Priestly Blessing (Birkat Kohanim)

Learn all about the Priestly Blessing: Who blesses and when, the preparations, the procedure of the actual blessing, the congregation’s role, and the Kabbalah behind it all.

The Priestly Blessing is one of the most spiritually uplifting moments in Jewish life, as the entire congregation is embraced in a “divine hug.”

Good question. There is a mitzvah in the Torah for a kohen to bless the Jewish people every day with upraised hands. This is called Birkat Kohanim (“Blessing of the Priests”) or Nesiat Kapaim (“Raising the Palms”). This mitzvah is not restricted to Temple...

This class carefully analyzes the proverbial Birkat Kohanim (the priestly blessings), which appear in this week’s Torah portion, Naso. Learn the answers to why an ordinary person’s blessing can be meaningful simply due to ancient genetics, what do the pri...

Question: I recently discovered that the famous Vulcan salute is actually a Jewish symbol. Is that true? If so, what does it mean? Response: Yes, the Vulcan salute is an authentic imitation of the manner by which Cohanim spread their hands in most congreg...

"והתודו את חטאתם אשר עשו והשיב את אשמו בראשו וחמישתו יסף עליו ונתן לאשר אשם לו" “They shall confess the sin that they committed; he shall make restitution for his guilt in its principal amount and add its fifth to it, and give it to the one to whom he is ...

The priestly blessing empowers us to make a three-step climb.

During the recent Jewish holidays, I noticed that when the priestly blessing, the birkat kohanim, is being sung, the congregation says a prayer to “transform” their bad dreams into good dreams. Why pray for them specifically during the holidays?