A word of Torah:

        The Torah portion, Naso, contains the priestly blessing—yiverekhekha. Its three-fold invocation of God’s blessings is said at simchas and during services (see text above in Intention for this week). In traditional synagogues, it is chanted on festivals by Jews who are of priestly descent, the kohanim, who raise their hands with their fingers spread in a manner made popular by Mr. Spock on Star Trek. (I once had a conversation with Leonard Nimoy, z’l, and learned that he adapted it for Star Trek because as a child he was struck by the eerie power of the ritual.) The kohanim/priests bless those gathered in the synagogue, beginning with a unique blessing that commands them “to bless the people of Israel with love.”
        Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik wrote that whenever we fulfill a commandment we should do it with intention. Here the kohanim are enjoined to go further. They are commanded to chant the blessings with love. The implication is that without love the words are just words and can’t convey a blessing. Centuries earlier, Maimonides wondered about the character of the average Kohen and what power his blessing might carry.
        I want to suggest that the teaching here is that all of us—even those who are not kohanim—have the potential to bless the people. As God says to Abraham when he tells him to go forth to a promised land: “be a blessing/hayeh berakha.”  Don’t think that life is about accumulating blessings, but rather to be a blessing to those you encounter on your journey. How? By offering love. Our capacity to love, like the infinite God of the Jewish mystics, is without limit.
        The commentary on the priestly blessing in the Art Scroll prayerbook says: “This teaches that a person must rejoice in his fellow Jew’s good fortune until his heart becomes filled with love, joy and blessing---a blessing so great that mere words cannot express it. He must be so overflowing with love that the very movements of his hands must express joy and love. Raising the hands is a symbol of a heart pouring forth blessing and joy from a treasure of happiness…an expression of the hope and blessing which are hidden in the soul.” As I watched thousands of peaceful marchers holding up their hands this past week, I imagined the potential of love flowing forth through the streets of our cities.
        Another blessing used both liturgically and personally is the sheheheyanu, which expresses gratitude for reaching this moment. According to Jewish law, it is said by an individual for something joyous or special that has happened to her. If the joy is to be shared with even one other person (e.g. a partner or spouse) we recite a different blessing: Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha-olam ha-tov ve-ha-meitiv. Blessed is all that is Godly who is good and does good. I understand that to mean that while we should rejoice when we experience good things, an even higher level of rejoicing is when other people also can rejoice.
        Most of us live in a world of privilege. Beside celebrating ha-tov—the goodness in my life—I need to actively seek to create real blessing by sharing of my goodness with others-- ve-ha-meitiv. Saying sheheheyanu for my good fortune is not enough. Love and blessing should be the experience of all those created in the image of God. We should always celebrate and be grateful for our own good fortune. Yet at this time when the world needs so much from us, being a sheheheyanu Jew isn’t enough. We need to be a ha-tov ve-ha-meitiv Jew—a spreader of blessing.