Parashat HaShavua - Naso

יִשָּׂא ה׳  פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם

May God turn God’s face towards you and grant you peace.

This week we read Parshat Naso which includes Birkat Kohanim (the Priestly Benediction). This blessing is familiar to us from the daily Amidah (central prayer) as well as from the Shabbat ritual of parents blessing their children. The benediction consists of three lines -- each longer than the one that came before it. I read this benediction as an articulation of step by step process to experience Shalom (peace) or Shlemut (wholeness). I offer this Devar Torah as a kavanah, a prayer for peace in Israel. 

The first line asks God to bless us and offer us protection. These are basic necessities. Material and physical well being. We are grateful for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. There is a significant difference between peace and a secure ceasefire. Ceasefire is a necessary first step to restore calm, safety, and basic necessities to the people impacted by this conflict. 

The third line of the benediction beseeches God to grant us peace. It also clarifies that peace is similar to seeing God’s face. It takes an enormous amount of effort, courage, vulnerability, faith, and intentionality to encounter the Divine.

The central line (right in the middle) asks God to shine God’s light and be gracious with us. The path from safety and protection to peace relies on human beings who are able to transform their God given gifts of leadership, wisdom, and political insight into action. These gifts are those which will light up our beautiful homeland and bring us closer to achieving peace and to merit the opportunity to encounter the divine.

May God turn God’s face towards Israel and grant her peace.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Dahlia Kronish
High School Associate Head