בס”ד
By Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
Painting by: Baruch Nachshon z”l
This painting depicts the priestly blessing said with outstretched hands in the fashion depicted at the top of the painting. Within each hand is the letter shin, as seen in tefillin and mezuzot, a symbol of the Holy Presence/Name in many of Nachshon’s paintings. Indeed, our Sages say that the Holy Presence rests with the hands of the priests when saying the priestly blessing, and therefore it is forbidden to gaze at these hands at such a time, in order to conduct ourselves with proper respect. It is interesting to note that the hands divided into two fingers to two sides and the thumb form a form of the letter shin as well. We should also notice that these two shins are designed in the fashion of the two shins on the two sides of the tefillin, i.e one with three prongs and the other with four prongs. This suggests a connection between the head, where these two shins appear on head-tefilin, and the hands. Indeed, according to the Kabbalah the hands of the priestly blessing are supposed to be placed opposite the head, and are meant to manifest a spiritual energy associated with “head” sefirot, Hochma and Bina, in context of the Holy Presence resting as this time.
We see golden “drops” of blessing coming from these hands in priestly blessing, the largest “drop” containg the Beit Hamikdash. The priestly blessing is called a blessing of peace. Therefore, it seems that this painting depicts, in part, the prayer in evening Shabbat prayers – “blessed are You Hashem Who spreads a sukka of peace upon us and all Israel, and upon Jerusalem.” Here we see a triangle with green at its top, apparently hinting to a sukka. We see wings outstretched to its sides apparently hinting to “spreading upon” as by “wings of the Holy Presence.” We see a purple rose, which is a symbol of Israel [see Sgir Hashirim and the introduction of the Zohar]. We see houses of Israel and the Beit Hamikdash, which apparently hint to “Jerusalem.”
In this parsha we learn about the power of blessing, said by Yitzhak to Yakov. According to the Kabbalists one is to have the verse “veyiten lecha etc.”, said by Yitzhak to Yakov, in mind when saying the blessing upon washing hands, to awaken the supernal blessing. This parsha also seems to make a play on the the letters bet, resh, kaf, which can spell barech – to bless – but can also spell bechor – firstborn – when rearranged in order. Before Yakov received the blessings from Yitzhak he also arranged a purchase of the firstborn right from Esav. Our Sages teach that the firstborn right included the priestly status as well, and this as well is tied to blessing, especially to the hands as well, as we demonstrated above. Hebron is a priestly city, according to the book of Yehoshua, and is also a city that stands for national peace, for here are our common roots that bond “mehaber-hebron” – us together. Let us cling to this city, thereby bringing peace “upon us and all Israel, and also upon Jerusalem.”