יְבָרֶכְךָ ה', וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ. יָאֵר ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ. יִשָּׂא ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם – Gd will bless you and protect you. The light of Gd's face will shine on you and grant you graciousness. Gd's face will be raised to you and you will have peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
These verses constitute the priestly blessing of hope placed upon each Israelite by the kohanim. Without explanation, the contents of the blessing are perhaps platitudes too abstract to give true comfort . So, how does our tradition understand the tachlis behind the words? According to Rashi: יְבָרֶכְךָ ה', וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ means blessed with wealth and possessions; and, since the wealthy are rarely liked by others...יָאֵר ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ, means that you will be blessed to be gracious to others with your wealth; and, since most people are not satisfied with what they have – even those blessed with great wealth – the third element of blessing...וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם that you should have internal tranquility by way of senses of satisfaction and fulfillment.
