Hebrew Only

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The "Before Minhah Shiur" yesterday (Shabat Shemini) had the rabbi talking about - among other things, birkat ha_cohanin, "dukining" to our Ashkenazi kin or "getting up on the bema and blessing the people."

He noted that birkat ha_cohanim must be recited in Hebrew and only Hebrew.

We can recite the birkat ha_mazon (after meal thanksgiving) in any language, even English (as he pointed to me, one of the few members of the congregation with English as a first language).

Most communications with HaShem can be in any language, but birkat ha_cohanim is limited to Hebrew.

When you think about it, the Hebrew-only rule makes sense.

Jews have all the languages of the world as their "native tongue."

But Jews around the world SHOULD have at least a smattering of Hebrew; it is, after all, a common bond no matter if our first language is English (as is mine) or the Moroccan variation of Arabic (as in my Mother-In-Law's case) or South American Spanish, as in the case of many of the folks who don tzit-tzit with me every morning.

We all, without exception, have at least a working knowledge of the "sidur Hebrew."

Cohanim are obligated (by the Torah) to bless the people and in Sefardi and Mizrahi congregations they do this every morning and twice on Shabat.

Years ago, when I first met the rabbi he assumed, despite my "wrap" that I was an Ashkenazi visitor with no knowledge of Sefardi/Mizrahi traditions. He launched into a spiel that "if an Ashkenazi cohen comes in for sharit he would be obliged to come up and bless the congregation." While my "elementary education" was in a U.S. Conservative congregation, my "finishing school" was in Moroccan and Moroccan/Egyptian/Syrian congregations in Bet Shean and Holon (Israel) under my Father-In-Law's (a"h) mentoring. The names found most often in my personal library are Messas (Shalom and Yosef) and Abihatzara (Makluf).

I have been told - and, unfortunately immediately forgot - why some Ashkenazim only do birkat ha_cohanim on the holidays and some only on Yom Kippur. Enlightenment in the form of a Comment* to this will be appreciated.

I know one cohen who stumbles through the kidush - never mind the birkat ha_mazon - but repeats the (3-5-7) 15 words of birkat ha_cohanim with confidence; that may be the only Hebrew he knows/understands - BUT, no matter where he goes, if he wanders into a Sefardi/Mizrahi congregation, he can join other cohanim on the platform to bless the people. (Do cohanim worry about holes in their socks?)

Imagine if a cohen with Italian as his native language went to Holland where the cohanim all spoke only Dutch ; if the birkat ha_cohanim was recited in each cohen's native language what confusion and pain to the ears. It makes since - to this Israel at least - that this blessing is spoken only in Hebrew, the common language of an uncommon people.

* English or Hebrew comments only; all others will be rejected.

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn at gmail dot com