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“Al Netilat Yadayim”

Asher Yatzar

Birchat Hatorah

Birchat Cohanim

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Toronto Jewish Singles

“Praying with Fire”

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Questions from “Praying with Fire-Wednesday January 23, 2008

Question:

1. Can “Tehillim” be said at Night?

Answer:

The Ben Ish Chai writes (First year, Parashat Pekudei, 7) that

“Tehilim” can be said at night - after midnight. Torah study can be

done but reading Psukim should not be done before Chatzot

(midnight) unless one read the interpretation or explanation.

On Thursday, Friday and Yom Tov nights this is irrelevant and one

may study and say “Tehilim” all night.

Question:

What are the earliest times for “Birchot Hashachar”?

Answer:

Someone who awakes for the day from his night’s sleep can say-

even before “Alot Hashachar”- all the “Birchot Hashachar”

including “Birkot Hatorah” with the exception of “Asher Natan

Lasechvi Veena”, for which he should wait until Alot Hashachar-

Ishei Yisrael ch.5, 6 and ch.6, 28. (Alot Hashachar is between 72-

90 minutes before sunrise and not as stated in your question-Ishei

Yisrael ch. 13.)

The earliest time for “Shma” and its Brachot is the hour that a

person can recognize his acquaintance from a distance of two

meters (in Israel- about 50 minutes before sunrise- Ishei Yisrael ch.

18). Since, however, it is preferable to delay “Shmone Esre” until

sunrise, “Shma” and “Psukei Dezimra” should be paced

accordingly.



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Question:

Are both Men and women obligated to Daven in a Minyan?

Answer:

The Rabbi’s teach that all men and women are obligated to pray to

Hashem each day, but the formal requirements for prayer are

different for the sexes. Rabbinic authorities are in agreement that

men are required to pray from a set order of tefillah three times a

day; however, they were of varied opinions as to precisely what the

requirements were for women. The majority opinion in Jewish law

requires that men pray in a minyan, but this is not exactly correct

according to most authorities. None of the Mishnah, Talmud, or

later codes of Jewish law holds this as requirement. Rather, it is

described as a preferred activity, but not as mandatory. Rashi and

the Tosafot on Talmud Bavli Pesachim 46a are both of the opinion

that one is required to travel the distance of 4 mil

(1mil=1kilometer) to pray with a minyan.

The late Rabbi Moshe Feinstein followed this opinion. Even

according to those who hold that men have no halakhic obligation

to pray in a minyan, it is strongly encouraged. According to

Rambam in his Mishneh Torah (Hilkhot Tefillah 8.1):

The prayer of the community is always heard; and even if there

were sinners among them [i.e., the minyan], the Holy One, blessed

be He, never rejects the prayer of the multitude. Hence a person

must join himself with the community, and should not pray by

himself so long as he is able to pray with the community. And a

person should always go to the synagogue morning and evening,

for his prayer is only heard at all times in the synagogue. And

whoever has a synagogue in his city and does not pray there with

the community is called a bad neighbor.



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Rav Yosef Caro in Shulkhan Aruch (section Orach Chayim 90:9)

says "A person should make every effort to attend services in a

synagogue with a quorum; if circumstances prevent him from

doing so, he should pray, wherever he is, at the same time that the

synagogue service takes place". According to the author He writes

“no Jew has an obligation to public prayer. That said, communal

prayer, which requires a minyan, is historically viewed as an

almost-obligation—while not a requirement, it is regarded as anti-

social to not join in communal prayer Rashi and the Tosafot on

Gemmarah Bavli Pesachim 46a are both of the opinion that one is

required to travel the distance of 4 mil to pray with a minyan.

The late Rabbi Moshe Feinstein Even according to those who hold

that men have no halakhic obligation to pray in a minyan, it is

strongly encouraged. According to Rambam in his Mishneh Torah

(Hilkhot Tefillah 8.1) Birchat Al Nitlat Yadayim”.

It is a mitzvah d”Rabbanan for every Jewish person to wash his or

her hands upon arising in the morning, and to recite the berachah

of “Al Netilat Yadayim”.

There are three reasons for this mitzvah:

The Rosh

According to the Rosh, the reason is that during sleep one may

have touched parts of which are covered. This causes a person to

become unfit to say berachot.

The Rashba

According to the Rashba the reason we say Birchat Netilat

Yadayim is that each morning a person is given a gift. The gift of

life. So each morning a person becomes newly born. From death to

life to purify ourselves from being unclean due to death. Our Sages

consider sleep 1/60th of death.



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It is also said in the name of the Zohar says that since when one

sleeps it is a taste of death, upon awaking one must wash his

hands.

The Washing of the Hands is one of the only Mitzvot that are done

Aver Lsiyahtan, before performing the Mitzvah. Can any one else

tell me of other mitzvot?

Mikvah.

“Baruch Atah Hashem”, At this point, before we go any further, I would like to explain the

meaning of “Baruch Atah Hashem”, (Adonai), which we begin

every Beracha, the word is generally translated at “blessed”.

Question:

How can we as mere mortals give our sanctification to the

Creator of the World? Do we have the power to affect him

through our words?

Answer:

We therefore think that the sense in which the word Beracha is

used is in our Berachot are Ribui, meaning to add, to increase.

It is in this sense that we say to Hashem as an introduction to

every berachah: It is our tefillah that You (Hashem) may be

increasingly recognized in the world.

This interpretation is supported by the words of Kaddish in

which the Chazzan recites: Yitgadal, V’yitkadash Shmey Rabbah,

May His great Name be increasingly, exalted and, consequently,

be increasingly sanctified in the world. To this the congregation

responds: Yeheh Shmay Rabbah Mevorah Le’alom meaning that

the congregation joins in this tefillah of Yitgadal Veyitkadash,



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and affirms the wish that His name shall indeed be Mevorach,

meaning that He shall be increasingly recognized, obeyed, and

sanctified in the world.

Atah-You. This word, You is most revealing. We are speaking directly to

Hashem. We come as close to Him as possible. Consequently, this

word should be uttered in quiet, reverent tone.

Hashem Elokeinu-Hashem, our G-d

The Shulchan Aruch explains that when saying this word, we

should be aware of its meaning of: He is the Almighty with Infinite

Ability, and the Sole Master of All Forces. Rav Samson R. Hirsch

explains that the root of Elokim is “Eleh” these, meaning

everything that exists. As Am Yisrael, the nation of Israel, we have

a special relationship with Hashem. He has revealed Himself to us

as “Anochi Hashem Elokecha”, I am Hashem your G-d, and

consequently we call him Elokeynu, Our G-d.

Melech Ha’olam-The King of the Universe

Melech Haolam means King of the universe - Rav Schwab [12]

teaches that in these words we affirm that fact that there are parts

of the world that are hidden and obscured from our vision. Hashem

is master and king over the entire universe - that which we can see

and that which we can't. We acknowledge our belief in hashgacha

pratis. We acknowledge that Hashem controls our lives. “Hakol

Bdai Shamayim, Chutz Miyirat Shamayim”. All is in the hands of

Hashem except for the belief in Hashem. We cannot see atoms,

molecules but they exist. Like a clock that keeps time perfectly we

don’t see the inner workings but we see it works. So too the

spiritual world, the Kisei Hakavod (throne of Glory), malachim

(angels) Gan Eden (garden of Eden) and Gehinom are completely

ne’elam hidden from us. We refer to Hashem as supreme ruler of

the Olam, the world which we have no real understanding. We see



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Floods, earthquakes and hurricanes and we have no understanding

as to why they occur.

Asher Kidishanu B'mitzvotav

Asher kidishanu b'mitzvotav- means who has sanctified us with

His commandments - just as Hashem is holy and without impurity,

by allowing us to serve Him we are granted the opportunity to

become the same. The Alshich teaches that the difference between

laws and mitzvos is kedusha. Laws are created to give us civility

and let us co-exist with others. The purpose of mitzvot,

commandments are to impart upon us the kedusha, spirituality that

comes from Hashem.

V'tzevanu

V'tzevanu means and commanded us - as much as we acknowledge

that doing mitzvot imparts kedusha into our lives and brings us

closer to Hashem that is not why we do them. We do mitzvot

because we were commanded to do so and would do them for that

reason even if we did not benefit from them.

Netilat

Netilat means uplift - we raise our hands in the service of Hashem.

Yadayim

We say “al netilat yadayim” and not le'netilat (like le'shmoa kol

shofar) because Rabbeinu Tam claims that the term "al" applies to

mitzvot, which are fulfilled through a defined and limited act. Our

tefillot corresponds to the architecture of the Bais Hamikdash. The

tefillot from “Mah Tovu” until “Berchot Hashachar” correspond

to the section called Ezras Nashim. The daily Avodah began at

dawn, however, those who were true ovdei Hashem would gather

here in the pre-dawn hours to say Tehillim and learn.



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Asher Yatzar

Asher Yatzar - the bracha we say after the restroom

Transliteration: Baruch Atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech ha'olam,

asher yatzar et ha'adam b'chochma, u'vara voe n'kavim n'kavim

chalulim chaluluim, galuye v'yadu'ah lifnei kisei k'voe'decha, sh'im

yipotae'ach echad may'hem, oh yitatame echad may'hem, ee efshar

lhitkayim v'la'amode l'fenecha (afeelu shahah echat). Baruch Atah

Hashem, rofai kol basar u'mafli la'asot.

The classic translations of these words are: Blessed are You,

Hashem, our God, King of the Universe, Who formed man with

intelligence, and created within him many openings and many

hollow spaces; it is revealed and known before the Seat of Your

Honor, that if one of these would be opened or if one of these

would be sealed it would be impossible to survive and to stand

before You (even for one hour). Blessed are You, Hashem, Who

heals all flesh and does wonders.

Origin: The Gemara in Brachot (60b) writes: "Abayei said, when

one comes out of a privy he should say: Blessed is He who has

formed man in wisdom and created in him many orifices and many

cavities. It is obvious and known before Your throne of glory that

if one of them were to be ruptured or one of them blocked, it

would be impossible for a man to survive and stand before You.

Blessed are You that heals all flesh and does wonders."

As we said in our explanation of “al Netlat Yadayim”: Baruch

means blessed - Hashem is the source of all brachot. As Rav

Dessler Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, explains it is an acknowledgment

that Hashem is the only One who can fulfill my needs. Atta means

You. We address Hashem is a very intimate manner, almost as we



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would address a friend, to show that Hashem is a very important

part of our daily lives. It is a reminder that He is with us

constantly. Elokeinu means our God -without Hashem our world

could not exist - He sustains it on a daily basis. Melech haolam

means King of the universe - Rav Schwab teaches that in these

words we affirm that Hashem is Master and King over the entire

universe - that which we can see and that which we can't. We

acknowledge our belief in hashgacha pratis.

“Asher yatzar et ha'adam b'chochmah” means Who formed man

with intelligence - The human body is extraordinarily

sophisticated. In this tefilla we are speaking primarily of the

digestive system. The ability to ingest foreign material and process

it so as to provide the body with the energy and materials it needs

to continue functioning is truly amazing.

“Nekavim nekavim, chalulim chalulim” means many openings

and many hollow spaces - Openings refers to the mouth, the anus,

the nose, and the ears; hollow spaces refers to organs like the

stomach, the intestines, and the heart.

“Galuyi v'yaduah l'ifnei kisei kevodecha” means it is revealed

and known before the Seat of Your Honor - We mention the seat of

Hashem's honor to teach us that there is not a thing about our lives

that Hashem does not concern Himself with. Hashem watches and

knows everything.

“Sh'eem yipatayach echad mayhem oh yitataym echad mayhem” means if one of these would be opened or one of these would be

sealed - If a person is born with one of the openings or hollow

spaces of his body improperly formed, either that it is open when it

should be closed or vice versa, then life would not be possible.

R' Aaron Levine zt"l known as the Reisha Rav - teaches the

following in Hadrash Ve-Haiyan on Sefer Devarim:



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You will eat, you will be satisfied and you will bless your God for

the good land that he gave you (Devarim 8:10).

The Elya Rabba (Orach Chaim 185) takes note that in the “Birchat

Hamazon” blessing all the letters of the aleph beis appear with the

exception of the "end pei." The Elya Rabbah explains that

according to the esoteric teachings of kabala the "end pei" is

associated with demons and harmful spirits. Chazal purposely

omitted the "end pei" to underscore that the intense holiness of this

blessing does not allow for a trace of anything harmful or impure.

Let us suggest another homiletic interpretation. Upon leaving the

rest room we are required by halacha to recite the asher yatzar

blessing. In Shulchan Aruch the mechaber uncharacteristically

goes to great lengths to explain the text of this blessing. When

discussing the concluding phrase "U'maphli La'asot" he explains

that the root of "u' maphli" is the word "pelah" i.e., translated as

wonder. In his second explanation of the relation between

"wonder" and the theme of “Asher Yatzar” the mechaber explains

that we thank Hashem for the great wonder of the human digestive

system, specifically, the ability of the body to extract the nutrients

and separate the remaining toxins as waste.

Let us take note that the root of the concluding phrase of “Asher

Yatzar” is a word that begins with the letter pei, i.e., pelah.

Let us suggest that Chazal cleverly left out the end pei in the

“Birchat Hamazon” blessing to hint that our “Birchat Hamazon”

is incomplete until we encounter the pei that comes at the end. This

alludes to the “asher yatzar” blessing, which concludes with the

pei of "pelah." i.e., wonder. Only after we encounter the “asher

yatzar” blessing and reflect upon the wonder that the body has the

ability to separate the good portion of food and remove the



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poisonous toxins, do we fully appreciate the complete blessing of

our sustenance.

Thus, homiletically we may say that the complete “Birchas

Hamazon” does include all the letter of the aleph beit, after we join

it with the “asher yatzar” blessing.

Several times every day we have an opportunity to express our

gratitude to God for the wonderful working of our body when we

say the blessing “asher yatzar” after relieving ourselves. “Asher

yatzar” is the bracha Chazal set acknowledging the wisdom with

which the Creator designed man's body and the wonders of its

functioning. After relieving ourselves, cleaning our bodies and

washing our hands, we must pause for a moment from all our

activities and focus exclusively on saying the blessing, reflecting

on Hashem’s wonders and expressing our gratitude for them.

In a number of places it is mentioned that saying “asher yatzar”

with kvanah - with special emphasis is itself conducive to good

health. When a person is aware of and appreciates the kindness

someone does him, the benefactor is happy to shower him with

even more kindness. How much more so is that true of Hashem,

Who is all goodness, increase His kindness to us if we truly

appreciate them. Often people begin to appreciate health more

when, Heaven forbid, they are ill - they pray and expend great

effort in trying to restore it. Is it not better to invest our time in

expressing thanks for what Hashem has already given us rather

than to have to ask for it back?

Rabbi Yitzchok Sender in Stories from the Commentators' Siddur

writes that the bracha which follows “asher yatzar” is “Birchat

Hatorah”. The two are next to each other to emphasize that we

thank Hashem for giving us good health as it enables us to better

learn Torah. And in Shabbat Inspiration he writes that “asher

yatzar” is included in the morning tefillot even if we have already



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said it because in it we declare that Hashem controls everything,

even those things we take for granted. He says the once we accept

this fundamental principle and declare our total belief in Him we

are then ready to being to address Him in our prayers and to ask for

His personal intervention in our lives.

Birchat Hatorah

“Birchat Hatorah” - said once in the morning and covers Torah

learning for the whole day.

Transliteration: Baruch ata Hashem Elohkinu Melekh HaOlam

asher kidshanu bimitzvotav vitzivanu la'asok b'divrei torah.

V'haarev na Hashem Elokeinu es divrei Torasecha b'finu u’befee

amcha bait yisrsael, v’neeheyeh anachu vzezaeinu vzezaei kol

amcha bait Yisrael koolanu yodei shimecha vlomdei toratecha

l’shma. Baruch atah Hashem hamelamayd Torah l’amo Yisrael.

Baruch atta Hashem Elokeinu Melech haolam asher bachar banu

meekol ha’amim v’nattan lanu es Torato. Baruch attah Hashem

notayn Hatorah..

The classic translations of these words are: Blessed are you, Lord

our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His

commandments, and commanded us to engage ourselves in the

study of Torah. Please Hashem, sweeten the words of Your Torah

sweet in our mouth and in the mouths of Your nation, the family of

Yisrael. May we and our offspring and the offspring of Your

people, the House of Yisrael, all of us, know Your Name and study

Your Torah for its own sake. Blessed are You, Hashem who

teaches Torah to His people Yisrael. Blesed are You, Hashem, our

God, King of the universe who selected us from all the peoples and

gave us His Torah. Blessed are You, Hashem, Giver of Torah.

Origin: All brachos, with the exception of Birchas HaMazon, are

of rabbinic origin. However, The Shaagas Aryeh (Rav Aryeh Leib



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ben Asher Gunzberg; 1695-1785) argues that the bracha recited

before learning Torah is of Biblical origin. The proof? A Talmudic

passage in Nedarim [81a], which attributes the destruction of Eretz

Yisrael to the fact that Jews did not recite the bracha before

learning Torah. The Shaagas Aryeh argues that if this bracha were

not of Biblical origin, it would never have been singled out as the

cause of the destruction.

Rav Yissachar Frand [17] explains a Rabbeinu Yona that teaches

that when one studies Chemistry or Accounting or Law, one may

find it intellectually challenging. They may be deep and

stimulating, but one does not recite a bracha over them. However,

a Sefer Torah, a Chumash, and a Medrash - these do require a

bracha to demonstrate that we know the value of what we have

been given. The generation of the destruction apparently lacked

this appreciation - to the extent that the Talmud says, "they

abandoned my Torah" - i.e. - they did not even possess the Torah.

R' Aaron Levine zt"l known as the Reisha Rav in Hadrash Ve-

Haiyan on Parshas Ba’halotecha comments on “Birchat Hatorah”.

He relates that chazal offer many reasons for saying two brachot -

“la’asok b’divrei torah” and “asher bachar banu.”

One - there are two parts to the Torah, the written Torah and the

oral Torah. The two blessings simply correspond to the written and

oral Torah. Two - all our blessings may be broken up into two

categories. One category covers all the blessings that are recited

before the performance of mitzvot. The second category covers all

the blessings that are recited before deriving pleasure from this

world. These two categories usually do not overlap. The study of

Torah is unique in that it fits into both categories. We have a

mitzvah to study Torah and we also derive pleasure from its study,

therefore we recite two blessings, one for each category. Three -

the Levush explains that with regard to food we recite two

blessings. One blessing is recited before we eat and a second



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blessing after we eat. Similarly, the first blessing we recite on the

Torah in the morning is the end blessing for yesterday’s study of

Torah. The second blessing is the new blessing for today’s study of

Torah.

Rav Levine though suggests a fourth reason. We learn that

Aaron’s kindling of the menorah is symbolic of studying and

teaching Torah. The service of the menorah may be broken down

into two parts, the hatavah (removing the ashes and preparing the

wicks) and the kindling. We may suggest the first blessing we

recite over Torah corresponds to the hatavah. The essence of the

hatavah is to connect the service of yesterday to today, the past to

the future. This is indeed the theme of the first blessing. After the

main text of the blessing we continue to pray that the words of

Torah be sweet in our mouth and not depart from our children,

grandchildren and all future descendents. We emphasize that it is

our wish that the Torah be transmitted from generation to

generation without a break. We pray for that connection, similar to

the connection the hatavah provides. The second blessing is then

recited to correspond to the actual kindling of the menorah, the

Torah we plan to study and fulfill on this day. With regard to no

other service in the mishkan and mikdash do we find one that

connects the past to the future. Each service begins fresh each day

with no connection to what came before. The hatavah service is

symbolic of our ability to serve Hashem by building upon the past

and not just serve Hashem by serving him again and again.

Parenthetically, we may note that the menorah is symbolic of the

Torah study. This indicates that the ability to build upon the past is

possible only if combined with Torah study.

“La’asok b’divrei Torah” - The Brisker Rav [19] once said - "Did

you ever wonder why the “Bircat HaTorah”, which we say daily,

ends with the words la’asok b'divrei Torah, 'to engage ourselves in

the words of Torah'? Why does it not simply say lilmod Torah, 'to

study Torah'? Is this not the essence of the mitzvah?



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"The answer," the Rav said, "is that eisak also means business. For

one to succeed in Torah, he must relate to it as a business - with a

sense of purpose, with definite goals and objectives. He must work

diligently to achieve these goals.

The Ma'am Lo'ez (quoted in Birchot hamitzvot k’tikunan) says that

all mitzvoth which don’t have a bracha - honoring your parents,

giving tzedakah, returning lost objects, etc. - are covered under this

bracha.

Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald of NJOP continues this theme by

explains that Torah is not only to be studied, but is meant to be an

all-encompassing involvement. Usually, when a Jew makes a

bracha and departs from an activity, like leaving a Sukkah after

eating and drinking, and then re-enters the Sukkah to again eat or

drink, the blessings are recited again. But the blessing for Torah is

recited only once in the morning, and never again, even though a

Jew may open the Torah to study many times a day. The reason for

this is that the obligation of Talmud Torah, studying Torah, is

continuous. This is what is meant by the verse that we cited from

Joshua, "v'hagita bo yommam v'lailah," You should be aware and

conscious of the mitzvah of Torah study all day and all night.

“V’haarev na Hashem Elokeinu et divrei Toratcha b'finu” -

sweetness in Torah learning is a gift from Hashem for which one

must pray. Horav Shmuel Hominer z”l author Eved Hamelech,

asserts that the Divine Assistance which one receives from

Hashem is commensurate with the integrity he demonstrates as he

recites the bracha. Harav Shimon Schwab, z”l, analogizes this

hard-earned sweetness to one who is reluctant to jump into a pool

of cold water. Once he has jumped in and "broken the ice," the

water feels wonderfully refreshing. The same idea applies to Torah

study. At first, one has obstacles to overcome, challenges to

surmount as one makes the necessary effort to "shteig," succeed, in



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Torah. We pray that after we expend the hard work, the Torah that

we acquire should be sweet in our mouths. Harav Chaim

Shmuelevitz, “zl [23] comments that sweetness in Torah is, indeed,

one of the primary madreigot, levels, of Torah. Torah that is not

sweet in our mouth represents a "shortcoming" in Torah study.

The Rebbe of Skver noted, "Kol Yisrael yeish lahem cheilek l'olam

haba” - All Jews have a portion in the World to Come." However,

a portion in this world cannot be had without Torah study. Only

Torah provides the satisfaction, focus and emotional strength to

face the vicissitudes of daily life.

“Melamed Torah and Notein HaTorah” --- the teacher and giver

of the Torah in the present not the One who taught or gave us the

Torah. The Torah is not something that we received in the past, it

is not something we studied in the past rather it is current and in

the present. Torah is not something that we continue on a habitual

basis. It is the essence of our and what gives meaning to our lives.

Therefore, we have an obligation to grow and develop in our

understanding of Torah and must constantly strengthen and deepen

our perception of Torah.

HaRav Eliezer Chrysler on Parshat Yitro relates a teaching of the

Vilna Gaon that Bnei Yisroel accepted the Torah three times.

1.When Hashem said "and you shall be for Me a treasured nation.”

2. At Ma'amad Har Sinai. 3. When, a little later, Moshe made a

covenant with them (in Mishpatim) incorporating the oral Torah

that they would receive from him.

And all three are hinted in “Birchat Hatorah”. 1. 'who chose us

from among all the nations' hints at "and you will be for Me a

treasured nation"; '2. and gave us His Torah', at Ma'amad Har

Sinai; 3. and ('Baruch atah Hashem,) notein ha'Torah' hints at the

covenant that Moshe made with them.



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And this explains, says the G'ra, why 'notein ha'Torah' occurs in

the present tense (in contrast to the rest of the bracha, which is in

the past). Because the oral Torah is constantly being developed.

And a final note. We say v’haarev na - Hashem should sweeten

the words of Torah in our mouths. This may be the source of the

custom we have that when we cut the hair of a three-year-old child,

we teach him the letters of the aleph-bait and give him honey to

suck on. So that the words of the Torah be sweet in his mouth.

Birchat Cohanim

Transliteration: Vayidaber Hashem el Moshe l'aymor: daber el

Aharon v'el banav l'aymor: koh tevarchu et Bnei Yisrael, emor

lahem: Yevarechecha Hashem v'yishmarecha. Yaer Hashem panav

eylecha v'chunecha. Yisa Hashem panav eylecha v'yasem lecha

shalom. V'samu et shemee al Bnei Yisrael v'Ani avarchem

The classic translations of these words are: And Hashem spoke

unto Moses, saying: "Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, In

this way shall you bless the children of Israel, saying to them: May

Hashem bless you, and keep you; May Hashem make His face to

shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; May Hashem lift up His

countenance upon you, and give you peace." So shall they put My

name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.

Origin: The words of this tefilla are found in Parshas Naso, perek

vov, pesukim chof bait thru chuf zayin - Numbers 6: 22-27

One may wonder what these pesukim are doing in the middle of

our tefillot. The minhag was instituted because we have just said

“Birchat HaTorah” and it is appropriate to follow up with words

from Torah.



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We had discussed at another time that our tefillos represent

different sections of the Bait Hamikdash. Rav Schwab teaches that

both this and birchas Hatorah represent the ezrat cohanim.

Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky asks the following question on the

bracha given to us by the cohanim: Why is each one of the brachot

followed with its practical implication? Bless us... and safeguard

us. Illuminate us ... and let us find favor in the eyes of others. Lift

countenance...and establish peace for us. Is it not enough to be

blessed and have the illumination of his countenance? What is the

necessity of the second half of each blessing?

His answer is that the brachot in theory on their own are not

enough - there needs to be practical applications. A blessing of

wealth alone is not enough. Hashem must guard it. Illuminating us

with His countenance is not enough. Unless fellow humans

appreciate the grace that G-d has given the Jews, in this very

corporeal world, it is a worthless gift. And of course, even if He

lifts his countenance upon us we still need the blessings of shalom

- peace.

HaRav Eliezer Chrysler teaches that the first pasuk of “Birchat

Cohanim” contains three words, corresponding to the three Avot,

Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya'akov, and fifteen letters, corresponding

to the fifteen years during which time their years overlapped (since

Ya'akov was fifteen years old, when Avraham died).

The first pasuk, Yevorech'cha, is said in the merit of Avraham, by

whom the Torah writes "And G-d blessed Avraham with

everything". The three words in the pasuk represent the three

blessings that were said to him: 'va'avarech'cha', 've'heyei b'racha'

and 've'Avorchoh mevarchecha'.

The second pasuk, Ya'er, corresponds to Yitzchak, who saw the

akeidah and died, and needed Hashem to bring him back to life by



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lighting up his eyes, as is explained in the Pirkei de'Rebbi Eliezer.

'Ya'er" comprises the letters Re'i (backwards) because Yitzchak

went up on the mizbei'ach as an Olat Re'iyah (a sacrifice that

everyone is obligated to bring when they visit the Beit Hamikdash

during the three pilgrimages). The pasuk contains five words and

twenty letters, representing Yitzchak, who lived after twenty

generations and who kept the five Books of the Torah.

The third pasuk, Yisa, corresponds to Ya'akov, as the Torah writes,

"And Ya'akov lifted up his feet". And Ya'akov also said "And I

will return in peace" (the last word of Birchat Cohanim). The

pasuk is made up of seven words, corresponding to the seven

years, during which time the tribes were born, and twenty-five

letters, corresponding to what the Torah writes at Har Sinai "So

(koh) you shall say to the House of Ya'akov".

R' Chaim Zvi Teitelbaum z"l, the Sigheter Rebbe asks why the

bracha begins in the plural - emor lahem, say to them and then

changes to the singular, yivarechecha, Hashem should bless you?

He answers that “Birchat Cohanim” can only be said in front of at

least a minyan to teach us that we can only have bracha, we can

only be blessed when we are united as a nation.

His son-in-law, R' Yekutiel Yehuda Halberstam z"l, the

"Klausenberger Rebbe", would add that the Ba'al Shem Tov [31]

taught that there are three things worthy of our love: Bnei Yisrael,

the Torah, and Hashem, and they are dependent on each other.

Only one who loves his fellow Jews can love the Torah, and only

one who loves the Torah can love Hashem. (Shefa Chaim IV, p.

85)

Rabbi Y. Y. Rubinstein tells the following story: "A few years ago

I was concluding a talk in front of a very large audience in London.

After I had finished there were several people waiting to ask me

questions or to offer a yasher koach.



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After everyone had left, one man remained behind. He approached

and asked me if I lived in Manchester and I confirmed that I did.

He then inquired which area in Manchester and I told him. His

next question was whether I knew a certain person who lived there

and I answered yes. "How is he getting on?" he asked. Next there

tumbled a whole series of questions from my inquisitor. What did

this person do for a living and how many children did he have and

how old were they. I tried my best to answer but as I didn't know

the person very well, I couldn't be sure about some details.

Then it was my turn to pose a question, "How do you know him?"

My questioner looked at me intensely and a very sad and pensive

expression passed across his face. He hesitated, looked down at the

floor and very quietly replied, "He's my son."

I was taken aback and after a moment asked, "How is it that you

don't know how many grandchildren you have?" I listened to his

tale of a rebellious teenage son who had "gone of the rails" in a big

way. The parents had tried every device they could think of to

make their son see sense. They had tried bribery and threats and

had got other people to try to talk to him but nothing had worked.

One night in both frustration and desperation, the father had

screamed at his son, "Get out. Get out and never come back!" and

that's exactly what he had done. Fifteen years later the son had

settled down and built his own family but he had never come back

or had any contact with his parents.

I listened with great sadness and told the father although I didn't

know his son too well, I felt sure he would like to see him again.

The father shook his head firmly and replied, "It's too late now,

and too much water has flowed under the bridge."

Then an idea struck me. I suggested that if he gave me his address

and phone number I could send him regular reports on how his son



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and his family were getting on. The father liked this idea and so we

parted with me promising to keep him in touch.

When I returned to Manchester, by coincidence I bumped into his

son (you can always arrange coincidences.) I told him I had just

returned from London and had met someone there who was asking

after him. He inquired who it was and I paused and then replied

"Your Father." He looked at me and said, "How is he getting on?"

It was obvious that the son was as concerned for the father as the

father was for the son. I told him that I thought that his father

wanted to see him and uncannily he replied in the identical manner

as his father had, “I don't think so, too much water has flowed

under the bridge."

I tried to persuade him he was wrong and then tried a different

approach. “By coincidence I am going back down to London in

three days time, suppose I were to take you to see your father?"

The son hesitated and I carried on persuading till eventually he

agreed. When I came home I phoned the father and asked him if he

would be at home on that Thursday at one o'clock. He probably

assumed I intended to phone with a report and confirmed that he

would be in. I told him that I was bringing his son to see him and

before he could reply I said goodbye and hung up.

The drive to London passed unusually quickly. We located the

house straight away and I walked with my very nervous

companion towards the door. I rang the bell and a very long time

seemed to elapse before it opened. The man who had so many

questions a few days before stood anxiously looking at the face of

the son he had missed for fifteen years. I watched as tears welled

up in his eyes and started to course down his cheeks. I turned to the

son and he too had tear filled eyes. The son took one step towards

his father and the father rushed towards his son and they folded

each other in a hug. After a few moments they turned and walked

into the house.



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I found myself wonderfully redundant and paused to wipe the tears

from my own cheeks before smiling my goodbye and getting into

my car for the drive back to Manchester. A few months afterwards

the son bought a house in London and moved with his family, to be

near his father.

The Dubno Magid [32] asks a question on “Birchat Cohanim”. The

Cohanim face the kehilla and say Yivarechecha V'Yismerecha,

HaShem will bless you and guard you. Surely they should face the

Aron HaKodesh and ask HaShem to bless and guard the kehilla.

He answers with a mashul of a son who had behaved so badly that

his father turned his face from him and in shame the boy fled the

house. The young man sought refuge with a neighbor and when he

told his story the neighbor offered to mediate and reason with the

father. The father listened as the neighbor pleaded with him to take

the boy back and then replied, " You are a fool. He's my son and I

love my son with every ounce of my being. If you want to help the

boy go and explain to him what he's done wrong and how he

should put it right. My door is always open to my son help him

correct his fault so that he can come back, I'm eagerly awaiting his

return."

The Cohanim do not have to turn to ask HaShem to give his

blessings to Klal Yisrael. His door is open to shower blessing on us

always. All we have to do is make ourselves worthy to receive

them and walk towards the door.

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