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Laws of The Priestly Blessing
Laws of Prayer
Sources
A
§
Adda said
that
Rabbi Samlai says:
In
a synagogue that is
made up
entirely
of
priests, everyone ascends the platform
to recite the Priestly Benediction. The Gemara asks: If the entire congregation is composed of priests,
for whom do they utter the blessing? Rabbi Zeira says:
They say the blessing
for their brethren who are in the fields.
The Gemara asks:
Is that so? But didn’t Abba, son of Rav Minyamin bar Ḥiyya, teach
that the
people who are
standing
behind
the backs of
the priests are not included in the
Priestly…
Sotah 38b:15-39b:4
MISHNA:
How
is
the Priestly Benediction
recited?
In the country,
i.e., outside the Temple, the priest
recites
the verses as
three blessings,
pausing between each verse while the people respond amen.
And in the Temple,
the priests recite all three verses as
one blessing,
after which the people respond: Blessed be the Lord, God, the God of Israel, from eternity to eternity, as is the customary response to blessings in the Temple.
In the Temple,
the priest
utters the name
of God…
Sotah 37b:13-38b:9
And Rav Naḥman said
that
the
halakha
is in accordance with
the opinion of
Rabbi Yosei.
The Gemara concludes:
And
indeed,
the
halakha
is in accordance with
the opinion of
Rabbi Yosei.
The Gemara asks:
And nowadays, what is the reason
that
priests spread their hands
to bless the people
in the afternoon prayer of a fast?
The Gemara explains:
Since they spread
their hands
near sunset,
it is
considered like
ne’ila
,
and therefore the decree of the Sages does not apply…
Taanit 26b:15-27a:1
In the morning,
Musaf
, and
Ne'ilah
services, the priests recite the priestly blessing. They do not recite the priestly blessing in the
Minchah
service, because, by the time of the
Minchah
service, all the people have eaten. The possibility exists that the priests would have drunken wine, and it is forbidden to recite the priestly blessing while intoxicated.
Even on a fast day, the priestly blessings are not recited during the
Minchah
service. This decree [was instituted…
Mishneh Torah, Prayer and the Priestly Blessing 14-15
MISHNA:
A priest who has blemishes on his hands may not lift his hands
to recite the Priestly Benediction. Because of his blemish, people will look at his hands, and it is prohibited to look at the hands of the priests during the Priestly Benediction.
Rabbi Yehuda says: Even one whose hands were colored with
satis
,
a blue dye,
may not lift his hands
to recite the Priestly Benediction
because the congregation will look at him.
GEMARA:
It is
taught
in a
baraita
:
The blemishes that
the Sages
said
…
Megillah 24b:8-14
In order to prevent the prayer leader from erring in his prayer, it was said that
one who passes before the ark should not respond amen after the
blessing of the
priests, because of
potential
confusion.
Since the mishna is describing a situation in which he was praying without a prayer book, responding amen would interrupt the order of the prayer and potentially lead him to begin a different blessing. For this reason, even
if there is no priest other than
the communal prayer leader,
he does not lift his hands
to bless the people, lest he become confused…
Berakhot 34a:3
Speaking of that verse in Isaiah, the Gemara cites that
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Any priest who killed a person may not lift his hands
in the Priestly Blessing
as it is stated:
“And when you spread forth your hands I will hide My eyes from you…
your hands are full of blood.”
Here we see that the Priestly Blessing, performed with hands spread forth, is not accepted when performed by priests whose “hands are full of blood.”
Berakhot 32b:4
A minor may read the Torah
in public
and
also
translate
the text for the congregation into Aramaic,
but he may not recite the
introductory prayers and
blessing
before
Shema
, and he may not pass before the ark
to lead the congregation in prayer,
and he may not lift his hands
to recite the Priestly Benediction.
Megillah 24a:11
Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba says: Anyone who recites
these verses
in the outlying areas,
i.e., outside the Temple,
is nothing other than mistaken
in his practice.
Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said:
You should
know that in the Temple also
people
should not recite
these verses.
Do you have a servant who is being blessed and does not listen
to the blessing, but rather speaks at the same time?
Sotah 40a:4
Rabbi Yehuda, son of Rabbi Naḥmani, the disseminator
of
Reish Lakish, interpreted
a verse
homiletically: Whoever looks at
the following
three things, his eyes will grow dim:
One who looks
at a rainbow, at a
Nasi
, and at the priests.
He explains:
At a rainbow, as it is written: “As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain,
so was the appearance of the brightness round about,
this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord”
(Ezekiel 1:28)…
Chagigah 16a:14
Rav Shemen bar Abba raised an objection
from that which was taught in a
baraita
:
From where
is it derived
that a priest who went up to the platform
to recite the Priestly Blessing
should not say: Since the Torah granted me permission to bless the Jewish people, I will add a blessing of my own,
which is not part of the Priestly Blessing stated in the Torah,
for example:
“May
the Lord God of your fathers make you
a thousand times
as many as you are”
(Deuteronomy 1:11)? It is derived from
the verse
that
states: “You shall not add…
Rosh Hashanah 28b:10
The priests placed their vessels on the ground
and
then
blessed the people,
reciting
one blessing.
The Priestly Benediction was recited outside the Temple as well,
but
in the Temple, it was recited differently,
as in
the rest of
the country
the priests would
recite it
as
three blessings,
and the listeners would answer amen after each blessing.
But in the Temple
they would recite it as
one blessing,
and the listeners would not respond to each blessing…
Tamid 33b:4-5
The mishna states: The priest
would enter the Sanctuary and turn to his right.
The Gemara asks:
What is the reason
that he should do so? The Gemara responds:
As the Master said: All turns that you turn should be only to the right.
Sotah 15b:14
As Abba, son of Rav Binyamin bar Ḥiyya, taught
in a
baraita
: Those
people
standing in the synagogue
behind the priests
during the Priestly Blessing, who are not positioned in front of them, face-to-face,
are not included in the blessing.
They are expected to make the minimal effort to stand in front of the priests. However, those in the fields are included in the Priestly Blessing.
Rosh Hashanah 35a:11
And any priest who does not ascend the platform
to recite the Priestly Benediction
violates three positive mitzvot
expressed in the verses: “So you shall bless the children of Israel; you shall say to them” (Numbers 6:23), and: “And they shall put My name upon the children of Israel” (Numbers 6:27).
Menachot 44a:18
§
The Sages taught
in a
baraita
:
Priests are not allowed to ascend with their sandals to the platform
to recite the Priestly Blessing in the synagogue.
And this is one of the nine ordinances that Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai instituted. Six
are mentioned
in this chapter:
Sounding the
shofar
on Shabbat in Yavne, taking the
lulav
all seven days, the prohibition against eating new grain the entire day of waving, accepting testimony to determine the start of the month all day, having the witnesses to the New Moon go to the place of meeting…
Rosh Hashanah 31b:6
The Sages say
that the importance of showing respect for the congregation is derived
from here:
The
halakha
is
that the priests are not permitted to ascend the platform
to recite the benediction
in their sandals,
as is taught in a
baraita
.
And this
halakha
is one of nine ordinances that Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai instituted. What is the reason
for this ordinance?
Is it not out of respect for the congregation,
as it would be disrespectful for the priests to display their dirty sandals in front of the congregants?
Rav Ashi…
Sotah 40a:15
GEMARA:
Rav Yehuda said
that
Rav said: And
the
halakha
is
similar with regard to prayer,
in that one who is standing outside the doorway cannot be included together with those praying inside. The Gemara notes that Rav
disagrees with Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Even a barrier of iron does not separate between the Jewish people and their Father in Heaven.
Barriers are irrelevant with regard to prayer.
Pesachim 85b:7
MISHNA:
One does not recite the
introductory prayers and
blessing [
poresin
]
before
Shema
; nor does one pass before the ark
to repeat the
Amida
prayer;
nor do the
priests
lift their hands
to recite the Priestly Benediction;
nor is the Torah read
in public;
nor does one conclude with
a reading from
the Prophets
[
haftara
] in the presence of fewer than ten men.
Megillah 23b:4
And these are recited
only
in the sacred tongue,
Hebrew:
The recitation of
the verses that one recounts when bringing the
first fruits
to the Temple;
and
the recitations which form an element of
the ritual through which a
yavam
frees a
yevama
of her levirate bonds [
ḥalitza
];
the
blessings and curses
that were spoken on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal;
the Priestly Benediction; and the blessing
on the Torah recited
by
the
High Priest
on Yom Kippur…
Sotah 32a:6
Related
ראו גם
Priestly Blessing (Birkat Kohanim)
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