Numbers (“Bamidbar”) is the fourth book of the Torah, Judaism’s foundational text. It describes events from 40 years of the Israelites’ wanderings in the desert.
יְבָרֶכְךָ֥ יְהֹוָ֖ה וְיִשְׁמְרֶֽךָ׃ {ס} יָאֵ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה ׀ פָּנָ֛יו אֵלֶ֖יךָ וִֽיחֻנֶּֽךָּ׃ {ס} יִשָּׂ֨א יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ פָּנָיו֙ אֵלֶ֔יךָ וְיָשֵׂ֥ם לְךָ֖ שָׁלֽוֹם׃ {ס}
The LORD bless you and protect you! The LORD deal kindly and graciously with you!-f The LORD bestow His favor-g upon you and grant you peace!
The Mishnah is the first major work of rabbinic literature, consisting of teachings transmitted over hundreds of years and compiled around 200 CE. Mishnah Sotah discusses family law.
בִּרְכַּת כֹּהֲנִים כֵּיצַד, בַּמְּדִינָה אוֹמְרִים אוֹתָהּ שָׁלשׁ בְּרָכוֹת, וּבַמִּקְדָּשׁ בְּרָכָה אֶחָת. בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ אוֹמֵר אֶת הַשֵּׁם כִּכְתָבוֹ, וּבַמְּדִינָה בְכִנּוּיוֹ. בַּמְּדִינָה כֹּהֲנִים נוֹשְׂאִים אֶת יְדֵיהֶן כְּנֶגֶד כִּתְפֵיהֶן, וּבַמִּקְדָּשׁ עַל גַּבֵּי רָאשֵׁיהֶן, חוּץ מִכֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַגְבִּיהַּ אֶת יָדָיו לְמַעְלָה מִן הַצִּיץ. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אַף כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל מַגְבִּיהַּ יָדָיו לְמַעְלָה מִן הַצִּיץ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא ט) וַיִּשָּׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת יָדָיו אֶל הָעָם וַיְבָרְכֵם:
How is the Priestly Benediction recited? In the country, i.e., outside the Temple, the priest recites the verses as three blessings, pausing between each verse while the people respond amen. And in the Temple, the priests recite all three verses as one blessing, after which the people respond: Blessed be the Lord, God, the God of Israel, from eternity to eternity, as is the customary response to blessings in the Temple. In the Temple, the priest utters the name of God as it is written in the Torah, i.e., the Tetragrammaton, and in the country they use its substitute name of Lordship. In the country, the priests lift their hands so they are aligned with their shoulders during the benediction. And in the Temple they lift them above their heads, except for the High Priest, who does not lift his hands above the frontplate. Since the Tetragrammaton is inscribed on it, it is inappropriate for him to lift his hands above it. Rabbi Yehuda says: Even the High Priest lifts his hands above the frontplate, as it is stated: “And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them” (Leviticus 9:22).
The Talmud is the textual record of generations of rabbinic debate about law, philosophy, and biblical interpretation, compiled between the 3rd and 8th centuries and structured as commentary on the Mishnah. Tractate Berakhot (“Blessings”) is part of the Talmud and discusses the laws of prayers, focusing on the Shema, the Amidah, and blessings, including those recited in the context of eating.
אַמֵּימָר וּמָר זוּטְרָא וְרַב אָשֵׁי הֲווֹ יָתְבִי בַּהֲדֵי הֲדָדֵי. אָמְרִי: כֹּל חַד וְחַד מִינַּן לֵימָא מִלְּתָא דְּלָא שְׁמִיעַ לֵיהּ לְחַבְרֵיהּ. פְּתַח חַד מִינַּיְיהוּ וַאֲמַר: הַאי מַאן דַּחֲזָא חֶלְמָא וְלָא יָדַע מַאי חֲזָא, לִיקוּם קַמֵּי כָּהֲנֵי בְּעִידָּנָא דְּפָרְסִי יְדַיְיהוּ וְלֵימָא הָכִי: ״רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, אֲנִי שֶׁלָּךְ וַחֲלוֹמוֹתַי שֶׁלָּךְ, חֲלוֹם חָלַמְתִּי וְאֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ מַה הוּא. בֵּין שֶׁחָלַמְתִּי אֲנִי לְעַצְמִי וּבֵין שֶׁחָלְמוּ לִי חֲבֵירַי וּבֵין שֶׁחָלַמְתִּי עַל אֲחֵרִים, אִם טוֹבִים הֵם — חַזְּקֵם וְאַמְּצֵם כַּחֲלוֹמוֹתָיו שֶׁל יוֹסֵף. וְאִם צְרִיכִים רְפוּאָה — רְפָאֵם כְּמֵי מָרָה עַל יְדֵי מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, וּכְמִרְיָם מִצָּרַעְתָּהּ, וּכְחִזְקִיָּה מֵחׇלְיוֹ, וּכְמֵי יְרִיחוֹ עַל יְדֵי אֱלִישָׁע. וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁהָפַכְתָּ קִלְלַת בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע לִבְרָכָה, כֵּן הֲפוֹךְ כׇּל חֲלוֹמוֹתַי עָלַי לְטוֹבָה״. וּמְסַיֵּים בַּהֲדֵי כָּהֲנֵי דְּעָנֵי צִבּוּרָא ״אָמֵן״. וְאִי לָא, לֵימָא הָכִי: ״אַדִּיר בַּמָּרוֹם, שׁוֹכֵן בִּגְבוּרָה, אַתָּה שָׁלוֹם וְשִׁמְךָ שָׁלוֹם. יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ שֶׁתָּשִׂים עָלֵינוּ שָׁלוֹם״.
The Gemara relates: Ameimar and Mar Zutra and Rav Ashi were sitting together. They said: Let each and every one of us say something that the other has not heard. One of them began and said: One who saw a dream and does not know what he saw should stand before the priests when they lift their hands during the Priestly Blessing and say the following: Master of the Universe, I am Yours and my dreams are Yours,I dreamed a dream and I do not know what it is.Whether I have dreamed of myself, whether my friends have dreamed of me or whether I have dreamed of others,if the dreams are good, strengthen them and reinforce them like the dreams of Joseph.And if the dreams require healing,heal them like the bitter waters of Mara by Moses our teacher, and like Miriam from her leprosy,and like Hezekiah from his illness, and like the bitter waters of Jericho by Elisha.And just as You transformed the curse of Balaam the wicked into a blessing,so transform all of my dreams for me for the best.And he should complete his prayer together with the priests so the congregation responds amen both to the blessing of the priests and to his individual request. And if he is not able to recite this entire formula, he should say:Majestic One on high, Who dwells in power,You are peace and Your name is peace.May it be Your will that You bestow upon us peace.
Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi) wrote his commentary in 11th-century France. It is considered to be an essential explanation of the Tanakh and resides in a place of honor on the page of almost all editions of the Tanakh.
יברכך. שֶׁיִּתְבָּרְכוּ נְכָסֶיךָ: וישמרך. שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹאוּ עָלֶיךָ שׁוֹדְדִים לִטֹּל מָמוֹנְךָ; שֶׁהַנּוֹתֵן מַתָּנָה לְעַבְדּוֹ אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְשָׁמְרוֹ מִכָּל אָדָם, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁבָּאִים לִסְטִים עָלָיו וְנוֹטְלִין אוֹתָהּ מִמֶּנּוּ, מַה הֲנָאָה יֵשׁ לוֹ בְּמַתָּנָה זוֹ? אֲבָל הַקָּבָּ"ה, הוּא הַנּוֹתֵן, הוּא הַשּׁוֹמֵר; וְהַרְבֵּה מִדְרָשִׁים דָּרְשׁוּ בוֹ בְּסִפְרֵי: יאר השם פניו אליך. יַרְאֶה לְךָ פָּנִים שׂוֹחֲקוֹת, פָּנִים צְהֻבּוֹת: ויחנך. יִתֵּן לְךָ חֵן (תנחומא): ישא ה' פניו אליך. יִכְבֹּשׁ כַּעֲסוֹ:
Bless thee. That your possessions will be blessed. And keep thee. That robbers will not descend upon you to take your money, that he who gives a gift to his servant is unable to protect him from all men, and since bandits come upon him and take it from him, what benefit does he receive from this gift? But the Holy One, Praised be He is the one who both gives and protects. And many midrashim explain this in Sifri. The LORD make His face to shine. He will show you a cordial face, a shining face. And be gracious unto thee. He will grant you favor. The LORD lift up His countenance. He will conquer His anger.
Avraham ben Meir ibn Ezra’s commentary on the Tanakh (Jewish Bible) was written in mid-12th century Europe.
יברכך. תוספות חיים ועושר: וטעם וישמרך. שישמור התוספת שלא יגזול אחר מה שהוסיף: יאר ה' פניו אליך. כטעם באור פני מלך חיים והטעם וכל אשר תבקש ממנו ובשעת שתדרשו יאר פניו והטעם יקבל אותך וירצה למלא' שאלתך מיד:
THE LORD BLESS THEE. The Lord increase your life and your wealth. AND KEEP THEE. God will protect what he has increased so that no one steals it. THE LORD MAKE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON THEE. Its meaning is the same as In the light of the king’s countenance is life (Prov. 16:15). It means may God make his face to shine upon you when you ask something of Him and at the time that you make the request. May God accept you and may His will be to immediately fulfill your request.
Kitzur Ba'al HaTurim is an abridgement of the Torah commentary by Rabbi Jacob ben Asher, a Jewish legal scholar and biblical commentator in late 13th and early 14th century Spain.
ויברכם ג' ברכות כנגד ג' מיני קרבנות ברכה א' כנגד חטאת וישמרך מן החטא שנאמר רגלי חסידיו ישמור. יאר כנגד עולה שנאמר בעלותך לראות. שלום כנגד שלמים:
And he blessed them. The three blessings of the Kohanim (Bamidbar 6, 24-26) correspond to three types of offerings: The first blessing corresponds to sin offerings, “and may He guard you” — from sin, as it says (Shmuel I 2:9), “The feet of His pious ones He will guard”; “May he cause His face to shine” corresponds to the burnt offering [olah], as it says (Shemos 34:24), “When you go up [ba’aloscha] to see”; “peace” corresponds to the peace offerings.
A siddur is a prayer book. Siddur Edot HaMizrach was composed according to the Sephardic rite.
וכשעומדים הכהנים על הדוכן לאחר שענו "מודים דרבנן", אומריםיְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶֽיךָ יהוה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ שֶׁתִּהְיֶה בְּרָכָה זוֹ שֶׁצִּּוִיתָֽנוּ לְבָרֵךְ אֶת־עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרָכָה שְׁלֵמָה וְלֹא יִהְיֶה בָהּ מִכְשׁוֹל וְעָוֹן מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם:
When the priests stand on the platform after they recited the responsive Modim, they say: May it be Your Will before You, Lord, our God and God of our fathers, that this blessing that You have commanded us to bless Your people Israel be a complete blessing and that there not be within it any obstacle or iniquity from now and forever.
The Sefer Abudarham is a popular 14th-century compilation of laws, customs, and commentary on the prayer book, named for its author, Rabbi David Abudarham. It was composed in Seville, Spain in the early 14th century.
והטעם שתקנו לברך את ישראל בסוף כל תפלה לפי שהתפלות כנגד תמידין תקנום וכמו שבכל פעם בהשלים העבודה היו הכהנים מברכין את ישראל כמו שנאמר וישא אהרן את ידיו אל העם ויברכם וגומ' וכתיב כה תברכו את בני ישראל וגו'.
The reason the sages decreed that we bless Israel at the end of each Amidah prayer is that the Amidah is offered in place of the daily offering. We do so, just as the Kohanim blessed Israel after the daily offering, as it states, “Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them…” (Lev. 9:22) and is written,“Thus shall you bless the people of Israel.” (Nu. 6:23)
The Shulchan Arukh (“Set Table”), compiled in the 16th century by Rabbi Yosef Karo, is the most widely accepted code of Jewish law ever written.
לא יעלו הכהנים לדוכן במנעלים אבל בבתי שוקים שרי: [ויש מחמירין אם הם של עור] [אגודה פרק הקורא את המגילה] [ונהגו להקל בקצת מקומות]:
Kohanim may not ascend to the platform in shoes, but in socks it is permitted.
Shiltei HaGiborim is the commentary of Rabbi Joshua Boaz, and it was composed in Italy in the early 16th century.
ופושטים ידיהם וחולקין אצבעותיהם על פי המדרש מצין מן החרכים ששכינה למעלה מראשיהם ומציץ מבין חרכי אצבעותיהם ומכוונים לעשות יהוה אוירים בין ב' אצבעות לב' אצבעות אויר א' ובין אצבע לגודל ובין גודל לגודל לקיים מציץ מן החרכים:
And they extend their hands and separate their [middle] fingers based on the Midrash: "He peers between the openings" — the divine presence is above their fingers, and He peers through the openings of their fingers. And they attempt to make five spaces: Between the two fingers and the two fingers [of each hand], there is a space, and between the fingers and the thumb [of each hand], there is a space, and between the two thumbs. [This is] to fulfill, "between the openings" [hacharakim, which can also be read as five openings].
The Shulchan Arukh HaRav is an 18th-century legal code written by Rabbi Shneur Zalman, the alter (elder) rebbe of Chabad in Belarus. It was intended to be a concise, conclusive, and accessible version of the 16th-century Shulchan Arukh for contemporary Chasidic Jews.
בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים מְבָרְכִים הָעָם — לֹא יַבִּיטוּ בָּעָם וְלֹא יַסִּיחוּ דַּעְתָּם, אֶלָּא יִהְיֶה עֵינֵיהֶם כְּלַפֵּי מַטָּה כְּמִי שֶׁעוֹמֵד בַּתְּפִלָּה בְּכַוָּנָה, שֶׁהֲרֵי הֵם מִתְפַּלְלִים שֶׁיְּבָרֵךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְהָעָם הַמְקַבְּלִים אֶת הַבְּרָכָה גַּם כֵּן יְכַוְּנוּ לַבְּרָכָה, וְיִהְיוּ פְּנֵיהֶם נֶגֶד פְּנֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים מִטַּעַם שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר לְמַעְלָה, וְלֹא יִסְתַּכְּלוּ בָּהֶם שֶׁלֹּא יַסִּיחוּ דַּעְתָּם, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁלֹּא יִסְתַּכְּלוּ בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר. וְלָכֵן נָהֲגוּ בִּמְקוֹמוֹת הַרְבֵּה לְשַׁלְשֵׁל הַטַּלִּית שֶׁל מִצְוָה עַל פְּנֵיהֶם וִידֵיהֶם, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יוּכְלוּ לְהִסְתַּכֵּל בָּעָם וְלֹא הָעָם בָּהֶם, לֹא בִּפְנֵיהֶם וְלֹא בִּידֵיהֶם. וּבִמְדִינוֹת אֵלּוּ נָהֲגוּ שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים מְשַׁלְשְׁלִין הַטַּלִּית עַל פְּנֵיהֶם כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יוּכְלוּ לְהִסְתַּכֵּל לְבַד, אֲבָל יְדֵיהֶם חוּץ לַטַּלִּית כְּדֵי שֶׁהֵם עַצְמָן לֹא יוּכְלוּ לְהִסְתַּכֵּל בִּידֵיהֶם וְלֹא יָבוֹאוּ לִידֵי הֶסַּח הַדַּעַת, וְהָעָם מְשַׁלְשְׁלִין הַטַּלִּית גַּם כֵּן עַל פְּנֵיהֶם כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יוּכְלוּ לְהִסְתַּכֵּל בִּידֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים. וּמִנְהָג זֶה יוֹתֵר נָכוֹן לִהְיוֹת נְשִׂיאַת כַּפֵּי הַכֹּהֲנִים גְּלוּיִים וְנִרְאִים וְלֹא תְּהֵא טַלִּיתָ[ם] חוֹצֶצֶת בֵּין כַּפֵּיהֶם לְהָעָם, כִּי כֵן הוּא מַשְׁמָעוּת הַכָּתוּב: "וַיִּשָּׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת יָדָו אֶל הָעָם וַיְבָרְכֵם", שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה דָּבָר חוֹצֵץ בֵּינוֹ לָעָם. וְלֹא אָמְרוּ "אֲפִלּוּ מְחִצָּה שֶׁל בַּרְזֶל אֵינָהּ מַפְסֶקֶת בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל לַאֲבִיהֶם שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם" כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר, אֶלָּא כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ צִבּוּר הַמִּתְבָּרְכִים מֵהַכֹּהֲנִים בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת אֲזַי גַּם מִי שֶׁהוּא חוּץ לְבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת מִתְבָּרֵךְ עִמָּהֶם, אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּדִיעֲבַד אֵין זֶה מְעַכֵּב, שֶׁהֲרֵי עִיר שֶׁכֻּלָּהּ כֹּהֲנִים כֻּלָּם עוֹלִים לַדּוּכָן כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר (אֲבָל טַלִּית שֶׁעַל פְּנֵי הָעָם בְּטֵלָה לְגַבֵּי גּוּפָם כִּשְׁאָר מַלְבּוּשֵׁיהֶם וְאֵינָהּ חוֹצֶצֶת). וְלֹא אָסְרוּ אֶלָּא לְהִסְתַּכֵּל, אֲבָל רְאִיָּה בְּעָלְמָא מֻתֶּרֶת. אַךְ נוֹהֲגִין לִזָּהֵר:
At the time that the priests bless the people, they should not look at the people and not get themselves distracted. Rather their eyes should be down, like one standing in focused prayer. For behold they are praying that the Holy One, blessed be He, should bless all of the Jewish people. And the people receiving the blessing should also concentrate on the blessing, so their faces should be towards the priests, because of the reason that will be explained below. And they should not gaze at them so as not to get themselves distracted and, all the more so, should they not gaze at another place.
Rabbeinu Bahya ben Asher (1255-1340) wrote his commentary in Spain during the Middle Ages. It incorporates the literal meaning along with allegorical, Midrashic, and Kabbalistic interpretations.
וצריך אתה לדעת כי יש בפסוק ראשון י"ה אותיות, ובשני הי"ה אותיות, ובשלישי יה"י אותיות, והרי זה מורה שהשם הגדול הנזכר בהם שלש פעמים הוא שליט בשלשה זמנים הוה והיה ויהיה, והרי לך ששים אותיות, ועליהם אמר שלמה ע"ה (שיר השירים ג׳:ז׳) ששים גבורים סביב לה מגבורי ישראל.
The author also points out that the three verses contain respectively 15, 20, and 25 letters each and that the 60 letters arrived at in such an ascending number, each verse having five letters more than the preceding one alludes to G’d’s presence having extended over past, present, and future, but that His presence is also felt in an ever increasing measure starting with the past progressing into the future.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth in the United Kingdom from 1991-2013. Covenant & Conversation is a 21st-century five-volume collection of his essays on the weekly Torah portion.
The literary structure is precise. In the original Hebrew, the first line has three words, the second, five, and the third, seven (these prime numbers have special significance throughout the Mosaic books: three-, five-, and seven-fold repetitions always signify a keyword). Equally precisely, the first has fifteen (3 × 5) letters, the second twenty (4 × 5), and the third, twenty-five (5 × 5).
Studies in Spirituality: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible is a 21st-century series of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's essays on the weekly Torah portion.
It also appears in the oldest of all biblical texts that have physically survived till today. In 1979 the archaeologist Gabriel Barkay was examining ancient burial caves at Ketef Hinnom, outside the walls of Jerusalem in the area now occupied by the Menachem Begin Heritage Center. A thirteen-year-old boy who was assisting Barkay discovered that beneath the floor of one of the caves was a hidden chamber. There the group discovered almost one thousand ancient artefacts including two tiny silver scrolls no more than an inch long.
They were so fragile that it took three years to work out a way of unrolling them without causing them to disintegrate. Eventually the scrolls turned out to be kemayot, amulets, containing, among other texts, the priestly blessings. Scientifically dated to the sixth century BCE, the age of Jeremiah and the last days of the First Temple, they are four centuries older than the most ancient of biblical texts known hitherto, the Dead Sea Scrolls. Today the amulets can be seen in the Israel Museum, testimony to the ancient connection of Jews to the land and the continuity of Jewish faith itself.
What gives the priestly blessings their power is their simplicity and beauty. They have a strong rhythmic structure. The lines contain three, five, and seven words respectively. In each, the second word is “the Lord.” In all three verses the first part refers to an activity on the part of God – “bless,” “make His face shine,” and “turn His face toward.” The second part describes the effect of the blessing on us, giving us protection, grace, and peace.
I Believe: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible is Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks’s last compilation of essays on the weekly Torah portion, written through the 2020 Torah reading cycle.
That ethic belongs to the specific vision of the priest, set out in Genesis 1, which sees the world as God’s work and the human person as God’s image. Our very existence, and the existence of the universe, are the result of God’s love.
By blessing the people, the priests showed them what love of one’s fellow is. Here is Rambam’s definition of what it is to “love your neighbour as yourself”: “One should speak in praise of his neighbour, and be considerate of his money, even as he is considerate of his own money, or desires to preserve his own honour.” Blessing the people showed that you sought their good – and seeking their good is what loving them means.
Thus the kohanim set an example to the people by this public display of love – or what we would call today “the common good.” They thus encouraged a society in which each sought the welfare of all – and such a society is blessed, because the bonds between its members are strong, and because people put the interests of the nation as a whole before their own private advantage. Such a society is blessed by God, whereas a selfish society is not, and cannot, be blessed by God. No selfish society has survived for long.
What is the meaning of the blessings?
The Lord bless you and protect you:... In the early, pioneering years they [civilizations] are lifted by a collective vision and energy. Then as people become affluent they begin to lose the very qualities that made earlier generations great. They become less motivated by ideals than by the pursuit of pleasure. They think less of others, more of themselves. They begin to be deaf and blind to those in need. They become decadent. What happens to nations happens also to individuals and families.
Hence the first blessing. “May the Lord protect you,” means: May He protect you from the blessing turning into a curse.
The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you:... Grace is that quality which sees the best in others and seeks the best for others. It is a combination of gentleness and generosity. The second priestly blessing is: May God “make His face shine on you,” meaning, may His presence be evident in you. May He leave a visible trace of His Being on the face you show to others. How is that presence to be recognised? 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.
The Lord turn His face towards 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” (Mishna Avot 5:16). God values us unconditionally... 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 towards you and give you peace.”