Parshat Naso

In this week’s parashah, Naso, God gives instructions to Aaron and his sons on how to bless the community: “Thus shall you bless the children of Israel. . . ” The Talmud, in tractate Sotah, explained that the word “thus” refers to the lifting of the hands, which accompanies the priestly blessing to this day.

Rabbi Yosef Karo interpreted the priestly lifting of the hands as a sign that a true blessing cannot be just words. ” It must involve lifting the hands, so that the work of the hands joins with the spoken word to make the blessing real. . . And so it was with Aaron. He did not sit with his arms crossed, and he was not satisfied with spoken blessings, but rather he was a ‘lover of peace and pursuer of peace.'”

As members of a spiritual community, we know this to be true. To be a blessing to each other, we must not only wish each other well, but also be ready to lift our hands to make those words a reality. May we always be a community in which blessings flow not only because of what we say, but because of what we do for one another.

• 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 this Shabbat is sponsored by Pat Power and Judy Christensen.
• Childcare is available from 10 am to noon on Shabbat mornings. Beyond Bim Bom I, our learning service for grades K to 1, is from 10:15 to 11:00 am this Shabbat.
• Minyanim during the week are on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am, and Wednesday mornings at 7 am.
• Please note that there will be no e-bulletins during June and July. Shabbat services and weekday minyanim will continue as always during the summer.