Reb Ginsbourg: The sanctity of Aaron …….

 ……. The Kohen loves the people and they, in turn, love him.

Our Parasha contains the timeless Priestly Blessing:(6:22-27)’Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying:’Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying:So shall you bless the Children of Israel, saying to them:’May Hashem bless you and safeguard you. May Hashem illuminate His countenance for you and be gracious to you. May Hashem lift His countenance to you and establish peace for you’.

‘Let them place My Name upon the Children of Israel, and I shall bless them.’

Our Sages ask (Sotah 39.):’What blessing does the Kohen bless, before he pronounces the Priestly Blessing? Answers Rabbi Zera, in the name of Rabbi Chisda:’Who sanctified us with the sanctity of Aaron, and commanded us to bless His people, Israel, with love.’

Rav Yechezkel Landau - the ‘Noda beYehuda’ - comments:’The Gemara’ we brought, ‘brings the form of the bracha’ which the Kohanim pronounce, before the Priestly Blessing, concluding with באהבה: ‘with love’, and I do not know the meaning of this conclusion - where were the Kohanim commanded to bless ‘with love’?

The Torah only says:’So shall you bless’, and whilst it is true that their blessing should be whole-hearted, we still need to know where they were commanded to bless ‘with love’.

‘Perhaps this is based on the Midrash (Parshat Emor):’Say to them: מלא: ‘fully’ - that you should bless them with the fullness of your heart, so that the blessing should be complete for them.

From this Midrash, we learn that they were commanded to bless בכוונת הלב with the intention of the heart, and on this was established, in their blessing, the word באהבה: ‘with love’.’

Rav Baruch Halevi Epstein offers another explanation:’The basis for this additional word:באהבה:’with love’, may be found in a Midrash Tanchuma (Parashat Vayetze) which brings a parable, of a Kohen to whom the farmer gave a tithe, but the Kohen did not feel that he owed him a debt of gratitude for this; however, when the same farmer gave him an additional offering of his own, mundane crop, the Kohen did thank him.

When asked, as to the reason for the difference in his reaction between the two gifts, he answered:’The first one was mine, as a tithe, as I am a Kohen. and in fact, what I received, was mine.

‘The second offering, belonged to the farmer, and therefore, I owed him thanks, when he gave it to me.’

Expounds the Rav:’This can be likened to the case of the Priestly Blessing, that as the Kohen blessed here, in our place, we owe him thanks that he, of his own volition, chose to pronounce it here - and not in another place, as he was free to do.

‘This can be likened to where the farmer could have given the tithe, not to the Kohen to whom he gave it, but to another Kohen.

‘However, in this case, the Kohen to whom he gave it, would not owe him thanks, as it was not the farmer’s - but belonged to the Kohanim.

‘This Midrash, does, however, teach us as to the blessing ‘with love’ - which is not part of the commandment, in the Torah.

By this - ‘with love’ - they show that this blessing of theirs, is not, in their eyes, a burden which they perform only because they are commanded to do, but do so ‘with love’.

This can be likened to the additional offering the farmer gave the Kohen - over and above the tithe he gave him - as this demonstrates his love for the Kohen, and his whole-hearted acceptance of the Mitzvah.’

The Torah Shleima offers another source for the additional word באהבה: ‘with love’, based on another Midrash - from Torat Kohanim.

‘The Torah (Parashat Shemini 9:22) relates:’And Aaron lifted up his hands towards the people and blessed them’- expounds the Midrash:’At that time, he זכה: ‘won’ the priestly gifts, and the priestly blessing, for himself and for all his generations’.

The commentaries note that, at this time, Aaron had not yet been commanded with the Priestly Blessing, but out of his love for his people, of himself, felt compelled to bless them.

‘As a reward for this, he ‘won’ the priestly gifts, and the priestly blessing for himself, and all his generations.’

Adds the Torah Shleima:’According to this, we can answer that which troubled the commentators, on the blessing:’to bless them people באהבה:’with love’, as to what was the source of the word באהבה:’with love’, as the Torah simply states: ‘So shall you bless the people’.

From other places in the Torah - such as Parashat Eikev 7:13:’He will love you, bless you..’, it appears that ‘with love’, relates to the love of Hashem - whose blessing the Kohanim pronounce - but, we can proffer, from our passuk, that the word באהבה:’with love’, refers to Aaron’s love for his people, as shown by he blessing them, before he was commanded to do so.

‘In the merit of this, he was rewarded, that he and all his descendants would bless the people - and Hashem promised him, ‘And I will bless them’.’

Rav Moshe Sternbuch adduces another reason, for the blessing being באהבה: ‘with love’, noting that ‘Hashem commanded that His blessing to Israel should be by the Kohanim, and not stright by Him, though He is ‘the source of Blessings’.

‘The reason for this is that it is the nature of people to see the Kohanim - who receive the gifts - and also talmidei chachamim who seek their support - as people dependent on the gifts of people, without themselves contributing, at all.

In fact, this is not the true position with regard to the nation of Israel, as their very existence and their success, comes from the Kohanim, and the talmidei chachamim, who bear the yoke of the Torah.

‘Therefore, Hashem commanded the Kohanim to bless the people, so that all the people they should know that they benefit from receiving this blessing, which is entrusted to the Kohanim.

‘Similarly, Bnei Israel are obligated to accept the talmidei chachamim as their partners in the success of their endeavors.

‘From here, the format of the blessing:’Who has commanded us to bless His people באהבה: ‘with love’, as the foundation of the blessing depends on the love between them - the Kohanim recognizing that their Torah is by the support of the people, and Israel knowing that their success comes from the Kohanim.

We find in the Zohar Hakadosh, that a Kohen who is not loved by rhe people - or if the people do not love the Kohen - he should not pronounce the Priestly Blessing over them - further, adds the Zohar Hakadosh - there is great danger for that Kohen to bless them with the Priestly Blessing, when there is not peace between them, this, because as we said, the blessing has to be באהבה: ‘with love’, the blessing being conditional on they loving one another.

Rav Pinchas Friedman derives a source to the conclusion of the blessing that the Kohanim pronounce, in the words:’ With the sanctity of Aaron’, which precede the words ‘and commanded to bless His people, with love’.

Expounds the Rav:’ This elucidates that all the sanctity of the Kohanim, is their being the sons of Aaron, the Kohen.

This is especially so, in this blessing, which specifically states:’Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, saying.

What, however, is the source for the command:’ To bless His people, Israel, with love.?

‘We can say- based on the above - that the words: ‘Who sanctified us with the sanctity of Aaron’, is an injunction to go in his ways, and to be - like him - ‘A lover of peace, and a pursuer of peace, a lover of people, and one who draws them closer to the Torah’’(Avot 1:12).

‘Therefore, in elucidating the blessing:’Who sanctified us with the sanctity of Aaron’, obliges the Kohanim to be like him: ‘a lover of peace.,a lover of people..’

This is the merit which stood to the credit of Aaron, who received the Mitzvah to bless Israel with the blessing of peace - and this, too sanctified his sons, the Kohanim, with his sanctity, to go jn his ways, and to be commanded ‘To bless His people, Israel, with love; and that, as we read in Avot, that we are all enjoined to go in his ways, to be ‘lovers of peace, pursuers of peace’, which is why the Priestly Blessing concludes ‘and to place upon you, peace’.’

Having but tasted a morsel, from the Torah of Rav Pinchas Friedman, let us feed our souls, with another exposition of the Rav, on our subject.

Expounds the Rav:’We need to elucidate why, in the blessing of the Kohanim before the Priestly Blessing, the wording is unlike all the other blessings, in which we say:’Who has sanctified us by His Mitzvot’ - here, not only is ‘His Mitzvot’ omitted, but, instead of it, they say:’The sanctity of Aaron.’

In the Siddur ‘Otzar Hatefillot’ - ‘the Treasury of Prayers’ - the commentator ‘Dover Shalom’, brings’ the passuk from Parashat Shemini, that we have brought, that:Aaron raised his hands to the people, and blessed them’.

‘Rashi there commented:’’He blessed them people’: the Priestly Blessing..’.

‘The Torat Kohanim’ - which we brought - said:’At that time, he ‘won’ the priestly gifts, and the Priestly Blessing, for him, and all his generations’.

‘We learn from this, that Aaron the Kohen, in his sanctity, attained in his ruah hakodesh, to bless Israel, with the Priestly Blessing, in the manner of אינו מצווה ועושה:’Not commanded, but does’..

‘As Aaron attained this in his ruach hakodesh - and not because he was commanded to do so, by Hashem - our Sages did not establish that the Kohanim bless: ‘Who has commanded us in His Mitzvot’, but - instead :’Who has sanctified us with the sanctity of Aaron’, to indicate that the Kohanim merited this Mitzvah, because of the sanctity of Aaron, who attained this Mitzvah, before it was commanded, and, in whose merit, the Kohanim of all generations received this Mitzvah’

‘We can bring an aid to this, from the teaching of Rambam, that ‘whoever eats Teruna, blesses the blessing of that food, and, after doing so, blesses:’Who has sanctified us with the sanctity of Aaron, and commanded us to eat Teruma.’

‘This fits perfectly with the Midrash we brought, that, when Aaron, of himself, blessed the people, at that time, he ‘won’ the priestly gifts, and to bless tthe people with the Priestly Blessing.’

‘As the gift of Teruma - indeed of all priestly gifts - was in the merit of Aaron, this blessing is pronounced on all priestly gifts, which the Kohanim won in the merit of Aaron the Kohen.’

A parting gem, from our Sages:’The Midrash says’ - on the passuk:(Shemini 10:3)’Aaron was silent’, on seeing the execution of the decree of death on his two sons, being carried out: וידם אהרן: And Aaron was silent’.

‘As a reward for the silence of Aaron, he was given the blessing, to bless Israel with the Priestly Blessing, which has sixty letters, the same number as וידם:’Aaron was silent’.’

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/409485

See also Rabbi Glatstein https://habayitah.blogspot.com/2025/06/naso-birchas-kohanim-dreams-divine.html