Thus Shall You Bless

A tender father-son moment with Hersh appears at the end of Rachel Polin-Goldberg’s new book. Twice every Shabbat morning, Jon would cover Hersh in his Tallit for the Priestly Blessing. Jon provides a glimpse of the thousands of intimate moments he and Hersh shared, cloaked in privacy. 

“When you barely reached my waist” Jon writes to Hersh, “we’d stand silently with our eyes closed, soaking in the prayer, and the moment, together. More recently, you would be half asleep and rest your weary head on my shoulder. Sometimes one of us would make a joke that made the other chuckle.” Now Jon looks around the room, at the fathers embracing their sons and wonders, “Who’s standing quietly? Who’s chuckling? Does the father appreciate this moment? I stand alone with tears in my eyes.” 

We first meet these blessed-words in this week’s portion of Torah. I love Jon’s translation. It’s in the present tense. “God blesses you and keeps you; God shines His face upon you and is gracious to you; God lifts His face upon you and gives you His peace” (Num. 6:24-26). 

How you respond to pain says a lot about yourself. Rachel and Jon have, time again, through their love and loss, made teachings touching. Perhaps that’s why Jon’s present tense translation is so poignant. Whenever we meet Rachel and Jon, they’re emoting and expressing in the present tense. No two interviews are the same. Maybe this is one reason why gifts are called presents. 

First Responders deserve our esteem. Heroic Responders deserve our awe. Some of you may recall, back in December of 2023, after heroically escaping Hamas captivity, Yotam Haim was misidentified and accidentally killed by the IDF. How did his mother respond? By releasing the soldiers from blame, urging them and all Israel to remain determined, courageous, and kind. 

You’ll have a rare chance to meet that mother at what promises to be an inspiring evening,  Choosing Light this coming June 3. The Priestly Blessing opens by instructing the Priests, who specialized in releasing people from undue blame, “Thus shall you bless”. May we strive to make our responses honest and edifying. Most of all, may our responses repurpose pain into blessings and gifts.