D'var Torah

Parashat Naso is the longest portion in the Torah. It contains numerous distinct themes. In short, it includes: the service of the Gershon family of Levites, the laws relating to the suspected adulteress, instructions for the Nazirite, a person who dedicates themselves to service in the temple, the priestly blessing, and a guide for the heads of tribes bringing gifts to the Tabernacle.

The part that most of us connect with most easily is the Priestly Benediction at the end of chapter 6. Three of these verses have been woven into various aspects of Jewish ritual and liturgy. 

May God bless you and keep you

May God cause the divine light to shine upon you and be gracious to you

May God turn toward you, and grant you peace

I’m sure you’ve heard this prayer many times. It is recited at baby namings, b’nai mitzvah services, weddings, and even during Shabbat services at times. There is one other time when we recite this blessing that has a special place in my heart – on Friday night, after lighting Shabbat candles at home, we turn to our children or people for whom we feel a special responsibility and say this to them.

Each week since they were born, Kevin and share benediction with our daughters. When each left for college, this was the place where I felt their absence the most. I treasured the chance to offer a word of blessing to each of them, perhaps after a hard school day (it will get better and you are good at this!) or a challenging family week (we will always be a family!) or before an exciting upcoming event (you got this!) Even though they are ‘grown and flown,’ we sometimes Zoom our at home Shabbat blessings, and they bow their heads on the computer screens to receive their blessings. 

Judaism has many wise rituals. This is one of them. Blessing our children or other special people each week, ensures that we speak words of love and hope every week. It’s easy for anger or frustration to build up in families; when used well, this breaks that cycle. Blessing our children also is a chance to remind them that it is their responsibility to bring blessings into the world themselves. We say ‘may you be blessed’ and we also say ‘may you bless others.’ 

I highly recommend incorporating this ritual into your family traditions. It’s never to late to begin, and I suspect that there is always someone nearby in need of a blessing. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Amy Schwartzman