(from Torah Temima Bemidbar 6:25)
The Blessing of the Kohanim:The Glow of the Torah
On the middle line of Birkat Kohanim, “G-d should shine his face on you and show favor to you,” the Sifrei (Midrash on Bemidbar) comments, “This refers to the shine of the Torah.”
What is the shine of the Torah?
The Torah Temima notes that the expression appears in at least two places in the Talmud:
“One who sees olive oil in a dream can look forward to the shine of the Torah.” (Berakhot 57a)
“One who is born on a Wednesday will be a wise and shining (chakim venahir) person.” (Shabbat 156a)
The first (the olive oil dream) statement seems to be in line with another Talmudic statement, “One who regularly uses olive oil can recall something he learned even seventy years earlier.” (Horiot 13b). Putting the two statements together – the shine of the Torah refers to remembering Torah, having a powerful memory to hold on to what one learns and the ability to recall that which has been forgotten. Therefore one who dreams of olive oil can look forward to the shine of the Torah.
The Arukh (Rav Natan of Rome, generation before Rashi) similarly explains shining in the second statement : a shining person is one who remembers well.
The second line of Birkat Kohanim, then, according to the Torah Temima, blesses Israel with Torah’s shine – the ability to remember, to hold on to Torah.
We are blessed that the words of the Torah will be constantly clear and shining before our eyes. Retaining is a Divine gift, as the Gemara (Nedarim 38a) says, “At first Moshe would learn Torah and forget it, until G-d gave it to him as a present.’” The Torah Temima (Shemot 31:18) calls attention to the Yerushalmi (Horiot 3:8) that quotes the end of the same statement as – “so the unintelligent will return to the Torah”, so they should learn from Moshe’s example and continue to learn despite their limitations, for the Torah is a Divine gift. The Bavli Avoda Zara 19a likewise says, “One should continue to learn Torah even if he forgets it. . .”
[prepared by Eliezer Kwass]
