Weekly Dvar Torah: Prayers and Blessings

This week we learn about the counting and elevating of the tribe of Levi, for their service in the Mishkan.

The Mishkan was there to bring G-dliness into the barren desolate desert, a place of no life, the service was done by the tribe of Levi, led by the families of Gershon and Kehos, who disassembled and carried the Mishkan from one place to the other, and then reassembled it at every station to make a house for Hashem in the desert.

Gershon’s (from the word גירושין = divorce) role was to dispose of all negative energies, Kehos’s (from the word ולו יקהת עמים = connection) function is to connect to the positive energy.

Prayer today is in place of the service in the Mishkan and Mikdash, which was the job of the tribe of Levi.

However, the Rambam teaches that every Jew can dedicate himself to do the service of Levi, so through prayer we all dispose of all negative and blocking energy, and we connect to all positive energy.

The function of prayer is to clear the channels so that you will get all that’s yours without interruption, just like having a job and praying that you get the paycheck that you earned for work done, and to get it on time.

Another function in and around the service in the Mishkan, was ברכת כהנים = the Priestly Blessings.

The priestly blessing is intended to open up new channels from G-d, the He should give you even what you did not necessarily earn, and the Kohen, because he is sourced in the attribute of G-dly kindness, opens up new channels for you even if you didn’t exactly earn it to deserve it, somewhat similar to winning the lottery.

The way to receive blessings, is like we say every day in Davening; ברכנו אבינו כולנו כאחד = when we are united like one we become the perfect vessel for blessings, the simple reason is because when Hashem our father, sees us, his children, united, it evokes G-d’s attributes of excessive kindness to bless us.

We started the week with Shavuos, the day of the giving of the Torah, and what preceded this event was that when the Jews came to rest in front of Mt. Sinai, there was an outpouring of unity, ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר = the people rested at the foot of the mountain as one, they were truly united, and this made them eligible to receive the Torah from Hashem.

Of Torah it is said כל נתיבותי’ שלום = all her paths are of peace, Torah is the way to peace, before Matan Torah we were united in peace, and through Torah we are on the road of peace.

The combination of the unity by Sinai, and the service of bringing G-dliness into the barren desert, lead us all to complete the service with the Priestly blessings.

The Rebbe encouraged us all to bless each other, on several occasions he asked Kohanim to bless the public with Birkas Kohanim.

Several times the Rebbe himself led the crowd by invoking the priestly blessings.

This is our opportunity to be blessed by Hashem and to bless each other with a new source of blessings, to open new channels from the source of it all, G-d’s infinite blessings, which come from G-d’s infinite kindness, to infuse us all with all that’s good materially and spiritually.

So as a Kohen myself, I bless you all:

יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ.
יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ.
יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם.

G-d should bless you and He should protect you.
G-d should have His countenance shine upon you and grant you grace.
G-d should raise His countenance upon you and grant you peace.

May we all say: Amen!!!

Have a blessed and bright Shabbos,
Gut Shabbos,

Rabbi Yosef Katzman