Talmud zu Bamidbar 6:22

From where the lifting of hands? So you shall bless the Children of Israel²²Num. 6:22.. So far during the morning prayers²³Since in the Temple the priestly blessing was recited at the time of the morning sacrifice, the inspiration for the morning prayer service.. At musaf? Aaron lifted his hands for the people²⁴Lev. 9:22, description of the special inauguration service of the Tabernacle.. Is not this verse distorted? Should it not read: he descended from making the purification sacrifice, and the elevation sacrifice, and the well-being sacrifice, and after this, Aaron lifted his hands for the people? But it teaches²⁵The verse mentioning blessing before descent. that while descending from the altar he lifted his hands and blessed the people. ²⁶Babli Sotah38a.And he blessed them, standing. I could think, not while standing. The verse says²⁷Deut. 21:5., the Eternal, your God, selected them to serve Him and to bless in His Name. It combines blessing with service. Since service is done standing, also blessing is done standing. And so it says²⁸2Chr. 30:27., the Levitic Cohanim rose and blessed the people. The verse speaks of the generation of Ezechias, when they toiled in the Torah. But in other generations, when they were serving foreign worship, what does it say? When you spread your hands my eyes shall disregard you²⁹Is. 1:15.. ²²Num. 6:22.And he blessed them, any blessing. But we did not hear which it was until the verse came and explained it³⁰Num. 6:24–26.: The Eternal shall bless you and guard you. The Eternal shall enlighten His presence to you and show you favor. The Eternal shall turn His presence to you and give you peace.

MISHNAH: But the following must be said in the holy language: The recitation for the first fruits³⁰The declaration in the Temple, Mishnah Bikkurim 2:5., ḥalîṣah³¹The required declarations by the childless widow and brother-in-law in the ceremony which frees her to marry outside the family; cf. Yebamot12:3–4., blessings and curses³²This is of purely antiquarian character, asserting that the curses detailed in Deut. 27:11–26 (each curse prefaced by a corresponding blessing: “Blessed be the man who will not …”) were pronounced in Hebrew, based on Jos. 8:34; cf. Halakhah 4., the priestly blessing³³Num. 6:22–26., the benedictions of the High Priest³⁴In the service of the Day of Atonement, Mishnah Yoma 7:1; cf. Halakhah 6., the portion about the king³⁵The public reading from the Torah at the end of a Sabbatical year, Deut. 31:10–13; cf. Halakhot 7–8., the portion about the calf whose neck was broken³⁶The declarations Deut. 21:7 (the Elders), 8 (the priests); cf. Chapter 9., the [priest] anointed for war at the time he speaks to the people³⁷Deut. 20:1–9; cf. Chapter 8.. The recitation for the first fruits, how? “You shall begin and say before the Eternal, your God³⁸Deut. 26:5.” but further on it says, “the Levites shall begin and say to all the men of Israel in an elevated voice³⁹Deut. 27:14. The implication of this verse is explained in the Halakhah.”. Since “beginning” further on means in the holy language, so also here in the holy language⁴⁰This is an application of the third hermeneutical rule of R. Ismael: The meaning of a word is defined by one paradigm. It does not fit the mold of the second rule, “equal cut”, preferred by the commentators..
Ḥalîṣah how? “She shall begin and say: So shall be done to the man⁴¹Deut. 25:9.” but further on it says, “the Levites shall begin and say to all the men of Israel in an elevated voice”. Since “beginning” further on means in the holy language, so also here in the holy language. Rebbi Jehudah says, “She shall begin and say so,” [it is invalid] unless she says exactly that text⁴²He disregards the dividing accent in the sentence and reads: “She shall begin and say so: it will be done to the man who will not build his brother’s house” instead of “She shall begin and say: thus will be done …” It gives a different twist to a derivation originating with R. Jehudah’s father’s teacher R. Eliezer in Mishnah Yebamot 12:4; cf. Babli 33a/b..

It follows what Rebbi Ḥelbo said in the name of Rav Ḥuna: The priestly blessings are read but not translated¹⁸³This refers to the first sentence in Mishnah 12. The first sentence presupposes a reading “is read but not translated” as in the Babli whereas the question of R. Abba bar Cohen is based on the reading here which declares that the priestly blessing is not read from the Torah. There is no indication in the Palestinian Midrashim that this was actual practice.. Rebbi Abba bar Cohen asked before Rebbi Yose, what is the reason? He told him, so you shall bless¹⁸⁴Num. 6:22., it was given as blessing, it was not given to be read.