Priestly Blessings by non-Cohanim

 

Cartoon: Mordechai Becher, David Podbere

Text by Rabbi Benjy Simons

For those that live in the Diaspora, Birchas Cohanim on the festivals is one of the highlights, as we draw down the blessings as given by Hashem through the Kohanim. The text of their blessing comes from this week’s Parsha, which seems as one would imagine, specifically limited to Aharon and his sons (see Bamidbar 6:23). Surprisingly though, this passage has been adapted as the standard blessing that many parents have the custom to give their sons each Friday night, or a Rabbi of a community towards a Bar Mitzvah boy, irrespective of the father or Rabbi being a Kohen! 

In truth, the concept of the Priestly Blessing being given by a non-Kohen is already found in the Talmud (Shabbat 118a), where Rabbi Yose despite not being a Kohen, when asked by his colleagues to ascend the platform to give the Priestly Blessing, he acquiesced. While the Magen Avraham rules from this story that a non-Kohen can Duchan, virtually all the other commentators struggle to understand this story in light of the Gemara (Kesubos 24b) that rules that a non-Kohen is forbidden to give such a blessing and thus seek alternative understandings as to why this was allowed. 

Tosfos defends Rabbi Yose, as aside from being unable to recite the blessing prior the benediction, seemingly no violation takes place. Alternatively, Rav Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz suggested that in the case of Rabbi Yose, there were not any Kohanim present at the time, and thus to avoid missing out entirely on the blessing, they requested that Rabbi Yose give it in lieu of the Kohanim. The Rema (O.C 128:1) though seems to take issue with these interpretations, for a non-Kohen may never ascend to give the Priestly Blessing regardless of the blessing being omitted or if there are no other Kohanim present.

Rabbi Yoel Sirkes and the Maharsha suggest that perhaps a distinction can be made when the one giving the blessing does not raise both his hands, which as explained by Rabbi Yechezkel Halevi Landau is an intrinsic part of the procedure (Sotah 38a). They argue that when Rabbi Yose gave his blessing, he never raised both his hands, essentially differentiating his blessing from that which was done by the Priests in the Temple and observed today by the Kohanim. 

The story is recorded by Rabbi Boruch Epstein in his Magnum Opus Torah Temima, that the Vilna Gaon (who was not a Kohen) gave over the Priestly Blessing to Rabbi Yechezkel Landau at his wedding but was careful to only raise one hand to make a clear distinction that he was not following the procedure normally done by the Kohanim. 

A further leniency as cited by the Mishna Berura (128:3) regarding this issue, is that perhaps one can avoid the prohibition by having in mind that one is NOT fulfilling the Mitzvah (i.e., using a negative intention) of the Priestly Blessing, and furthermore this may even be implicit as it is being done not in the context of the Amidah where it is normally recited. 

While we are told that Hashem desires the bestowal of this blessing (Sotah 38b), may we merit to always give each other blessings in the correct Halachic manner.

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