“Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying: ‘So shall you bless bnai Yisrael…'” (Bemidbar 6:23)

Every kohein has a mitzvah to bless the Jewish nation, for which Hashem blesses them in exchange. There are three components to this blessing. The first passuk, “Yevarechecha,” refers to physical needs; the second passuk, “Ya’er Hashem,” refers to Torah wisdom; and the third pasuk, “Yisa Hashem,” refers to peace. In many places in Eretz Yisrael these blessings are pronounced daily by kohanim, while in chutz la’aretz they are reserved for yom tov.

The Torah teaches us with Avraham Avinu that whenever anyone blesses a Jew he receives a blessing from Hashem in return. We can utilize this concept for our own benefit by blessing all those we interact with (Rav Avigdor Miller, The Beginning, p. 207).

Text Copyright © 2007 by Rabbi Moshe Goldberger and Torah.org.