Naso carries one of the most famous pieces of the Torah, which is the priestly blessing, the one we give our children on Shabbat, and one that is inserted in our Amidah, every day. This blessing is also found in traditional siddurim as the Torah piece we study every day.
How do you relate to that blessing?
Can you find patterns in that blessing?
The other way this blessing became famous...
"In 1979 during the excavation of a late Iron Age (seventh century B.C.E.) tomb at the funerary site of Ketef Hinnom outside of Jerusalem, archaeologist Gabriel Barkay uncovered two small silver scrolls—no bigger than the diameter of a quarter—that were originally worn as amulets around the neck."
"The scrolls are known as KH1 and KH2. They are written in Paleo-Hebrew characters (see Paleo-Hebrew alphabet) not the Aramaic square script more familiar to most modern readers. Text below in square brackets represents informed deduction."
"preserve the earliest known citations of texts also found in the Hebrew Bible"
KH2 (11 × 39 mm; 0.5 × 1.5 inches)
- [Top line(s) broken: For PN xxxx]
-h/hu. May be blessed h/sh-
- -[e] by YHW[H,]
- the warrior/helper and
- the rebuker of
- [E]vil: May bless you,
- YHWH,
- keep you.
- Make shine, YH-
- -[W]H, His face
- [upon] you and g-
- -rant you p-
- -[ea]ce.
- [Bottom line(s) broken.]
Amulet 1 from Ketef Hinnom measured just 1 inch in height and 0.4 inches in diameter before it was unrolled. Photo: Zev Radovan/biblelandpictures.com.
When unrolled, the two ancient amulets from Ketef Hinnom revealed miniature writing that had been painstakingly inscribed on them. Researchers discovered that the inscriptions included blessings similar to Numbers 6:24–26. Photo: © Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Nahum Slapak.
By Tamar Hayardeni, Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23802556
More information:
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/miniature-writing-ancient-amulets-ketef-hinnom/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketef_Hinnom
Bahya ben Asher ibn Halawa, also known as Rabbeinu Behaye (Spain, 1255-1340)
(א) ושמו את שמי על בני ישראל. כאשר יזכירו את שמי עליהם אני אברכם לכולם, כהנים לוים ישראלים שהרי השם בכל פסוק ופסוק מהשלשה. ועוד על דרך המדרש, בשלשה פסוקים אלו יש בפסוק ראשון שלש תיבות, ובשני חמש, ובשלישי שבע, והסימן גה"ז, פסוק ראשון כנגד שלשה אבות שיזכור להם ברית אבות, פסוק שני כנגד חמשה חומשי תורה שהתורה נתנה בזכות אבות, פסוק שלישי כנגד שבעה רקיעים.
(1) ושמו את שמי על בני ישראל, “let them place My Name upon the Children of Israel.” G’d meant that as soon as the priests would mention G’d’s name as part of the blessing, He would bless them all, Priests, Levites, and Israelites, seeing that G’d’s name appeared in each of the three verses constituting the formula of the blessing.
And another midrashic approach: The first verse contains three words; the second verse contains five words The third verse contains seven words. [The symbolism is that] the first verse represents the three patriarchs; the second verse is an allusion to the five Books of the Torah; the seven words in the last verse are an allusion to the seven heavens.
רלב''ג במדבר ו':כ''ב
ואחר שזכר מה שיביא להסיר מלחמת האדם עם נפשו, ויסיר הריב והקטטה וההפסד מן הבית, ומן העם בכללו, - זכר זאת הפרשה, והיא ברכת כהנים, שהיא מעירה הערה נפלאה על ענין השלמות והשלום האמיתי.
Gersonides on Numbers 6:22
After [the Torah] recalled what someone would bring to get rid of a personal war within himself, and to get rid of the fight, dispute, and injury from within the home, and from within the nation generally, [the Torah] recalled this parashah, the Priestly Blessings, because it awakens the wondrous realization concerning making peace and concerning true peace.
(כט) זֹ֥את תּוֹרַ֖ת הַקְּנָאֹ֑ת אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּשְׂטֶ֥ה אִשָּׁ֛ה תַּ֥חַת אִישָׁ֖הּ וְנִטְמָֽאָה׃
(ל) א֣וֹ אִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֨ר תַּעֲבֹ֥ר עָלָ֛יו ר֥וּחַ קִנְאָ֖ה וְקִנֵּ֣א אֶת־אִשְׁתּ֑וֹ וְהֶעֱמִ֤יד אֶת־הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ לִפְנֵ֣י ה' וְעָ֤שָׂה לָהּ֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַתּוֹרָ֖ה הַזֹּֽאת׃
(29) This is the ritual in cases of jealousy, when a woman goes astray while married to her husband and defiles herself,
(30) or when a fit of jealousy comes over a man and he is wrought up over his wife: the woman shall be made to stand before the L-RD and the priest shall carry out all this ritual with her.
(ד) כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֣י נִזְר֑וֹ מִכֹּל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יֵעָשֶׂ֜ה מִגֶּ֣פֶן הַיַּ֗יִן מֵחַרְצַנִּ֛ים וְעַד־זָ֖ג לֹ֥א יֹאכֵֽל׃
(ה) כָּל־יְמֵי֙ נֶ֣דֶר נִזְר֔וֹ תַּ֖עַר לֹא־יַעֲבֹ֣ר עַל־רֹאשׁ֑וֹ עַד־מְלֹ֨את הַיָּמִ֜ם אֲשֶׁר־יַזִּ֤יר לַה' קָדֹ֣שׁ יִהְיֶ֔ה גַּדֵּ֥ל פֶּ֖רַע שְׂעַ֥ר רֹאשֽׁוֹ׃
(ו) כָּל־יְמֵ֥י הַזִּיר֖וֹ לַה' עַל־נֶ֥פֶשׁ מֵ֖ת לֹ֥א יָבֹֽא׃
(4) Throughout his term as nazirite, he may not eat anything that is obtained from the grapevine, even seeds or skin.
(5) Throughout the term of his vow as nazirite, no razor shall touch his head; it shall remain consecrated until the completion of his term as nazirite of the L-RD, the hair of his head being left to grow untrimmed.
(6) Throughout the term that he has set apart for the L-RD, he shall not go in where there is a dead person.
(ו) דַּבֵּר֮ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ אִ֣ישׁ אֽוֹ־אִשָּׁ֗ה כִּ֤י יַעֲשׂוּ֙ מִכָּל־חַטֹּ֣את הָֽאָדָ֔ם לִמְעֹ֥ל מַ֖עַל בַּה' וְאָֽשְׁמָ֖ה הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַהִֽוא׃
(ז) וְהִתְוַדּ֗וּ אֶֽת־חַטָּאתָם֮ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשׂוּ֒ וְהֵשִׁ֤יב אֶת־אֲשָׁמוֹ֙ בְּרֹאשׁ֔וֹ וַחֲמִישִׁת֖וֹ יֹסֵ֣ף עָלָ֑יו וְנָתַ֕ן לַאֲשֶׁ֖ר אָשַׁ֥ם לֽוֹ׃
(6) Speak to the Israelites: When a man or woman commits any wrong toward a fellow man, thus breaking faith with the L-RD, and that person realizes his guilt,
(7) he shall confess the wrong that he has done. He shall make restitution in the principal amount and add one-fifth to it, giving it to him whom he has wronged.
(ח) קֹרַח אָזִיל בְּמַחְלוֹקֶת. מַאי מַחֲלוֹקֶת. פְּלוּגְתָּא. פְּלוּגְתָּא דִּלְעֵילָּא וְתַתָּא. וּמַאן דְּבָעֵי לְאַפְלְגָא תִּקּוּנָא דְּעָלְמָא, יִתְאֲבִיד מְכֻּלְּהוּ עָלְמִין. מַחֲלוֹקֶת, פְּלוּגְתָּא דְּשָׁלוֹם. וּמַאן דְּפָלִיג עַל שָׁלוֹם, פָּלִיג עַל שְׁמָא
(א) קַדִּישָׁא, בְּגִין דִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא, שָׁלוֹם אִקְרֵי.
(ב) תָּא חֲזֵי, לֵית עָלְמָא קָאִים אֶלָּא עַל שָׁלוֹם, כַּד בָּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלְמָא, לָא יָכִיל לְאִתְקַיְּימָא, עַד דְּאָתָא וְשָׁרָא עָלַיְיהוּ שָׁלוֹם. וּמַאי הוּא. שַׁבָּת, דְּאִיהוּ שְׁלָמָא דְּעִלָּאֵי וְתַתָּאֵי, וּכְדֵין אִתְקָיָּים עָלְמָא. וּמַאן דְּפָלִיג עָלֵיהּ, יִתְאֲבִיד מֵעָלְמָא.
Korach went after disputes. What is a dispute? A fight. A fight with what is above and below. And one who searches for fights in this world, will be erased from all worlds. A dispute is a fight against peace. And a person who fights against peace, is actually fighting with The Holy Name, since one of the Holy Names is Peace. Go and see: the world only continues to exist because of peace, when the Holy One of Blessing created the world, He couldn't establish it until He came and put on it peace. And what is this peace? Shabbat, because there is a peace above and a peace below, and through it the world was established. And one who fights against peace, will be erased from the world.
Martin Buber, Tales of Hassidism
Concerning the words of the prayer: “He who makes peace in his high places, may he make peace for us …” Rabbi Pinchas said: “We all know that Heaven (shamayim) came into being when God made peace between fire (esh) and water (mayim). And he who could make peace between the utmost extremes, will surely be able to make peace between us.”
(1) יאר, may He grant light to your eyes to see and appreciate all the wonderful things G’d has done and keeps on doing. You should become aware that all that you achieve is due to His blessing.
(א) ישא ה' פניו אליך לחיי עולם כענין כי עמך מקור חיים וכו' וכאמרם (ברכות פרק היה קודא) צדיקים יושבים ועטרותיהם בראשיהם ומתענגים מזיו שכינה:
(ב) וישם לך שלום מנוחת שלום שהוא הנצחיות בלי תערובת עונש הראוי לכל שלם לחיי עולם:
(1) ישא ה' פניו אליך, giving you a vista of the world to come which awaits you. The line is similar in essence to what David said in Psalms 36:10,כי עמך מקור חיים באורך נראה אור, “with You is the fountain of life; by Your light do we see light.” It also reflects the statement of our sages in B’rachot 17 that in the world of the future the righteous sit with their crowned heads and enjoy the radiations of G-d’s glory.
(2) וישם לך שלום, the serenity of peace which is equivalent to an infinite, unbroken and undisturbed existence, not tainted by punishment, something which is a feature of life in the world to come.
(כג) אמור. כְּמוֹ זָכוֹר, שָׁמוֹר, בְּלַעַז דישנ"ט:
...
(כה) אמור. מָלֵא — לֹא תְבָרֲכֵם בְּחִפָּזוֹן וּבָהָלוּת, אֶלָּא בְכַוָּנָה וּבְלֵב שָׁלֵם (תנחומא):
(23) אמור is infinitive. Similar forms are זכור (Exodus 20:8), שמור (Deuteronomy 5:12)
...
(25) אמור is written in full to imply that one should not bless them in haste and distraction, but rather, with concentration and with a whole heart.
I want to finish by pointing out that נ-ש-א is The Root of our Parshah. If you look for it, you will find it 4 other times. As such, the point of this blessing, positioned in the middle of the portion, is to remind us that we lift each other when we bless each other with our presence and our words. May our Shabbat be of true Shalom, true peace, and may we remember to lift each other up. Shabbat Shalom
