דָּבָר אַחֵר, כֹּה תְּבָרְכוּ יְבָרֶכְךָ ה' וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ. יְבָרֶכְךָ, בְּעֹשֶׁר. וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ, שֶׁתְּהֵא עוֹשֶׂה מִצְוֹת. יָאֵר ה' פָּנָיו, וְיַעֲמִיד מִמְּךָ בָּנִים בְּנֵי תּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר (משלי ו, כג). דָּבָר אַחֵר, יָאֵר ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, יַעֲמִיד מִמְּךָ כֹּהֲנִים שֶׁמְּאִירִין אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְלֹא תָּאִירוּ מִזְבְּחִי חִנָּם (מלאכי א, י). וּכְתִיב: וְהָאֵשׁ עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ תּוּקַד בּוֹ לֹא תִּכְבֶּה (ויקרא ו, ה). וִיחֻנֶּךָּ. שָׁנָה רַבִּי חִיָּא הַגָּדוֹל, יַחְנֶה ה' אֶצְלְךָ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ, יַעֲמִיד מִמְּךָ נְבִיאִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְשָׁפַכְתִּי עַל בֵּית דָּוִד וְעַל יוֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלַיִם רוּחַ חֵן וְתַחֲנוּנִים (זכריה יב, י). דָּבָר אַחֵר, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ, יִתֵּן חִנּוֹ עָלֶיךָ בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁאַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב, וַתִּשָּׂא חֵן וָחֶסֶד (אסתר ב, יז). יִשָּׂא ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ. וְכָתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר, אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשָּׂא פָנִים (דברים י, יז). הָא כֵּיצַד. עָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה עַד שֶׁלֹּא נִתְחַתֵּם גְּזַר דִּין, יִשָּׂא ה' פָּנָיו. כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּתְחַתֵּם גְּזַר דִּין, אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשָּׂא פָנִים. דָּבָר אַחֵר, יְבָרֶכְךָ ה' וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ, עִם הַבְּרָכָה שְׁמִירָה. מֶלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וְדָם יֵשׁ לוֹ אוֹהֵב בְּסוּרְיָא, וְהוּא יוֹשֵׁב בְּרוֹמִי. שָׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ אַחֲרָיו, עָלָה וּבָא אֶצְלוֹ, נָתַן לוֹ מֵאָה לִיטְרִין שֶׁל זָהָב. טְעָנוֹ, יָצָא לַדֶּרֶךְ, נָפְלוּ עָלָיו לִסְטִין וְנָטְלוּ כָּל מַה שֶּׁנָּתַן לוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכָל מַה שֶּׁהָיָה אֶצְלוֹ. שֶׁמָּא יָכֹל לְשָׁמְרוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ מִן הַלִּסְטִין. לְפִיכָךְ כְּתִיב: יְבָרֶכְךָ ה' וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, יְבָרֶכְךָ ה' וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ. יְבָרֶכְךָ בְּמָמוֹן, שֶׁלֹּא תְּהֵא עָשׂוּי בַּמְּדִינָה פַּנְיַאס, וְשֶׁלֹּא תָּבוֹא זִימְיָא לַמְּדִינָה וְיֹאמְרוּ לְךָ תֵּן זָהָב, אֶלָּא יְבָרֶכְךָ ה' וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, יְבָרֶכְךָ, בְּבָנִים. וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ, בְּבָנוֹת, שֶׁהַנְּקֵבוֹת צְרִיכוֹת שְׁמִירָה. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, ה' שׁוֹמְרְךָ ה' צִלְּךָ (תהלים קכא, ה). יָאֵר ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, יָאֵר לְךָ מְאוֹר פָּנָיו. וְאֵין יָאֵר אֶלָּא חַיִּים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בְּאוֹר פְּנֵי מֶלֶךְ חַיִּים (משלי טז, טו). וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, אֵל ה' וַיָּאֵר לָנוּ (תהלים קיח, כז). וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, אֱלֹהִים יְחָנֵּנוּ וִיבָרְכֵנוּ (שם סז, ב). יִשָּׂא ה' פָּנָיו. וְכִי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נוֹשֵׂא פָנִים. וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר, אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשָּׂא פָנִים (דברים י, יז). אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהֵם נוֹשְׂאִים לִי פָנִים, אַף אֲנִי נוֹשֵׂא לָהֶם פָּנִים. כֵּיצַד, כָּתַבְתִּי בְּתוֹרָתִי וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ וּבֵרַכְתָּ (דברים ח, י). וְאָדָם יוֹשֵׁב הוּא וּבָנָיו וּבְנֵי בֵּיתוֹ וְאֵין לִפְנֵיהֶם כְּדֵי שׂבַע, וְהֵן נוֹשְׂאִין לִי פָּנִים וּמְבָרְכִין, וְדִקְדְּקוּ עַל עַצְמָן שֶׁיְּבָרְכוּ עַל כְּזַיִת וְעַל כְּבֵיצָה. לְפִיכָךְ, יִשָּׂא ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם. כֹּה תְּבָרְכוּ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אָמוֹר לָהֶם. אָמוֹר, מָלֵא כְּתִיב. אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לַכֹּהֲנִים, לֹא מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לָכֶם שֶׁתִּהְיוּ מְבָרְכִין אוֹתָם בְּאַנְגַּרְיָא וּבְבֶהָלוֹת. אֶלָּא תִּהְיוּ מְבָרְכִין אוֹתָם בְּכַוָּנַת הַלֵּב, כְּדֵי שֶׁתַּשְׁלִים הַבְּרָכָה בָּהֶם. לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: אָמוֹר מָלֵא. לוֹמַר, שֶׁצָּרִיךְ אָדָם לִתֵּן שָׁלוֹם לַחֲבֵרוֹ בְּפֶה מָלֵא. Another interpretation (of Numb. 6:23-24), “Thus shall you bless the Children of Israel: The Lord bless you and keep you.” “Bless you,” with wealth; “and keep you,” so that may do good works (mitswot). (Vs. 25:) “The Lord make His face shine,” and raise up children from you to be Torah scholars. Thus it is stated (in Prov. 6:23), “For the commandment (mitzvah) is a lamp, and Torah is [a light].” Another interpretation (of Numb. 6:25), “The Lord make His face shine (from he'ir) [upon you],” to raise up priests from you, who kindle fire (from he'ir) upon the altar. Thus it is stated (in Mal. 1:10), “you will not59In the biblical context, the sense would be “may you not.” kindle fire (from he'ir) on My altar in vain.” (Numb. 6:25, cont.:) “And be gracious to you.” R. Hiyya the Great taught, “May the Lord encamp with you.”60So did R. Hiyya understand the word translated AND BE GRACIOUS TO YOU (WYHNK), and the word can indeed be understood as coming from the root HNH (“encamp”). Another interpretation (of Numb. 6:25), “and be gracious to you,” to raise up prophets from you. Thus it is stated (in Zech. 12:10), “And I will pour out upon the House of David and upon anyone dwelling in Jerusalem a spirit of grace and mercy.” Another interpretation (of Numb. 6:25), “and be gracious to you.” May He set His grace upon you in whatever place you go. Thus it is stated (in Esth. 2:17), “and she won grace and favor.” (Numb. 6:26:) “The Lord lift up His face unto you.” But another text says (of the Holy One, blessed be He, in Deut. 10:17), “who does not lift up His face (i.e., show favor).” How can this be?61Sifre, Numb. 6:26 (42); PRK 24(suppl. 7):1. [If] one has repented before judgment is sealed, (Numb. 6:26:) “The Lord lift up his face (i.e., show favor).” When judgment has been sealed, (Deut. 10:17:) “who does not lift up His face.” Another interpretation (of Numb. 6:24), “The Lord bless you and keep you.” Along with the blessing there is a keeping.62Numb. R. 11:5. A king of flesh and blood has a friend in Syria, but he dwells in Rome; when the king sent for him, he arose and came to him, and [the king] gave him a hundred pounds63Gk.: litrai; cf. Lat.: librae. of gold; [but when] he loaded it up and set out on the road, bandits64Gk.: lestai. fell upon him. They took everything that he had given him and everything [else] that he had with him. Do you suppose that he could have kept him from the bandits? For that reason it is stated (in Numb. 6:24), “The Lord bless you and keep you.”65See the parallel in Numb. R. 11:5, which expands here: “THE LORD BLESS YOU with abundance AND KEEP YOU from bandits.” Another interpretation (of Numb. 6:24), “The Lord bless you and keep you.” May He bless you with money, that there not be a tax collection in the province, and that a tax collector not come to the province and say to you, “Give your gold.” Rather (as in Numb. 6:24), “The Lord bless you and keep you.” Another explanation. “Bless you” refers to sons (who can produce wealth), [while] “keep you” refers to daughters, since the females need keeping. And so it says (in Ps. 121:5), “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade [on your right hand].” (Numb. 6:25:) “The Lord make His face shine upon you. May He make the light of His face shine for you.” Now “make shine” (y'r) can only mean life, since it is written (in Prov. 16:15), “In the light of the king's face there is life.” It also says (in Ps. 118:27), “The Lord is God and has given light (y'r) to us.” And similarly it says (in Ps. 67:2), “May God be gracious to us and bless us; [may He make His face shine for us].” (Numb. 6:26:) “The Lord lift up his face.” Does the Holy One, blessed be He, lift up His face for a creature? Moreover, is it not already written (in Deut. 10:17), “who does not lift up His face (i.e., show favor).”66Numb. R. 11:7. It is simply that, just as they lift up their faces (show favor) to Me, so do I lift up My face to them. How so? I have written in the Torah (in Deut. 8:10), “Then you shall eat, be full, and bless [the Lord your God].” So when a person sits down with his children and the children of his house, and when there is not enough before them to be full, they [still] lift their faces to Me as they give the blessing. Moreover, they exercise meticulous care [to recite a blessing] for [something as small] as an olive, for [something as small] as an egg. Therefore (in Numb. 6:26), “The Lord lift up his face unto you […].”67Ber. 20b. (Numb. 6:23:) “Thus shall you bless the Children of Israel], ‘Say to them.’” “Say (amor)” is written] fully (i.e., with the o represented by the vowel letter, waw).68Numb. R. 11:4. Say to them, i.e., to the priests, “[It does] not [follow that], because I told you to bless Israel, that you will bless them [as though] in forced labor69Gk.: aggareia; Lat.: angaria. and in sudden haste. Rather you shall bless them (fully) with religious devotion (kawwanah) of the heart, so that the blessing will be fully effective with them. It is therefore stated, “Say” fully, to say that a person should wish his fellow well with a full [heart].