Omer day 46.
This week’s portion called Naso (translated “Lift”) is from Numbers 4:21 – 7:89 and is the longest single portion in the Torah, containing 176 verses. The reading starts with a continuation of the Levite census and a discussion regarding their Tabernacle duties. The laws of the alleged unfaithful woman and the Nazirite follow. The portion concludes with the Priestly Blessing and the offerings which the Tribal leaders brought in honor of the Tabernacle inauguration.
Let’s read from the parsha:
Num 6:22 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Num 6:23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
Num 6:24 The LORD bless you and keep you;
Num 6:25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
Num 6:26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Num 6:27 “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
Throughout the scripture we see in many places the idea of one person blessing another. Everyone has the power of blessing. The person giving the blessing is calling on God to help a particular individual, to pour on them Divine bounty and goodness.
Near the beginning of the Torah, God told Abraham “You will be a blessing… through you will be blessed all families of the earth.” God was granting Abraham the power of blessing. Much of the Torah concerns blessings from one person to another, such as the blessings of Isaac and later of Jacob. Indeed, every parent has a special power to bless their children.
This week’s Torah reading, gives the text of a very remarkable blessing: the words with which the Priests, the kohanim, bless the people. They used to chant this daily in the Temple. Today too, on festivals, they stand in front of the Ark and bless the congregation:
May God bless and protect you. May God make His countenance shine upon you and be gracious to you. May God turn His countenance toward you and grant you peace.
After the words of the blessing, the Torah adds: “They should place My Name upon the people, and I will bless them.“
Rabbi Akiva explains this means that following the blessing of the kohanim, God indeed responds and gives His infinitely exalted blessing to the people. There is an intimate interaction between the kohanim and God. The kohanim pronounce their blessing, and God responds.
This week’s Torah reading is always read in close time proximity to the Shavuot Festival, which celebrates the Giving of the Torah at Sinai and for believers we celebrate the outpouring of the Spirit of God. One of this holiday’s lessons touches on the ongoing interaction between each individual and God.
On Shavuot in the Synagogue, the Torah’s description of the dramatic revelation of the Ten Commandments to the Israelite people gathered at Mount Sinai is read. They are introduced with the words: “God spoke all these commandments, saying.“
The Sages comment that usually when the Torah uses the word “saying” it means that God speaks to Moses, and “saying” means that he should tell what he heard to the rest of the Israelite people. But in this case, the entire people were present at Sinai. So what does “saying” mean?
They explain that this means that for all time, whenever a person studies Torah, God says the words together with him or her. God responds to the individual and the moments of Torah study become a time of Divine revelation, as if one were at Sinai.
This has the same pattern as the blessing of the kohanim, to which God responds. So too, when a person studies Torah, God responds. The individual connects with God at every step. Whether as a kohen blessing the congregation, or any person studying Torah, or indeed carrying out an act of kindness, God responds, at every moment of life.
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