Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing, offers us nourishment from the divine realm in this human world of struggle. In this meditation, we explore each phrase of the blessing, and consider what emotional difficulty in us it responds to and how we can take in the nourishment of the blessing and practice inhabiting the divine view of things.
יְבָרֶכְךָ֥ ה’ וְיִשְׁמְרֶֽךָ׃ {ס}
May God bless you and protect you!
יָאֵ֨ר ה’ ׀ פָּנָ֛יו אֵלֶ֖יךָ וִֽיחֻנֶּֽךָּ׃ {ס}
May God shine God’s face upon you and deal graciously with you!
יִשָּׂ֨א ה’ ׀ פָּנָיו֙ אֵלֶ֔יךָ וְיָשֵׂ֥ם לְךָ֖ שָׁלֽוֹם׃ {ס}
May God lift up God’s face towards you and grant you peace!
(Numbers 6: 24-26)
Other Sources (in the order in which they appear in the meditation):
Psalm 91
Psalm 23
Genesis 1:4
Rashi on Exodus 2:2
Rashi on Numbers 6:26
First paragraph of Birkat Hamazon (Grace after Meals)
Photo by Aidan Roof at Pexels
