The Daf B seat edition, an audio series of the Talmud Bavli, Masechet Sotah, has been dedicated by our good friends and talmid, Mr. Chaimi and Dina Danna, for the success of their children and especially for a complete recovery for Moshe ben Dina, and for the elevation of the souls of Yosef ben Sarina, David ben Frieda, Meir ben Zohara, Moshe ben Fayga Ruth, Sarah bat Esther, Fayga Ruth bat Esther, and Esther bat Yocheved. May the spirit of Hashem rest upon them in Gan Eden, amen. May you merit to perform good deeds. Today’s daf is being studied for the elevation of the soul of Marat Zkenati Yaffa bat Sarah, and Mor Zkeni Rabbi Yosef ben Sarah, and Rabbi Avraham ben Esther. May the spirit of Hashem rest upon them in Gan Eden, amen. Today’s daf is being studied for a complete recovery for Moshe ben Dina, Sarah Ruchama bat Rachel, and Sarah bat Rachel. Please, God, heal them, both physically and spiritually, and may healing come swiftly in our days, amen.
We begin today’s daf on Lamed Zayin Amud Bet, starting from the Mishnah at the bottom of the amud. We learned in a previous Mishnah that Birkat Kohanim, the priestly blessing, which is the act of the kohanim going up to bless the nation, is specifically done in Hebrew. Now the Mishnah will elaborate: “How does the Birkat Kohanim happen?” In the medinah, which refers to outside of the Beit Ha-Mikdash, the kohanim say three blessings. The congregation responds with amen to the three verses: “Yevarechecha Hashem veyishmerecha,” they answer amen; “Ya'er Hashem panav eilecha veyichuneka,” they answer amen; “Yissa Hashem panav eilecha veyasem lecha shalom,” and they answer amen. Thus, it is divided into three blessings.
However, in the Beit Ha-Mikdash, there was only one blessing because there was no interruption; as we will learn, in the Beit Ha-Mikdash, they did not answer amen. Therefore, it was considered one long blessing. Furthermore, in the Beit Ha-Mikdash, they would pronounce the name of Hashem as it is written, but in the medinah, they would say it by its title. In the medinah, the kohanim lift their hands to their shoulders, while in the Beit Ha-Mikdash, they would lift them above their heads. This was done to leave room for the Shechinah, which rested upon the fingers of the kohanim. Thus, they raised their hands high.
Except for the Kohen Gadol, who does not raise his hands above the tzitz, for the tzitz has the name of Hashem on it. It would not be respectful to raise his hands above the holy name on the tzitz. Rabbi Yehuda says that even the Kohen Gadol raises his hands above the tzitz, supporting his view with a verse: “Vayisa Aharon et yadav el ha-am vayivarchim.” This indicates that even though Aharon was a Kohen Gadol, he lifted his hands up to bless the people. This occurred on the eighth day of the miluim, which is the day of the inauguration of the Mishkan, the first day of the month of Nisan, when Aharon began his service as Kohen Gadol.
The question arises: where do we see in this verse that it was above his head? The commentators struggle with this. Some suggest that this last part of the Mishnah, which raises this question, is not part of Rabbi Yehuda’s statement. It indicates that the kohanim must lift their hands during Birkat Kohanim in general. Rabbi Yehuda states that even the Kohen Gadol must raise his hands above his head, period. The verse brought is to show that they have to lift their hands up. How do we know this? Because it says, “Vayisa Aharon et yadav.” The commentators further note that the word “yadav” appears without a yud. This can be read as “yado,” indicating that one hand must be higher than the other. Thus, the halacha is that the right hand is slightly elevated above the left.
Now, the Gemara begins: “Tanu Rabbanan. Koh tevorachu.” The verse states, “Koh tevorachu et Bnei Yisrael.” From this, we learn that the blessing must be in Hebrew. You might think that it could be done in any language. The text states “Koh tevorachu” here, and it states elsewhere, “Eleh ya’amdu levarach et ha-am.” Just as over there, it was in Hebrew, so too here it must be in Hebrew.
Rabbi Yehuda says that you do not need to go that far; he states simply that “Koh tevorachu” means to bless them in the language as it is written in the Torah itself. Another source states that the blessing must be done standing. How do we know this? You might think that it could be done sitting. The text states “Koh tevorachu” here and “Eleh ya’amdu levarach” there, indicating that just as there they stood, so too here they must stand.
Rabbi Natan says that you do not need to go that far. The verse states, “Lesharto ulevarech b’shmo.” This refers to the service of the kohanim. It states that God separated the tribe of Levi to stand before Him to serve and to bless in His name. Therefore, the Gemara makes a distinction: just as service must be done standing, so too the blessing must be done standing.
How do we know that service must be done standing? The Gemara states, “Ubi-mesharet gufa minalan?” How do we know that the service itself must be done standing? It is written, “La’amod lesharet.” The Gemara states: “Tanya idach.” Another teaching states, “Koh tevorachu b’nesiat kapayim.” This teaches us that the hands must be elevated. You might think that the blessing does not require elevated hands. The text states “Koh tevorachu” here and “Vayisa Aharon et yadav el ha-am vayivarchim” there, indicating that Aharon, on the eighth day of the miluim, lifted his hands up to bless the people.
The Gemara then asks a question: “Kashya leh leRabbi Yonatan.” Rabbi Yonatan had a question: “Is it possible to compare Aharon, who was a Kohen Gadol on Rosh Chodesh and performing public service, to other kohanim?” The Gemara responds that this teaching is not applicable because Aharon was exceptional. Therefore, the Gemara gives a different source: “Ravina amar me-hacha tzerichah.” You do not have to go that far. The verse states, “Ki vo vachar Hashem Elokecha mikol shvatecha.” God chose the tribe of Levi to stand before Him to serve and to bless in His name. This creates a connection between Aharon and his sons.
The Torah makes a comparison between the sons and him: just as Aharon performed the blessing by raising his hands, so too his sons must do the same. The Gemara continues with another interpretation of “Koh tevorachu.” The verse states, “Koh tevorachu et Bnei Yisrael b’shem ha-meforash.” This indicates that the blessing must be done with the explicit name of God. The Gemara questions whether it must be done with the explicit name or just by its title.
The Gemara states that the verse says, “V’samu et shmi.” This indicates that God’s name must be mentioned. The Gemara then asks whether this applies even outside the Beit Ha-Mikdash. The text states “V’samu et shmi” here and “Lasum et shmo sham” there, referring to the Beit Ha-Mikdash. The Gemara concludes that just as over there it refers to the Beit Ha-Mikdash, so too here it refers to the Beit Ha-Mikdash.
Rabbi Yoshiya says that this is not necessary. The verse states, “Bechol hamakom asher azkir et shmi avo eleicha.” This indicates that God will come and bless you wherever His name is mentioned. The Gemara questions this interpretation, asking if it is possible to mention God’s name anywhere. The Gemara answers that the verse must be read differently: “In any place that I come and bless you, there my name will be mentioned.” This indicates that the blessing of God is in the Beit Ha-Mikdash.
Rabbi Yoshiya further interprets that the blessing must be performed in the Beit Ha-Mikdash with the explicit name. The Gemara continues with another teaching: “Koh tevorachu et Bnei Yisrael.” This teaches us that converts, women, and freed slaves are included in the blessing. The Gemara asks how we know this. The answer is derived from the word “lahem,” which includes everyone.
The Gemara continues: “Tanya idach.” Another teaching states that the kohanim must face the people during the blessing. The Gemara questions whether this means they must face the people or if they can turn their backs. The Gemara answers that the text states, “Emor lahem,” indicating that the blessing must be performed face to face.
The Gemara then states that the blessing must be done in a loud voice. The kohanim must be audible. The Gemara questions whether it can be done in a low voice. The Gemara answers that the text states, “Emor lahem,” meaning that it should be done in an audible voice.
Abaye states that the halacha is that if there are two or more kohanim, the chazan calls them up, but if there is only one kohen, he does not call him up. The halacha is that the kohen himself must turn to bless the people. The Gemara concludes that the halacha follows Abaye, that at least two kohanim are needed to say “Kohanim.” The halacha does not follow Rabbi Hisda, who stated that only a kohen can call the kohanim.
Now, having read through this daf, we have encountered many halachot that we will briefly review according to the Rambam and the Shulchan Aruch. The first halacha is found in Shulchan Aruch Siman Kuf Chaf Chet, Halacha Yud Gimmel. It is also in the Rambam in Nesiat Kapayim, Perek Yud Dalet, Halacha Gimmel. Whenever the kohanim begin to say “Yevarechecha,” there is a discussion regarding whether they start from the word “Yevarechecha” or from the name of Hashem. Maran states that the kohanim begin with “Yevarechecha.” Some say that even the word “Yevarechecha” should be read by the chazan first. This is the minhag of Ashkenazim and most Sephardi communities, even in Eretz Yisrael, that the chazan reads the word “Yevarechecha” as well as the rest of the words. The congregation answers amen at the end of each verse.
The Mishnah states that in the Beit Ha-Mikdash, the kohanim would go up to the duchan after completing the morning tamid sacrifice. One kohen reads the verses word for word as they do outside the Beit Ha-Mikdash until they finish all three verses. The people do not respond amen after each verse but instead respond with a single blessing at the end.
When the kohanim lift their hands, they raise them to their shoulders and elevate the right hand slightly higher than the left. They spread their fingers and create five air spaces. According to the peshat, this is done by positioning the fingers in a specific manner. However, the Arizal had a different interpretation, suggesting that fingers should not touch, and that the five air spaces are created on each hand separately.
The Rambam states that in the Beit Ha-Mikdash, the kohanim lift their hands above their heads, while the fingers are spread out. The Shulchan Aruch states that the kohanim must bless in Hebrew, as it is written, “Koh tevorachu,” in this language. If the blessing is recited in another language, it is not valid.
Furthermore, the halacha states that the blessing must be done standing, with the kohanim facing the people. The congregation must also respond amen to the blessing. The Shulchan Aruch clarifies that if there is only one kohen, he cannot call himself up; instead, he must turn to bless the people himself.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi states that anyone who benefits from a stingy person transgresses a prohibition, as it is written, “Do not eat the bread of a stingy person.” The Gemara discusses the implications of this and emphasizes the importance of generosity.
In conclusion, the laws surrounding Birkat Kohanim emphasize the significance of intention, posture, and language in the performance of this sacred mitzvah. The kohanim not only bless the congregation but also embody the values of generosity and community that are central to our tradition.