Parshas Nasso 5780
Especially in the absence of regular school, incentive programs have become very important. With our kids being home for many more hours a day than any of us are accustomed to, offering a reward in return for good behavior has been helpful in encouraging them to do their work and play nicely with each other. Considering our shrunken attention spans, rewards usually get doled out the same week, if not the same day. When you operate beyond the bounds of time, of course, reward for stellar behavior may not be dispensed until whole generations later.
A reference to one such example is contained in Parshas Nasso. Our parsha contains the Birkas Kohanim intoned daily by the Kohanim in the Bais HaMikdash and still recited in various forms today. The Midrash seeks to know why the Jewish People merited this special blessing and finds the answer in a rather unspectacular word:
מהיכן זכו ישראל לברכת כהנים?…ר׳ יהודה אמר מאברהם: ׳׳כה יהיה זרעך׳׳, ׳׳כה תברכו את בני ישראל
בראשית רבה מג:ח
From where did Israel merit the blessing of the Kohanim? R’ Yehudah said, from Avraham: “So shall your offspring be,” “So shall you bless the Children of Israel.”
Bereishis Rabbah 43:8
R’ Yehudah suggests that we be mindful of the simple word, “כה—So”. This word appears here in introducing the Birkas Kohanim—“So shall you bless”—and likewise appears in the promise G-d made to Avraham that his progeny would be like the stars of the heavens.
What is troubling about the Midrash is that the cause-and-effect seems missing. The blessing received in our parsha is pinned on the blessing that Avraham received in Parshas Lech Lecha, but what he did to merit either blessing is still a mystery.
I once heard a remarkable interpretation of the promise made to Avraham from Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman, who suggested that Hashem was not so much providing Avraham with a promise of how numerous his future progeny would be, but with a prediction of the quality of their character. “Look at the stars and start counting,” says Hashem. “Impossible, you say? It can’t be done? Well let me assure you that your children will regularly engage in the impossible. And My blessing to you and to them is that more often than not, they will achieve just that.”
It seemed impossible to build a Torah community on American shores so tolerant of assimilation, and to reestablish a Jewish State in Eretz Yisrael after 2,000 years of exile. Yet, “כה יהיה זרעך—So shall be your offspring.” Time and again, the progeny of Avraham would set sights upon the impossible—an exercise no less futile than counting every star in the heavens—and would triumph.
The Midrash Rabbah on our parsha describes a lackluster reception to the news of being blessed by the Kohanim:
אָמְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים, לַכֹּהֲנִים אַתְּ אוֹמֵר שֶׁיְבָרְכוּ אוֹתָנוּ, אֵין אָנוּ צְרִיכִים אֶלָּא לְבִרְכוֹתֶיךָ, וְלִהְיוֹתֵינוּ מִתְבָּרְכִים מִפִּיךָ… אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לַכֹּהֲנִים שֶׁיִּהְיוּ מְבָרְכִין אֶתְכֶם, עִמָּהֶם אֲנִי עוֹמֵד וּמְבָרֵךְ אֶתְכֶם…וּלְכָךְ הוּא אוֹמֵר: מַשְׁגִּיחַ מִן הַחֲלֹּנוֹת, מִבֵּין כִּתְפוֹתֵיהֶם שֶׁל כֹּהֲנִים. מֵצִיץ מִן הַחֲרַכִּים, מִבֵּין אֶצְבְּעוֹתֵיהֶם שֶׁל כֹּהֲנִים
במדבר רבה יא:ב
Israel said to Hashem, “Why have You told the Kohanim to bless us? We have no need for any blessing other than Yours!” Hashem responded, “Even though I have told the Kohanim to bless you, I am with you and I stand with them and bless you.” This is the meaning of, “He watches from the windows,” that is, from between the shoulders of the Kohanim as they bless. “He peers through the latticework,” that is, from between the fingers of the Kohanim as they bless.
Bamidbar Rabbah 11:2
I would suggest that the two Midrashim drive at the same point. What it means to receive the blessing from the Kohanim is to recognize them as the human conduits of Hashem, as His blessing is channeled through the very arms and fingers of the Kohanim themselves. The Jewish People time and again take on the impossible and succeed in such missions because of the absolute conviction that it is our destiny to succeed. It is G-d’s work after all, as much as ours. That same mentality that allows the Jewish People to perceive of Hashem’s guiding hand from behind the human veil makes them appropriate recipients of the Birkas Kohanim, where once more, Hashem peers through the latticework of human endeavor.
The unique nature of the Jewish People cannot be overstated. More than any people in history, we have come back from the brink of extinction to enjoy renaissance after renaissance. Indeed, “כה יהיה זרעך—So shall be your offspring”: a people that will always rise above expectations and achieve far more than naturally possible. Hashem offers His providence, promises the Jews a glorious destiny, and we have leveraged our unique position crafted by both to achieve more than can or should be expected of any other people.
This is an issue of critical importance, not only in establishing pride in our own achievements, but in maintaining a sense of understanding and sympathy for those who have not enjoyed similar success.
The country is in a state of deep reflection, concern, and turmoil over the murder of George Floyd and the demonstrations—some peaceful, others criminal—that have followed in its wake. Let me state what I hope is obvious: responding to Floyd’s wrongful death with demonstrations demanding that we not view African American blood as cheap is appropriate noble. Responding by crowbarring the face off an ATM machine and looting designer clothing stores is shameful and counterproductive.
But as a Jewish community, I suggest that we be careful not to fall into the trap of making comparisons to our own narrative. It is tempting to point to our own nation as an example of a people that was underprivileged, met with bigotry and oppression, and yet painstakingly clawed its way out of the socioeconomic cellar to achieve success. How enticing it is to remark indignantly, “If we did it, why can’t everyone else?” The answer lies in the brilliant light shining down from the nighttime stars and through the fingers of the Kohanim as they bless the nation. Our story and identity are singularly unique. We have been blessed with unparalleled endowments of personal character and Divine Providence. The very nature of being the Am HaNivchar, Hashem’s Chosen Nation, means that it is unfair to expect the same of others.
We can judge acts of nobility and of criminality on their own merits. Let’s maintain enough respect in our unique position to leave our own remarkable achievements out of the calculation.