see it soon!
Parasha ya wiki hii (katika diaspora) ni Nasso, ndefu zaidi katika Torati. "Katika kitabu hicho, Musa alimwambia Haruni na makuhani wake waendelee kuwabariki watu kwa maneno haya: ""Yehova, Yehova, Yehova.""" "Yehova aliwaambia: ""Mungu wangu, wewe ni mtu wa kweli, na mimi ni mtu wa kweli." "Yesu alisema, ""Mungu akubariki na kukulinda, Mungu akuangaze uso wake juu yako, na kuwa na fadhili kwako, Mungu akuinulie uso wake juu yako, na kuweka amani juu yako"" (Hesabu 6:25-27)." Kwa kweli, maandishi ya kale zaidi ya Kiebrania ya mstari wa Torati ambayo yamewahi kupatikana ni baraka hii! Katika mwaka wa 1979, wataalamu wa vitu vya kale walipata vitabu viwili vidogo vya maandishi vya fedha huko Kitef-Hinomu, karibu na Jiji la Kale la Yerusalemu. Baada ya kuchunguza kwa bidii vitabu hivyo vilivyoharibika (jambo ambalo lilichukua miaka mitatu), waligundua kwamba vilikuwa vimeandikwa maneno Birkat Kohanim, yaani, baraka za makuhani, pamoja na mistari michache ya utangulizi. Vitabu hivyo vimechimbuliwa katika karne ya 7 KK na vinajulikana kuwa ni vitu vya kihistoria zaidi katika historia ya Biblia. Ni siri gani zilizohifadhiwa ndani ya maneno ya Birkat Kohanim? "Kutoka kwa Zohari, Biblia inaonyesha kwamba ""kuh"" ni neno la Kiebrania, na ""tevarkhu"" (kuh, tz) ni neno la Kiebrania linalomaanisha ""nuru ya Mungu.""" "Koh (kaha) ni neno la 25 katika Torati, ""Nuru.""" Adamu na Hawa walipoula tunda hilo, nuru hiyo ya awali ya uumbaji ilifichwa. "Hii ndiyo siri ya Mungu kumwita Adamu: ""Ayakah"" (Aikah), kwa kawaida hutafsiriwa tu kama ""wewe uko wapi?"" lakini kwa kweli inamaanisha ""Ayak Koh"" (Ayak Koh) ""nini nuru ya kimungu?"" Kwa kweli, kusudi kuu la kohen ni kusaidia kurudisha baadhi ya nuru hiyo ya kimungu iliyofichwa." Hiyo ndiyo sababu anaitwa kohen! Pia ndiyo sababu ni desturi kutowatazama moja kwa moja kohanim wanapotoa baraka. Nuru iliyofichwa inaweza kuwa kali sana, na inaweza kusababisha macho ya mtazamaji kupungua (Chagigah 16a). "Kutoka kwa maandishi ya zamani ya Sefer HaBehir, ""Wakoheni"" waliweka vidole vyao kumi pamoja katika mpangilio huo wa kipekee ili kuelekeza nishati ya Sefirot kumi zote." "Kwanza, Biblia inasema kwamba mikono ya ""kohanimu"" huunganishwa na kufanyiza ""sameki"" (maandishi ya Kiebrania yanayowakilisha mizunguko isiyo na mwisho na baraka zisizo na mwisho)." Sefer haTemunah hufundisha kwamba umbo sahihi la samekh ni mchanganyiko wa kaf na vav. "Kifungu cha kwanza cha kifungu cha 26 cha Biblia kinaitwa ""Kaf"" na ""Vav,"" na kinaitwa pia ""Tetragrammaton,"" jina la Mungu lisiloweza kutafsiriwa." Kaf kihalisi humaanisha <unk>kiganja<unk> cha mkono, na vav ya mstari inawakilisha mionzi yenye kung'aa ya nuru. "Hizi ni miale ya mwanga iliyofichwa, mwanga wa ""kohanim"" unaojitokeza kupitia mikono ya kohanim wanapobariki." Katika tafsiri yake ya Torati, Ba'al HaTurim (Rabbi Yakov ben Asher, 1269-1340) anasema kwamba Koh inatuwakumbusha pia Akedah, wakati Ibrahimu aliwaambia watumishi wake kwamba yeye na Isaka wangeenda 'ad Koh, 'hadi huko'. Maana yake ni kwamba Abrahamu aliona nuru ya Mungu ikitoka juu ya Mlima Sinai. Moriah, mahali pa wakati ujao pa Patakatifu pa Patakatifu. Hivyo ndivyo alivyijua hasa mahali pa kumfunga Isaka. "Mungu alimwambia Abrahamu kwamba ""zao lake litakuwa lenye kung'aa kama nyota"" (Mwanzo 15:5). - Mwanzo 3:15, 16." Ba'al HaTorim inaongeza kwamba Shema ina herufi 25 kwa sababu zile zile na, kwa kushangaza, neno <unk>baraka<unk> linatajwa mara 25 katika Torati, kama vile neno <unk>amani<unk>! Mstari wa kwanza wa Birkat Kohanim una maneno matatu na herufi kumi na tano, Ba'al haTurim inaonyesha, ikirejelea Mababa watatu - Ibrahimu, Isaka, na Yakobo - ambao maisha yao yalipatana kwa miaka kumi na mitano. "Kumbuka kwamba Abrahamu alimzaa Isaka alipokuwa na umri wa miaka 100, na Isaka alimzaa Yakobo alipokuwa na umri wa miaka 60.""" Abrahamu alikuwa na umri wa miaka 160. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika kitabu cha Zaburi, Abrahamu alikufa akiwa na umri wa miaka 175 na kwa miaka hiyo, ""wao wote watatu"" waliishi pamoja." Kwa mfano, mstari wa kwanza wa baraka ni kwa ajili ya Abrahamu, mstari wa pili ni kwa ajili ya Isaka, na mstari wa tatu ni kwa ajili ya Yakobo. "Kwa hiyo, mstari wa pili unazungumzia ""kuangazwa"" kwa sababu, kama inavyojulikana, Isaka aliona nuru ya Mungu yenye kung'aa sana, isiyochujwa katika Akedah, na hii ndiyo sababu baadaye akawa kipofu." "Rabbi Ovadia Ben Yakov Sforno, 1475-1550 anasema, ""Kwa sababu ya kubarikiwa kwake, Mungu alituwezesha kumwona Mungu katika vitu vyote, katika maajabu yote ya ulimwengu, na katika utajiri wote (wa kimwili na wa kibinadamu) ambao Mungu ametubariki nao.""" "Baali-Haturi anasema, ""Mstari wa tatu wa Bikra-Kohanimu ni kwa ajili ya Yakobo, na kwa hiyo huanza kwa neno Yisha (Yishashtosh), ikitukumbusha Mwanzo 29:1 wakati Yakobo alipokimbia (Yishashtosh)." "Hii ina maneno saba kuonyesha kuzaliwa kwa makabila kumi na mawili, ambao (bila ya Benyamini) walizaliwa kwa Yakobo kwa muda wa miaka saba.""" "Mstari wa mwisho tena una herufi 25 kutukumbusha juu ya ""ko"" na zaidi inahusu Ufunuo wa Sinai ""mlipuko mwingine wa nuru ya kimungu"" wakati Mungu alisema (Kutoka 19:3) ""Kwa hivyo [ko] utazungumza na nyumba ya Yakobo"" (Kuh 19:3)." Ba'al HaTurim inaeleza kwamba neno la mwisho la baraka, shalom, lina thamani sawa ya nambari kama Esau (376) ili kutufundisha kwamba mtu anapaswa kueneza amani kati ya watu wote, mataifa pamoja, na hata Esau! "Ibn Ezra (Rabi Ibrahim bin Meir ibn Ezra, 1089-1167) anasema kwamba ""amani"" inamaanisha amani kamili, bila hata jiwe dogo au mnyama mwitu kumsumbua mtu." "Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman (1194-1270) anasema: ""Salamuni, amani juu ya ufalme wa Daudi na nasaba yake.""" "Hii ina maana kwamba ""mwisho wa siku"" ni amani ya kijiografia na kisiasa katika Israeli, na ombi la kuharakisha kuja kwa Masihi." "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika tafsiri ya Sufyan, ""Mungu ni Mungu"" (Bukhari) na ""Mungu ni Mungu"" (Bukhari) ni tafsiri ya tafsiri ya Sufyan, ambayo inamaanisha kwamba ""Mungu ni Mungu"" (Bukhari) na ""Mungu ni Mungu"" (Bukhari) ni tafsiri ya tafsiri ya tafsiri ya Sufyan." Na tuwe na haki ya kuiona upesi!