Sotah 38a (לח.) — the Talmud in English

In the Temple: he pronounces the Name

the sacred Name in these verses:

as it is written

[the Name of YHWH].

And in the rest of the country:

he pronounces it

by its appellation

[as Adonai].

In the rest of the country: the priests raise their hands opposite their shoulders.

But in the Temple:

they raise their hands

above their heads

[higher than their heads], because they bless the people with the explicit Name, and the Divine Presence is above the joints of their fingers.

Except for the High Priest, who does not raise his hands above the frontplate,

because the Name is written upon it.

Rabbi Yehuda says: Even the High Priest raises his hands above the frontplate—

As it is stated: “

And Aaron raised his hands

toward the people and blessed them,”

and it follows that he raised them above his head.

Gemara:

The Sages taught:

What the Torah commanded: “

Thus shall you bless,”

means

in the sacred tongue.

You say:

that

in the sacred tongue

alone they recite it.

Or perhaps

even

in any language?

You learn a gzera shava, “blessing” “blessing,” from the Levites:

It is stated here,

with regard to the priestly blessing: “

Thus shall you bless.”

And it is stated there,

with regard to the blessings and curses of the Levites: “

These shall stand to bless the people

on Mount Gerizim.”

Just as there,

with regard to the Levites,

in the sacred tongue

specifically, as explained in the preceding Mishna,

so here,

with regard to the priestly blessing,

in the sacred tongue

specifically.

Rabbi Yehuda says: It is not necessary

to learn this through a gzera shava, for

it says

with regard to the priestly blessing: “

Thus,”

and we learn:

until they recite it in this wording,

which is written in the sacred tongue.

It was taught in another beraita:

What the Torah commanded: “

Thus shall you bless,”

means that the priests bless

while standing

as priests.

You say that the priests bless while standing

or perhaps

they may even bless while sitting?

You learn through a gzera shava, “blessing” “blessing,” from the Levites:

It is stated here,

with regard to the priestly blessing: “

Thus shall you bless,”

and it is stated there,

with regard to the blessings and curses of the Levites: “

These shall stand to bless

the people on Mount Gerizim.”

Just as there—

with regard to the blessings and curses of the Levites—it is specifically

while standing,

so here,

with regard to the priestly blessing, it is

while standing.

in the blessings and curses of the Levites, it is specifically

Rabbi Natan says: It is not necessary

to learn through a gzera shava that the priests must stand:

For

it says

in the passage of Ekev [Deuteronomy 10:8]: “At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord

to serve Him

[in the Temple service]

and to bless in His Name

[the priestly blessing].”

Just as one who serves does so while standing, so one who blesses does so while standing.

And from where do we know that one who serves himself

does so while standing?

As it is written

in the passage of Shoftim [Deuteronomy 18:5]: “For him [the priest] the Lord your God chose from all your tribes

to stand and serve

in the Name of the Lord, he and his sons, all the days.”

It was taught in another beraita:

What the Torah said, “

Thus shall you bless,”

means

with the raising of the hands,

that the priests raise their hands.

You say that it is with the raising of the hands, or perhaps it is without the raising of the hands?

You learn through a gzera shava, “blessing” “blessing,” from Aaron’s blessing on the eighth day of the inauguration:

It is stated here—

with regard to the priestly blessing—“

Thus shall you bless,”

and it is stated there—

with regard to Aaron’s blessing—“

And Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them.”

Just as there,

with regard to Aaron’s blessing, it was

with the raising of the hands,

as it is stated: “And Aaron raised his hands,”

so here,

with regard to the priestly blessing, it is

with the raising of the hands.

Rabbi Yonatan finds this difficult

as a derivation:

If just as there,

with regard to Aaron’s blessing, the raising of the hands was performed by

the High Priest, on the New Moon, and during the communal service.

So here,

a priest should raise his hands only

when he is the High Priest, on the New Moon, and during the communal service!?

Rabbi Natan says: It is not necessary

to learn the raising of the hands in the priestly blessing through a gzera shava, which could be refuted as Rabbi Yonatan refuted it; rather, it is learned through a juxtaposition:

For

it says: “For him

who the Lord your God chose from all your tribes to stand and serve in the Name of the Lord,

he and his sons, all the days,”

he equates his sons

of Aaron

with him: Just as he

blessed

with the raising of the hands, so his sons

bless

with the raising of the hands;

and the question “What of the High Priest?” can no longer be raised, since one may not refute a juxtaposition.

And

it is

written: “

all the days,”

and you learn that it is not specifically the High Priest and the communal service.

And blessing is equated with service,

that is: Do not say that his sons were equated with him only with regard to service, for blessing is equated with service, as is explained in the verse in the passage of Ekev: “To serve Him and to bless in His Name.”

And it was taught in another beraita:

What the Torah said: “

Thus shall you bless the children of

Israel,”

means that

with the explicit Name

they bless them in the Temple.

You say that with the explicit Name

they bless them,

or perhaps it is only by its appellation

[as Adonai].

The verse states: “

And they shall place My Name upon the children of Israel,”

and it follows:

My Name that is unique to Me.

Could it also be in the outlying areas

[in the rest of the country]

so!?

You learn a gzera shava, “placing” “placing,” from the Temple:

For

it is

stated here,

with regard to the priestly blessing: “

And they shall place

My Name,”

and it is stated there,

with regard to the Temple: “For only to the place that the Lord your God will choose

to place His Name there

shall you seek His Presence and come there.”

Just as there is the chosen Temple, so here it is in the chosen Temple.

Rabbi Yoshiyya says: It is not necessary

to learn through a gzera shava that they bless with the explicit Name only in the Temple:

For

it says

[Exodus 20:21]: “

In every place where I cause My Name to be mentioned, I shall come to you and bless you

[I shall cause My Divine Presence to rest upon you].”

But is it truly “

in every place”

conceivable

that they would mention the Name as it is written? Yet the verse says [Exodus 3:15]: “This is My Name forever, and this is My memorial from generation to generation”—I am not pronounced as I am written. Moreover, does the Divine Presence come and rest in every place!?

Rather, this verse is transposed

[reversed]

as follows: “

In every place where I come to you and bless you, there I shall cause My Name to be mentioned.”

And where does “

I shall come to you and bless you”

apply? In the chosen Temple,

namely, in the Tent of Meeting in the wilderness, in Shiloh, and in the Temple in Jerusalem.

It was taught in another beraita:

It is stated: “

Thus shall you bless the children of Israel.”

I have derived only

that the priests bless

the children of Israel;

but

from where

do we know that the priests bless converts, women, and emancipated slaves?

The verse states: “

It was taught in another beraita:

Say to them,”

and from the superfluous wording of the verse we learn that they bless

all of them,

the children of Israel.

It was taught in another beraita:

The verse states: “

This that the Torah said: "

So shall you bless,"

this blessing shall be

with the faces

of the kohanim

opposite the faces

of the people.

You say that the faces are opposite the faces; or is it not rather even when the faces are opposite the backs of the heads?

The verse states: "Say to them,"

that they should bless the people

as a person speaks to his fellow

, for they speak face to face.

It was taught in another beraita:

This that the Torah said: "

So shall you bless"

means

aloud.

Or is it not rather silently?

The verse states: "

Say to them,"

as a person speaks to his fellow.

Abaye said: We have received the tradition

[we have a received tradition and an inherited tradition]:

For two

who ascend to the platform,

the cantor calls

"

kohanim,"

but

if

one

alone ascends,

the cantor does not call

"

kohen."

As it is stated: "

Say to them"—

to two.

And Rav Hisda said: We have received the tradition: The kohen

is the one who

calls "

kohanim,"

and an Israelite does not call "

kohanim."