If you are reading this page then you probably already know that I am Orthodox Jewish. And I believe that all blessings come from God. Period, no if’s, and’s or but’s.
And yet I believe in the power of the Kohen blessing. Isn’t that a paradox?
There are many ways to approach this paradox, and I hope that the site becomes a forum for discussing issues like this (which is why I used a blog-based WordPress design for the site). But for now I will give a deceptively simple answer. I say “deceptively simple” because the answer leads to other questions for future pages…
When I say the blessing, I invoke God’s name. And yet I know that using God’s name in vain is a Biblical sin. Even more, I am commanded to give this blessing, at least at certain times and places, so failing to bless is also a sin.
The only way this can work is that my blessing must be a partnership with God in which my blessing is not in vain. In other words, by commanding me to bless, God must also be promising me that when I bless I am not committing the sin of misusing God’s name.
On my side this logic is rather humbling, and so I have a habit of always thinking before blessing, focusing on the nature of the blessing that I am giving.
When you ask for a blessing, please take a minute to tell a little about yourself and the blessing you are asking for (there is a form to help with this). And trust God to keep the blessing free from sin.