The Torah in Parashat Naso presents the famous mitzvah of birkat kohanim – the blessing that the kohanim give to the rest of the people. In our community, this mitzvah is observed each day even in our time – every morning, the kohanim stand in front of the synagogue and pronounce the berachah dictated by the Torah.
This berachah consists of three parts:
יברכך ה' וישמרך – “Hashem shall bless you and protect you”
יאר ה' פניך אליך ויחונך – “Hashem shall shine His countenance upon you and give you grace”
ישא ה' פניו אליך וישם לך שלום – “Hashem shall show you favor, and grant you peace”
The Hatam Sofer offers an important explanation for these three blessings that comprise birkat kohanim.
The first blessing – יברכך ה' וישמרך – as early commentators explain, is a wish for material blessing. The kohanim bless us that Hashem should grant us wealth, and then protect that wealth (וישמרך) from being lost.
However, wealth can create a number of problems. Often, when people enjoy financial success, they become competitive. They start looking at what other people have – their homes, their cars, their designer clothing – and try to compete. Instead of enjoying their newfound prosperity, they are worried about and preoccupied with rivaling the people around them.
The kohanim therefore bless the people that after achieving success, יאר ה' פניו אליך ויחנך – Hashem should give them the ability to enjoy their blessings, without feeling the pressure to compete with other people.
Additionally, many people who begin to achieve financial success crave more. They cannot enjoy what they have, because they feel they need even more. And so the kohanim bless, ישא ה' פניו אליך וישם לך שלום – that Hashem should grant us inner peace and contentment, that we should be able to enjoy all that we have without worrying about what we do not have.
Too many people are not happy in life because they are waiting for something to happen. Instead of enjoying their children, they are waiting for them to grow up, or to get married. Instead of enjoying their job, they are waiting for the next promotion or raise. Instead of enjoying their home, they are waiting until they can afford to expand or move into a bigger home.
In order to experience true happiness and inner peace, we need to enjoy the present, and to celebrate the blessings we already have. We must enjoy our children when they are young, and when they still live with us at home, before they move on and get married. We must enjoy the money Hashem has given us right now, without worrying about when we will have more.
The kohanim bless us each day that we should experience inner peace. But in order for this to happen, we need to do our part, and strive to feel grateful for, and happy with, that which we already have, rather than discontentedly and impatiently waiting until we have more.