Parshat Naso

In this week’s parashah, Naso, we learn Birkat Kohanim,the priestly blessing that is part of our liturgy to this day.  God commands Moshe to say to Aaron and his sons: “In this way you shall bless the children of Israel. . . ‘May YHWH bless you and keep you, may YHWH cause his face to shine on you and be kind to you, may YHWH raise his face to you and grant you peace.'”

The Mudzhitzer Rebbe interpreted the introductory words, “In this way you shall bless the children of Israel” to mean that the priests were commanded to bless all the children of Israel, without singling out the great or distinguished. For a blessing to do its work, to bring God’s presence into the world, it must be inclusive. It must express the recognition that all of us are images of God. We receive God’s presence together, or not at all. A blessing that excludes is not a blessing, because a God who excludes is not God.

May our community always be a place of true blessing.

• Shabbat services at The New Shul are on Friday evenings from 6 to 7 pm, and on Saturday mornings from 9 am to 12 noon. The kiddush-lunch this Shabbat, May 30, is sponsored by Alan and Sheila Roth in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary.
• Childcare is available from 10 am to noon on Shabbat mornings.
• Rabbi Kanter is offering a summer class through the Women’s Jewish Learning Center: “The Song of Songs: The Greatest Love Poem Ever Written.” The class will meet at ASU Hillel on 4 Sunday mornings: June 7, 14, 21, and 28. at 10 am.
• Please note that this will be the last New Shul e-bulletin until August. Shabbat services and weekday minyanim will continue throughout the summer as always. Please see our website, thenewshul.org, for next year’s classes and calendar of events. Additional events and information will be posted during the summer.