הלכות תפילה וברכת כהנים פרק ט״ו

Chapter 15 of the Laws of Prayer and Priestly Blessing – Things That Invalidate the Priestly Blessing (Nesiat Kapayim)

Introduction to the Chapter

We are now learning Chapter 15 of the Laws of Prayer and Priestly Blessing, and we say thank you to the Levites who are helping us here with our shiur, Rabbi Yoel HaLevi. And we are going to learn about things that invalidate nesiat kapayim. The way that the kohanim (priests) here can perform nesiat kapayim is only because there are Levites present who stand here and sing below. And these are the laws of blessing, where they lift up their hands and they give the priestly blessing as a gift of the hand.

Okay, in short, it is “from him they shall learn and so they shall do.” Here we are learning the last chapter of the laws of nesiat kapayim, of the priestly blessing where the kohanim bless the Jews, and in this chapter it will discuss things that are me’akev (invalidating).

Just as in prayer the Rambam held that there are certain things that are me’akev prayer, for example lack of cleanliness and so forth. The same thing is that there are things that are mone’a (preventing).

What does mone’a mean? It makes it so that the mitzvah should not be done properly.

No, one is not yotzei (fulfilled). Mone’a means that one is not yotzei, it’s as if lo yatza (did not fulfill).

Yes, I mean it’s not a good nesiat kapayim. He should not, in other words, someone who has one of these matters should not perform nesiat kapayim. But b’dieved (after the fact) if he did do it, he did it, here we’re talking about l’chatchila (initially) not to.

Just as similarly by prayer, me’akev, if one doesn’t have these conditions one should not pray, right? Sometimes there it means that one must pray again, here it’s not relevant, I don’t know if it’s relevant, but here we’re talking about that he should not perform nesiat kapayim.

And the list is as follows:

– HaLashon – the language, we’ll soon see what it means

– Mumin – if the kohen has certain blemishes

– Aveira – if he has committed certain transgressions

– HaShanim – if he doesn’t have the right age, he’s not the right age

– HaYayin – if he is drunk, we’ve already mentioned this actually

– VeTumat HaYadayim – if his hands are impure

Law 1: HaLashon Keitzad – Speech Impediments (Ilgut)

So HaLashon keitzad? The Rambam makes such a nice Mishnah. What is this HaLashon that invalidates? Like these ilgim (those with speech impediments), people who have problems with speaking, they don’t speak well, people who need speech therapy. Here we’re talking about someone who is not motzi otiyot k’tikkunan (pronounces letters properly), like someone who can’t… he doesn’t know the difference between an alef and an ayin. Speech therapy, he can’t pronounce a shin properly. Right.

Someone who performs nesiat kapayim… should not duchen, because he won’t say “shalom” properly. He’ll say “shulem”, that’s not the way. He doesn’t make “shalom” into “shalom”.

Or what? How is there an alef in birkat kohanim? He’ll say… in “yisa” one doesn’t say the alef. In “yisa” one doesn’t say the alef. “Yisa Hashem panav eilecha,” he’ll say “eilecha”. He’ll pronounce “eilecha”. Is there an ayin? “Yisa Hashem panav eilecha v’yasem lecha shalom”. So, it’s not relevant. There’s no ayin, he calls the alef an ayin. Okay.

Just, not necessarily this type of ilgut. In general, people who don’t speak clearly and the congregation doesn’t understand what he’s saying, someone who performs nesiat kapayim.

Innovation: Nesiat Kapayim Is Not an Obligation on Every Individual Kohen

Here we see very clearly that this is a mitzvah, it’s not really an obligation on every kohen. If it were an obligation, one would have to say, “Kohen, you are a kohen.” But if one doesn’t hear… it doesn’t say that this also isn’t. It’s a ceremony, it’s a part of the order. You can’t, if you’re a kohen who unfortunately can’t speak, then it’s not. It’s someone who is not kavod hatzibbur (honor of the congregation), or he’ll confuse the congregation, there will be a lack of kavana (intention), and other things. Or it’s a kind of disgust, a disgust in the speech. Ah, it’s not fitting. Birkat kohanim must be a beautiful thing. It’s not something that is problematic.

Discussion: Comparison to a Prayer Leader

Perhaps this is like we learned earlier, a prayer leader who becomes very confused, one quickly brings another prayer leader.

Yes, but I’m saying that birkat kohanim is seemingly really a mitzvah on the kohen. We’re saying that it’s not really a mitzvah on every individual kohen to go. He is Yochanan, he shouldn’t speak. He goes, what’s more that he should be a shaliach tzibbur (prayer leader), it’s not like a kohen who must do this.

Law 2: HaMumin Keitzad – Physical Blemishes

“HaMumin keitzad?” Ah, which mumin invalidate? “A kohen who has mumin on his hands and feet”. This is not mumin like in the Temple service, where one offers sacrifices with mumin, which is part of the priesthood. Here it’s only places where people will see it. On his feet, because he doesn’t have shoes. Yes.

“Gushoniyot, bohakaniyot”. Oy, “akushot”. Really, let’s be successful. “Krumot”, has fingers something? Yes, something is thin, not good.

“Bohakaniyot” means the… very white, yes? It’s white, he has some stains on his hands. The names of the very white people, the vitiligo, it doesn’t mean that, it means that something is missing in color, bohakaniyot means a shiny color, it means some wrong color, or… or… or one looks, eh, perhaps so that one shouldn’t get used to looking, and one doesn’t look, it goes the track.

Saliva Dripping from His Beard and Lips Speaking

Another thing, one whose… one whose saliva drips from his beard and his lips speak, he can’t speak here, he speaks with spittle, his beard he makes himself comfortable, no, he has an illness like he tells water that he has, yes, yes, Chaim signs of illness perhaps, maybe Parkinson’s, one good bear for him.

But here… it stands by a person who has weak muscles, he is very old, ah, because it takes very strong muscles to be able to drool, ah, if it can happen something from a very serious illness, or or or a serious illness brings it, if one becomes very weak, yes, people imagine it with being awake, it doesn’t have the us, it has an extra muscle to be, or mouth, yes.

Dash B’iro – When the Congregation Is Already Accustomed

And if it’s dash b’iro, if they are already accustomed in his city, that’s like the measure of dash, it doesn’t have… dash means already regular by him, yes, where does the language “dash” come from? Already threshed, already threshed out, already threshed out, good, it’s interesting, it can be a reaction by a person, by an old person, “and everyone is accustomed to this, or to this firmness”, a kind of… one already looks at him, the whole thing makes a reaction, here there’s no longer a reaction.

Or if we educate the children to be more sensitive, perhaps it should also be a problem, maybe, but we’re talking about the world of action, not the world of theory how the world would be.

Painted Hands

Chaim, not yet on two houses, someone who has painted hands, whether it’s dyes and paints are the names of paint colors, “laser scapow”, really means the worker who came in with painted hands, if one looks at him, or a tattoo or so, right.

Only a small way it is the buyer and everyone the face, and so is… that with the with how to nisters, and with the workers we one tribe knows workers, a painter does, says good, he already has…

Law 3: Aveira – Bloodshed

Now we’re going to learn that an aveira (transgression) also invalidates, what does aveira mean? Ah, here interesting, here a murderer of a transgression, one who killed a person, even b’shogeg (unintentionally), even b’shogeg, even b’shogeg, lo yisa kapav should not duchen, she’ne’emar, the prophet says about Jews in Yechezkel. And he doesn’t say about a kohen. Yes, he says that yedeichem damim maleu, when people have blood on their hands, as we told before, the Almighty says, that u’vfarsechem kapeichem, when you go to stretch out your hands to pray, as we said earlier, ah, the Almighty will not accept your prayer, He will look at the blood.

Discussion: Why Doesn’t Teshuva Help?

What is your claim that it’s an interesting law, because why did they say that if he has already done teshuva (repentance) does it still mean yedeichem damim maleu? The prophet says, when your hands are smeared with blood, he says that one can do teshuva, even not b’shogeg. Okay?

What did they answer? I don’t know. I know yes. Teshuva doesn’t help. I don’t believe in teshuva as strongly as you.

What does teshuva mean to do? What did he do teshuva to do, exactly? He was never a murderer. Shogeg means he drove wildly and he killed a Jew. Nu, you want a blessing from him? I don’t want a blessing from him. I don’t believe so strongly in teshuva. Friends who are baalei teshuva, come to me. I believe in you.

He will say explicitly later that other transgressions don’t have this. He will go in even later more explicitly into this. Okay.

Law 4: Aveira – Idolatry

All the more so idol worshippers, even under duress. Duress means that he was forced, right? He was not mekayem (fulfilled) the mitzvah of kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God’s name). Even if he did teshuva, it is never atoned for him. On this there is a proof, she’ne’emar, “lo ya’alu kohanei habamot”.

That is, it says by Yoshiyahu, that those who made bamot (private altars) were not allowed to bring to the Beit HaMikdash. A kohen who worked in a bama was not allowed to work in the Beit HaMikdash. We learn from this that bamot, just as it is forbidden like idolatry, even though it’s not really idolatry, but we’re talking about a bamot of idolatry, and we mean that even if they have already done teshuva they should not come. Both is a great wonder, because both seemingly means how long is idolatry? How long is bamot? Bamot is earlier forbidden?

Discussion: When Were the Bamot?

No, no, it doesn’t matter. No, no, kohanei bamot, kohanei bamot doesn’t matter. Yes, it means yes, it means that they did teshuva. No, no, no, we’re not talking about teshuva, they already broke the bamot there. They already broke the bamot, it says there clearly they already broke the bamot.

As the Rambam brings further, “one who rebelled against the service, forever he does not participate with them in the service.” Yes. “And one who rebelled against the service” is not counted among Israel, “and one who rebelled against forced conversion” is counted among Israel, and this is the same category.

Law 5: Aveira – Converted to Idolatry

So the Rambam brings further, “And a kohen…” Yes, the same thing. “A kohen who converted to idolatry”, he became a gentile, he didn’t just serve idolatry, there is such a thing as serving idolatry, and there is converting to idolatry. Converting to idolatry means he became, he converted to Christianity for example.

Yes, but the difference is, he didn’t do any service, he just took on a new… he declared himself, he declared himself a gentile. He took a new social security from the Christians. He declared himself a Muslim, I don’t know what kind of thing. “Even though he returned in teshuva, he never performs nesiat kapayim.”

Yes, good. The question is only, what is the difference? It’s only bloodshed even b’shogeg, idolatry even b’shogeg, or apostasy.

Law 6: HaShanim – Age

Good, further. “He never performs nesiat kapayim.” Further, “HaShanim, keitzad?” Says the Rambam, “A young kohen does not perform nesiat kapayim until hair grows on his beard.” It is implied from this Rambam, we’re talking even if he is already bar mitzvah, not such a minor, even if he is already bar mitzvah it is implied that he does not perform nesiat kapayim. The Shulchan Aruch brings the law slightly differently, that only alone, with adults he may go. In short, other laws.

But the Rambam learns what he learns, that one seeks a person with a large beard, an older kohen. Similar to what we learned by a shaliach tzibbur also, that it doesn’t have to do with obligation and mitzvot, it has more to do with honor, such a thing.

Law 7: Yayin – Drunkenness

Okay. “Yayin keitsad?” What does wine mean? Yes. “One who drank a revi’it of undiluted wine at once”, one who drank raw wine, not diluted, he drank a whole revi’it at once, it’s a lot of wine, he is in the category of drunk, he does not perform nesiat kapayim until his wine leaves him, until the wine goes away.

Because a drunk is forbidden in the service, because it’s a law regarding service in the Beit HaMikdash that a kohen may not “yayin v’shechar al teisht”, in the Beit HaMikdash for service, so says the language of the verse. So in blessing it’s also the same rule that you may not do it when you have drunk.

If he drank a revi’it in two times, if he drank out the revi’it not in one quick gulp, but in two little bits, or if he put water in it, it is permitted, because he doesn’t get caught so quickly in the category of drunk.

Difference Between Kriat Shema and Nesiat Kapayim

Consequently, regarding Kriat Shema it was different, we didn’t talk about how much one should drink, but how clear one is. Yes, there was shatui, shatui is one who drank a revi’it of wine, and shikor which is not clear.

Here it’s not shikor, it has nothing to do with it. Here is seemingly the rule of shatui there, but shatui has already drunk, literally. Shatui is one who drank a revi’it, even undiluted, even if he drank in two times, or if he drank more than a revi’it, even if you put water in it, or even if it’s divided in gulps, he’s called drunk, he may not duchen until his wine leaves him.

The Measure of a Revi’it

Fine good. And here you’ve discovered for the first time from the Rambam such a thing as a revi’it. Aha.

First of all, the Rambam explains what a revi’it is. What is a revi’it? Like this: “A finger and a half by a finger and a half in height of a finger and a half and half a finger and a fifth of a finger”. It takes two fingers.

What is a finger? “And it is the finger that is mentioned in all the Torah, and it is the thumb”. As today one calls it a “thumb”, the thick finger. Two by two, which is high two and a half with a fifth. This is the measure of how much goes in, that is a revi’it. Figure out, make a measure, look around, you’ll see, that’s a revi’it. Okay.

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Law: Tumat HaYadayim — Washing Hands

Now, another thing that we learned Monday. The fifth thing, tumat hayadayim. Sixth thing, tumat hayadayim. Keitsad?

“A kohen who did not wash his hands does not perform nesiat kapayim, rather he washes his hands in water up to the wrist and performs nesiat kapayim, and afterwards he blesses, she’ne’emar ‘se’u yedeichem kodesh'”. You should make your hands holy, that is with netilat kapayim, with washing hands, and then bless Hashem.

For prayer there is a mitzvah of washing hands, but it’s only l’chatchila if one can get to water. For the kohanim this is more me’akev, it seems, because it is similar to the Temple service.

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Law: Chalal — Disqualified Kohen

Further, which kohen cannot go up? Another thing, this is not one of the six things, this is just an exception, that a simple one is not a kohen.

Who is a kohen? Only a kohen who is a valid kohen, but a chalal is not a kohen, “and he does not perform nesiat kapayim, because he is not in the priesthood”. He is no longer a proper kohen.

Says the Rambam further, “A kohen who did not have any of all these”. Basically, he says here what disqualifies a kohen. Or that his parents were not valid etc., or his own problems.

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Law: An Am Ha’aretz Kohen / Transgressor Performs Nesiat Kapayim

So what? A kohen who did not have “any of all these things that prevent nesiat kapayim”, doesn’t have one of the six preventions, or seven, “even though” — now says the Rambam, this we learned Monday — “even though he is an am ha’aretz and is not meticulous in mitzvot, and is not among the mehadrin, and the people of the house murmur after him, behold he performs nesiat kapayim.”

Even though he is someone, wisdom is not wisdom, he’s not a great sage, he’s not a small fool. He is someone who is meticulous in mitzvos, he’s not a great mitzvah doer. He is someone who transgresses sins, people talk about him, people gossip about him. And usually it means that he’s not a saint. If there’s someone that people talk about for days, he’s certainly. But people say that he’s not pure. The Ramban means, people say about him not good things, not nice things, he’s a bit sick, he’s a bit of a thief, could still have everything… “harei zeh nosai kapav, v’ein mosrin oso” – behold he lifts his hands, and we don’t remove him. Why? He’s doing a mitzvah after all. Very strong.

Distinction Between Nesias Kapayim and Shaliach Tzibur

The Ramban says this, “And every kohen who does not ascend to the platform, even though he has nullified one positive commandment, his punishment is very great, for he transgresses three positive commandments, as it says ‘So shall you bless the children of Israel’, ‘and they shall place My name upon the children of Israel’, ‘say to them’. And we don’t say to a wicked person, add wickedness and be disgraced with mitzvos.” Very strong.

You know what this means? The comparison to shaliach tzibur and all these, only honest Jews. You don’t send a mitzvah, you don’t want a mitzvah for a person who is not kavod hatzibur, a person who is not kavod hatzibur. I shouldn’t send him as shaliach tzibur, but he has a mitzvah as a kohen.

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Law: HaKadosh Baruch Hu Blesses — The Blessing is from HaKadosh Baruch Hu

Very good. Ah, a person asked, I once heard from an old talmid chacham, he said, “As you say, ‘ko sevarchu’, you say it, you say it, does it help?” He said, “A blessing, the fool, the idiot answers, a blessing has come in, dependent on the kohanim, v’HaKadosh Baruch Hu as it says ‘and they shall place My name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them’. The kohanim do the mitzvah they were commanded, v’HaKadosh Baruch Hu in His mercy blesses Israel as He desires.” Don’t worry, the Almighty will surely make sure He knows what to do. The Ramban also wants to say that we don’t make the Almighty fall, we don’t make Him change His mind.

Very good. He doesn’t even say that the Almighty is dependent on the kohanim. The kohanim do a mitzvah, and the Almighty blesses. Is something missing to do? Only kecheftzo, when He wants, and He always wants. But very good.

Birchas Hedyot Al Tehi Kalah Be’einecha

What it says “birchas hedyot al tehi kalah be’einecha” – the blessing of a common person should not be light in your eyes, this was also with Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol, that the Almighty received a blessing from Rabbi Yishmael. Anyway, it could be that this is what the Gemara means, birchas hedyot hakohen, you should think that the kohen is a hedyot, he’s nothing, he’s a hedyot.

When a Jew came to the Rogatchover and asked him for a blessing, he said, “It says ‘al tehi birchas hedyot kalah be’einecha’, kal vachomer me, the Rav who is an oved Hashem.” He says, “Why do I need to give a blessing? With ‘kal vachomer’ give yourself a blessing, why do you need me?”

It could be that the simple meaning is, he’s a hedyot like the Rebbe.

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Law: Who is Included in the Blessing — Behind the Kohanim / Partition

Anyway, the Ramban says further, “However, apparently kohanim standing behind the kohanim who are blessing, will not be blessed.” The one who stands on the other side of the kohanim, he didn’t say that when the kohanim bless they should turn around there. He meant that only those who receive it from them are in the… No, says the Ramban, the one who stands behind them is not included in the blessing. But we have the positive commandments, not exactly face to face, but he looks through them, included in the blessing.

“And if there is a partition there,” even if there is a partition, because the kohanim are there, and there’s a requirement that it goes face to face, and in front of the kohanim there is a partition, even if it’s not of iron, behold his face is seen included in the blessing, it doesn’t interfere. The blessing goes through walls, but it doesn’t go backwards.

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Law: Minyan for Birchas Kohanim / Kohanim as Part of the Minyan

Okay. We learned that for many things you need a minyan. For birchas kohanim, nesias kapayim, ten kohanim, you can count the kohanim as part of the minyan.

What do you do if there aren’t enough kohanim? All of them lift their hands, who blesses? To the legions of the north and to the legions of the south. What does north and south have to do with it? We don’t know.

And if there are only ten, ah, here you see that women can be in the beis midrash and they say amen loudly, because they have no claim not to say amen quietly. The public hears, but the women have no claim to say amen quietly.

And if there are only ten kohanim or more, ah, this means, it could be that all the kohanim, if there are enough, let ten remain, leave ten like this in shul, they should be like the recipients of the blessing.

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Law: A Kohen Who is Shaliach Tzibur

Now, what do you do if the kohen himself is the shaliach tzibur?

Is there another kohen, if there is another kohen, he can be shaliach tzibur and the second one should duchan. We learned, it’s not an obligation that every kohen should duchan. The shaliach tzibur will let that one duchan, it’s not a problem.

If there is no more than one kohen, then “lo yisa es kapav” – he should not, because what will he confuse? We already learned one law that you need to say amen, he’ll get confused.

“And if he promised that he will not lift his hands,” if it’s certain that he can daven well and he won’t get confused, then he is permitted.

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Law: When There is No Kohen

“And if there is no kohen at all,” like us who don’t have a kohen and don’t duchan, the shaliach tzibur says, then we ask the Almighty to give the blessing Himself. Because there is, we don’t have a kohen, he says, the kohanim are His relatives, give us the blessing, the threefold blessing from the Torah that was said to Aharon to say through the kohanim, and we say “emor lahem” – say to them the threefold blessing in the Torah written through Moshe, he says “emor lahem, Elokeinu vEilokei avoseinu barcheinu babracha hameshuleshet baTorah hakesuva al yedei Moshe avdecha, ha’amura mipi Aharon uvanav hakohanim am kedoshecha, ka’amur yevarechecha” etc., and we answer amen. And we say more, we say the kohen will be pleased, as we have fulfilled the system.

Anyway, it’s not in agreement with what we wrote, this is a very nice thing. If there is no kohen, the Almighty should give the blessing. Like when a person comes to a Rebbe, and the Rebbe doesn’t want to give a blessing, this doesn’t help itself, something else.

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Law: A Kohen Can Duchan Multiple Times a Day

Ah, a kohen who lifts his hands in the synagogue… sorry, I’m going ahead too fast, I want to finish.

Yes, ah! What made him say about a kohen who duchans, afterwards he wants to go to another synagogue? Why did he go to another shul? It has nothing to do with time. He has to play early, he wants to go for birchas kohanim. He lifts his hands for pleasure even several times a day. It’s not a blessing, the kohen’s blessing doesn’t get used up in one day. He can go to two shuls.

I don’t understand the novelty, what did we think gets used up? It’s clear. Ah, he says that one could think it’s bal tosif. What they say you shouldn’t add. Okay.

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Law: Moving the Feet at Retzei

Another thing, we learned earlier that one must move his feet when it comes to Retzei, and at birchas avodah the kohen must begin to go to the platform.

Interesting, let’s see. “A kohen who did not move his feet from his place to ascend to the platform when the shaliach tzibur said Retzei, he no longer ascends in that prayer,” one cannot go because he’s not ready. Interesting. It becomes very strongly preventing the moving of feet at Retzei. But the main moving of feet, he must already begin to go, he must already begin to go on his feet to go to the platform.

Unless, he initially it seems he doesn’t need to begin then. That’s what we actually do today, we wash beforehand. But if he didn’t arrive, he ascends and blesses, the main thing is that he began to prepare.

Interesting, regarding what stands a law precisely. I think it has to do with the avodah, that the kohanim… the Gemara makes such a derasha, yes, this is the avodah, that we learned that in the Beis HaMikdash we used to do it, when it’s the avodah. Something has to do with birchas avodah, birchas kohanim, he must already be part of it. I don’t know.

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Law: Every Kohen Who Does Not Bless is Not Blessed

Now then, every kohen who does not ascend to the platform, he doesn’t duchan, even though he has nullified one positive commandment, the very fact that he transgressed and nullified one positive commandment, which is the mitzvah of birchas kohanim, behold he is like one who transgresses three positive commandments. What is written “Baruch will say to them in My name”? This goes with the Rambam’s approach, that when the same mitzvah is written three times, it doesn’t become three mitzvos. But it’s written three times, the simple meaning is ko, it’s ko, it’s ko, we’re talking about something else.

“And every kohen who does not bless, is not blessed.” Interesting. The blessing doesn’t come? Ah, what does it say “va’avarechem” – and I will bless them, not Avraham. “Everyone who blesses is blessed.” That is, who blesses the kohanim? The kohanim are blessed because they bless the Jews. Therefore if not, they are not.

He said, “Yes, yes, this is the virtue of being a kohen.” No, an ordinary Jew receives the blessing.

He must remember though to say “be’ahava” – with love, that he does it not because he should receive back the blessing. He must love himself too, so he should receive. Ah, the Almighty blesses.

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Conclusion of Laws of Prayer

Okay. Until here Laws of Prayer. And yet there is

Conclusion of Study

Speaker:

It’s printed in Sefer Ahava. Although essentially it belongs here, no? We’ll talk about this next time.

Baruch Rachmana desayan, says the Rambam.