On this Shabbat we find ourselves 10 days into the Hebrew month of Sivan, a time devoted to being open to receiving. Days ago, we celebrated the festival of Shavuot where we symbolically stand at the base of Mt. Sinai and relive the moment we received the gift of Torah. The reenactment of sacred moments is one of the many things I love about our tradition. It’s not a passive experience to remember or recall moments of our people’s journey, but rather an active expression of being part of a living story. The month of Sivan reminds us, receiving is sacred work.
In our Torah portion, Naso, we read the enduring words of Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing, from the Book of Numbers, 6:24-26.
יְבָרֶכְךָ ה’ וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ:
יָאֵר ה’ פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ:
יִשָּׂא ה’ פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם:
May God bless you and protect you.
The first blessing establishes protection. God is watching out for us. In our lives, we offer this blessing when we create spaces of safety for others – when we listen without judgment, when we offer presence in times of trouble.
May God’s light shine upon you and be gracious to you.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks beautifully explains this as making God’s presence visible through us. When we see the Divine spark in another person and reflect it back to them, we become the shining countenance. Divine grace, Rabbi Sacks teaches, “is the gentle recognition of each person’s inherent worth.”
May God lift up God’s countenance upon you and grant you peace.
Peace begins within and when we cultivate it within ourselves, we can offer it to those around us.
These ancient words have been spoken by our people for generations. The words themselves hold special meaning as they surround us with Divine warmth, love and protection. Even the structure of the blessing reflects “a rising crescendo” biblical scholar Jacob Milgrom teaches; “three words in the first line, five in the second, seven in the third. This isn’t mere poetry; it’s the architecture of abundance, showing us that blessing naturally expands and overflows.”
Rabbi Shai Held reminds us that sometimes it’s harder to receive a blessing than to offer it. Many of us carry our own wounds – from past hurts, current struggles, or simply the weight of living in an uncertain world – that make receiving difficult.
The month of Sivan asks us to practice the art of gratitude, to train our eyes to see abundance even in the midst of struggle, and to recognize the countless blessings that surround us. Opening ourselves to receive blessings is spiritual work. It’s a practice of vulnerability. It means allowing acts of kindness to surprise us and letting the support of others reach us.
When we invite ourselves to receive blessings with open hands and hearts, we become more capable of offering blessings to others. The blessing we allow in becomes the blessing we can authentically offer. Like the structure of the blessing itself, three, five, seven words building in crescendo, our capacity to bless others can expand even through times of difficulty, uncertainty and our own struggles.
The power of blessing is that it creates its own momentum. The person who learns to receive comfort becomes naturally more able to offer comfort. The family that experiences generosity and love becomes more gracious toward others. This is how light defeats darkness in our own lives, through the accumulation of small acts of love offered and blessings received.
As we prepare to welcome the blessing of Shabbat, may we be open to receiving the gifts of rest, renewal and time with our community and the ones we love.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Laila Haas
