Weekly Message

June 6, 2025
10 Sivan 5785
Parashat Nasso
Numbers 4:21 - 7:89

Dear Friends,

At first glance, this Torah portion, Naso, "elevate or uplift" (Numbers 4:21-7:89), is filled with rules and procedures: rules for the priests, for the clans of the tribe of Levi, for dealing with a jealous husband, and for the Nazir, who have taken on special vows in dedication to the Divine. We then have an exceedingly repetitive section where the gifts of each tribe, which are identical, are listed in detail as they are offered at the dedication of the Mishkan (tabernacle). At the heart of the Mishkan is the Tent of Meeting, the Ohel Moed, where Moses hears the Divine voice. At the very center of this Torah portion we have the threefold blessing that the priests were told to offer to the people. It is in many ways the heart of this Torah portion.

“God spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: ‘This is how you will bless the Israelites, saying to them:

May Adonai bless you and keep you;
May Adonai let the light of God’s presence shine on you and be gracious to you
May Adonai look kindly upon you, and grant you peace!

Thus they shall set my name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27)

It is this section of the Torah portion that speaks to me directly and not only as a rabbi who is privileged to offer blessings on a regular basis. The rest of the Torah portion, as powerful as the other sections are, do not speak to my modern self as directly. We actually bless one another other all of the time.

But it does raise the question, what exactly is the nature of a blessing?

The idea that we are able to offer blessings upon one another is a powerful one. The question is, how often do we actually do it? How often do we feel empowered to do it? In many Jewish homes on Friday night after the Shabbat candles are lit, parents bless their children. Some use the threefold blessing.

When the priests blessed the people in our Torah portion, it was in many ways part of a process by which a larger connection was being established. The priests were conduits of hope. We are taught that Rashi said that the priests were not to bless them in haste, nor in hurried excitement, but with full consciousness (kavanah), and with a whole heart. This teaching reminds us that a blessing is so much more than a formula. The intent behind the blessing matters, along with the words.

In chaplaincy training, we were advised that we would never know what awaited us, but it was our job to listen with great care. If we did so, we would be able to offer a handmade blessing if the person we were seeing was willing to accept one, a blessing tailored just for them.

When we at Tehillah place a family that is celebrating under a tallit and offer the threefold blessing, we do so just as Rashi prescribed.

What is a blessing? A blessing is a note of caring that we offer one another, whether it reflects a need of the moment or is the threefold blessing. It is there for us to hold one another and in the process see one another, and it is a reminder we are not alone.

May you be blessed as you enter Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn