Priestly Blessing

But if you understand the word “bless” as “reward,” a quite acceptable translation, Aaron’s words of blessing then become an explanation to the people, perhaps even an incentive, as to how God is to reward the people. “God will bless you and protect you. God will deal kindly and graciously with you. God will bestow favor on you and grant you peace.”
By reading the text in this manner, we can hear a message stating that those who link themselves with God–and the people of Israel–will indeed be blessed. And we will be further blessed for them having joined us.
They will be blessed for linking themselves with God and with us and we will be blessed as well. That is our reward for including them. What better message of inclusion can there be?
--Kerry Olitzky

But clergy do not have sole title to Birkat Kohanim. Parents recite it when blessing their children at the Shabbat dinner table. Indeed, this may be the most spiritually gratifying utilization of these ancient words. Kids today are not accustomed to being blessed by their parents. Hugs are in (but not enough), as are high fives and backslaps. Blessings are something else. One sees the special impact of a blessing when parents introduce the brief ritual into their Shabbat home observance. The blessed children radiate a special glow that is assuredly a reflection of God's presence.
This is precisely the intended effect of Birkat Kohanim. The Torah offers this explanation for why God commands the priests to pronounce it: "Thus they shall link My name with the people of Israel, and I will bless them" (Numbers 6:27). In word and deed, and in bestowing an ancient blessing at important times in people's lives, all of us can help make God's presence felt in the world around us. --Ira S. Youdovin/ReformJudaism.org

But the reenactment ritual is not seen in Reform synagogues-not even after the priestly hand language was made famous as a Vulcan greeting by the Star Trek character "Spock," played by Leonard Nimoy, who first saw it when his grandfather took him to an Orthodox synagogue.

On the 2nd part of the blessing: In kaddish de-rabbanan, the prayer we say after studying a rabbinic text, we pray for spiritual leaders who have “grace, loving-kindness and compassion.” Once again the power of intellect is secondary to the personal qualities of sensitivity and graciousness. Grace is that quality which sees the best in others and seeks the best for others. It is a combination of gentleness and generosity. --Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

The second priestly blessing is: May G-d “make His face shine on you,” meaning, may His presence be evident in you. May He live a visible trace of His being on the face you show to others. How is that presence to be recognized? Not in severity, remoteness or austerity but in the gentle smile that speaks to what Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature.” That is grace. --Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

On the 3rd part: “May the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ‘ To make peace in the world we must be at peace with ourselves. To be at peace with ourselves we must know that we are unconditionally valued. That does not often happen. People value us for what we can give them. That is conditional value, what the sages called “love that is dependent on a cause”. G-d values us unconditionally. --Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

On the 3rd part: You are in a crowd. In the distance you see someone you recognize. This person is well-known. You met him once, briefly. Did you make an impression on him? Does he remember you? Does he know who you are? Briefly your eyes touch. From the distance, he smiles at you. Yes, he remembers you, he knows who you are, he is pleased you are here, and by his eye contact and his smile he communicates these things to you. You are relieved, lifted. You are at peace with yourself. You are not merely an anonymous face in a crowd. Your basic worth has in some way been affirmed. That, in human terms, is the meaning of “May the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.... We speak of “seeking recognition.” It is a telling phrase. More even than power or wealth or success or fame we long for what we believe these things will give us: standing in the eyes of others, respect, esteem, honour, worth. We can dedicate a lifetime to this search, but it is not a good one. People do not confer respect for the right reasons. They follow politicians who pander to their worst instincts. They feel the charisma of pure power. They flatter the wealthy. They are like moths to the flame of fame.... The recognition that counts is our reflection in the eyes of G-d. God loves us for what we are and what we could become. ” --Rabbi Sacks

Protection, grace, peace – these are G-d’s blessings, communicated by the priests. We are what we pray for. If you seek to understand a people, look at its prayers. The Jewish people did not ask for wealth or power. They did not hunger after empire. They had no desire to conquer or convert the world. They asked for protection, the right to live true to themselves without fear; for grace, the ability to be an agent for good in others; and peace, that fullness of being in which each of us brings our individual gifts to the common good. That is all our ancestors prayed for, and it is still all we need. -- Rabbi Sacks