In Parshat Naso, the Kohanim are commanded to bless Israel. In fact, in an introduction to this passage, Rabbeinu Bachye notes that the blessing is the 25th gift given to the Kohanim. The number 25 in Hebrew letters is kaf–heh (meaning “thus”), and when the mitzvah is given, Hashem says, “Koh tevarchem” – Thus shall you bless them.
Upon revealing the text of the bracha to the Kohanim, Hashem concludes by saying, “You will place my name upon Israel.” (Bamidbar 6:27). Rabbeinu Bachye explains how the structure of the bracha corresponds to various ways of constructing the name of Hashem, and also how it confers blessing to those at whom it is directed. For example, the three parts of the bracha correspond to three tenses – all the points in time over which Hashem has eternal sovereignty – past, present, and future, wherein He is, was, and will be. Each of the three parts of the bracha has an increasing number of words – beginning with three, corresponding to the forefathers; then five, for the books of the Torah; and finally seven, representing the seven heavens. Israel is blessed in the merit of the three fathers, also in whose merit the Torah was given. The bracha is transmitted from the seven heavens in which Hashem’s presence resides.
The bracha is typically recited after the service of korbanot in the Beit HaMikdash, and one of the purposes of the korbanot is to serve as a vehicle for the concentration of the one who performs them to channel Hashem’s blessings into the world. The focused blessing for the benefit of the Children of Israel is an outgrowth of this process when it is completed correctly, and then all of the Divine Bounty is directed onto Israel by the Kohanim who have performed the service and are now reciting the bracha in the Beit HaMikdash.
We also find that the different sections of the bracha that the Kohanim “place upon” the nation correspond to different names of Hashem, and mark a transition between the letters of the four-letter Name of Hashem. Rabbeinu Bachye explains that the meditation on the Divine name runs backwards beginning from the last heh, and this is embodied in the first part of the bracha. From there he moves through the second verse, invoking the vav, until in the final verse the working Kohen manifests the yud and heh of the Name. The Kohen thus purifies his own thoughts until he becomes a perfect vessel for channeling the light of the Name and the One who blesses Israel into the world.
When the concentration of the Kohen is perfect, then the heavenly realms align directly with the material world and everything is suffused by Divine mercy and benevolence. This is the nature of the Shalom that is the final word of the bracha. When everything is as it should be and all the forces of heaven and earth are arrayed in accordance with the Divine decree, then there is peace below like the peace Hashem makes Above.
