Teaching Birkat HaKohane – Always There

The three-fold blessing known as Birkat HaKohane is found in Numbers: 6:24-26. The text is written in poetic form on three separate lines, unlike most of Torah which is written in paragraph form. The blessing was given to Aaron and his descendants to offer to the people. It was offered at the end of the Mishkan (the tabernacle that traveled with the Israelites in their wanderings through the desert) service and eventually in the Temple service each day. 
   
Y'varech'cha Adonai v'yish'recha 
Yaeir Adonai panav eilecha vichuneka
Yisa Adonai panav eilecha v'yasem l'cha shalom.
 
May Adonai bless you and keep you.
May Adonai make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
May Adonai turn His countenance unto you and grant you peace.

The Birkat HaKohane is offered at holidays, weddings and b’nai mitzvah ceremonies and in many congregations on Shabbat. When offering the blessing, the Kohane’s hands are lifted, the thumb is separated from the first finger and the second and third are separated so that the hand forms a shin. The shin is for Shaddai, the name of God meaning Almighty One. The shin is also found on tefillin and mezuzot. 

The two thumbs touch. Often the two first fingers also touch forming a triangle. What might the triangle stand for? 
1)    Ahl Shlosha Devarim: Torah, Avodah, Gemilut Chasadim

2)     For a wedding: Eesh/Eesha/Adonai: The yud from eesh and the hay from eesha spells ‘Yah’ – one of God’s names. For single parent family: hay with an apostrophe is used as an abbreviation for Adonai. For double sex parent families: double yuds are used as a way to write Adonai. 
 
We say, “God bless you,” whenever someone sneezes. Think about that now. What does it mean to say, “God bless you” or “Bless you”? 
 
How would you know if grace (as in graciousness) was in your life?

If you believed you could have access to a Divine blessing, for what would it be? 

Why do you think the Birkat HaKohane mentioned peace?

Try to craft a blessing for someone you know. 
 
It is interesting to note that this blessing was recognized on a tiny silver scroll dating back to the 7th century BCE. The artifact was found during a 1973 archeological excavation in Jerusalem. Also of interest, DNA sequencing has been able to identify descendants of Aaron, the Kohanim.  

COVETING – JEALOUSY 
In the Decalogue, the word covet (chet-mem-dalet) and crave (aleph-vav-heh) are used in the tenth commandment for humans desiring that which another person possesses. The bible generally uses jealous (kuf-nun-aleph) when referencing God, as in the second commandment which declares to have no other Gods for Adonai is a jealous God. 

Discussion:
Are there distinctions between coveting, craving and jealousy?
 
If God is jealous and we are to strive to be Divine, is there any positive attribute to jealousy?

The Rambam (Hilkhot Gezeila Va-aveida 1:11) writes:

 "Desire leads to coveting, and coveting leads to stealing. For if the owner (of the coveted object) does not wish to sell, even though he is offered a good price and is entreated to accept, the person (who covets the object) will come to steal it, as it is written (Mikha 2:2), 'They covet fields and (then) steal them.' And if the owner approaches him with a view to reclaiming his money or preventing the theft, then he will come to murder. Go and learn from the example of Achav and Navot."

 Thus, the prohibition of "You shall not covet" is a fence or boundary keeping us at a safe distance from the very serious sins that may result from it and that may cause very serious harm to others: theft, adultery, and – most serious of all – even murder.[1]
 
How difficult is it to control your desire for something? 

What do you gain when you can be satisfied without that which you thought you needed?

How do you obtain the ability to gain that control?

RELATIONSHIPS
 
Throughout our lives we encounter people that are healthy for us to be in a relationship with and other that are not healthy. Sometimes these people are casual acquaintances and pass quickly in and out of our lives. At other times, people are in our lives for extended periods of time. How do we deal with people who are not healthy in our lives?

Consider Ezra in the suit with pins. He “was afraid to move quickly since the pins were now sticking in every direction indicating seams to let out and others to take in.” Have you ever felt that you were in a situation that whatever choice you made, you would be hurt or would hurt someone? Journal about what you did and how it felt. If you found yourself in a similar situation, what would you do the same? What would you do differently? If anyone is comfortable sharing, do so. 
 
BULLYING - need to fill in material from file
(forgive and move on)
 
REFERENCE MATERIAL IN CHAPTER 1 
If you have not worked through the material in chapter 1 on HOME and FAMILY, you can do so here.
 
 
FROM THE TORAH

And they buried him, Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, in the cave of Machpelah...

Discuss what happens at reunions. Are there different events and different reactions to different types of reunions, i.e., family vs. school vs. camp, a few friends vs. a large group?
If you have ever attended a reunion, reflect on what effect it had on your memories of places, events, people.

Imagine Isaac and Ishmael meeting again as adults. Write a narrative for the first ten minutes of their encounter. 

  
[1] Maimonides, Hilkhot Gezeila Va-aveida 1:11, http://www.vbmtorah.org/parsha.63/17yitro.htm , 6.10.2013


 

Teaching Mi Chamocha

Mi Chamocha is a small section of a larger piece of Torah found in Exodus 15 that is known as Shirat Ha-yam or the Song of the Sea. In addition to being found in the Torah, Shirat Ha-yam is found in Pesukei de-Zimra, or the Verses of Song section, in the Shacharit (morning) service. Additionally, the few verses comprising the piece we’ve come to know as Mi Chamocha are found again in both the morning and evening service prior to the recitation of the Amida.
This section is known as Geula or redemption. The Israelites have fled slavery in Egypt and safely traversed the Sea of Reeds while the Egyptians have been drowned therein. The verses ring with praise for the redemption God has afforded the Israelites. 

Consider a time when you have experienced a difficult situation.
Were you successful in overcoming it?
How did you feel about the outcome?
Who did you consider to be responsible for that outcome?
Did you also have a physical reaction to the event?

In the Talmud, Sanhedrin 39b, God admonishes the angels for singing. 
Original Text:

 באותה שעה בקשו מלאכי השרת לומר שירה לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא, אמר להן הקדוש ברוך הוא: מעשה
ידי טובעין  בים ואתם אומרים שירה לפני               
 
Translation:
In that hour the ministering angels wished to utter the song [of praise] before God, but God rebuked them, saying: My handiwork [the Egyptians] is drowning in the sea; would you utter song before me! [Translation by Uri L’Tzedek. Edited for gender neutrality][1]

The Song of the Sea is not admonished. What can we learn from this distinction?

Ezra says that God wants us to bless God even when we are sad and feel loss. How realistic is this to do? If even God
expresses anger at loss, what does Mi Chamocha tell us we might expect of ourselves? How does that affect your ability to relate to God in the presence of loss?
 
Redemption from the past implies hope for the future. How does your experience with loss help you shape your future? 

IMAGES
 
Mi Chamocha is sung after passing through a narrow straight and emerging into a new life on the other side. This is a
re-birth, an earthly birth canal.

Chapter 8 talks about mayim chayim. Discuss how Mi Chamocha links that Israelites to Ezra and Tova. 

What are they (the Israelites / Ezra and Tova) blessing?

What are they (the Israelites / Ezra and Tova) carrying forward?

What responsibility do they (the Israelites / Ezra and Tova) have to the past? To the future?



[1] RuthBalinsky American

Jewish World Service, http://www.on1foot.org/text/babylonian-talmud-sanhedrin-39b 

6.9.2013