10
votes
Accepted
Ayin or Aleph, blessing or curse?
Rashi says why this change turns the blessing into a curse pretty clearly in his comment on Megillah 24b.
He says:
מפני שקורין לאלפין עיינין ולעיינין אלפין. ואם היו עושין ברכת כהנים היו אומרים יאר ...
- 18.5k
9
votes
Source for not looking at a kohens hands.
This idea is brought down in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 128:23:
בשעה שהכהנים מברכים העם לא יביטו ולא יסיחו דעתם אלא יהיו עיניהם כלפי
מטה כמו שעומד בתפלה והעם יכוונו לברכה ויהיו פניהם כנגד פני הכהנים ...
- 6,753
9
votes
Is a kohen who embarrasses someone publicly prohibited to duchen?
Responsa Shevet Halevi 8:172 rules that such a person is allowed to duchen, because the verse that is the source of the prohibition, as well as the Rambam and Shulchan Aruch imply that the issue is ...
- 6,477
8
votes
Birkas Kohanim when wife is a niddah
This is cited by Raavad in his commentary to Tamid (end, s.v. He'chelu):
ובספר מקצועות מצאתי כתוב היכא דאיכא נדה בביתא דכהן אסור אסור ליה למסיק לדוכן כל אימת דאיתא בנדתה דחייש דלמא נגע במידי דנגעה ...
- 11.9k
7
votes
Accepted
In birkat kohanim, who calls out "kohanim"?
The Rambam (Tefillah 14:8) says explicitly it's the Chazzan who calls.
Tosfot (Berachot 34a) quote Rabbeinu Tam who says that the Chazzan cannot call out "Kohanim" as it is a Hefsek. He proves this ...
- 97.4k
7
votes
Duchaning without a talis
See SA OC128, 23 in annotation of the Rama.
הגה: וגם הכהנים לא יסתכלו בידיהם על כן נהגו לשלשל הטלית על פניהם וידיהם חוץ לטלית. ויש מקומות שנהגו שידיהם בפנים מן הטלית שלא יסתכלו העם בהם (בית יוסף):&...
- 22.7k
7
votes
Accepted
why do kohanim make a bracha on birkat kohanim if they are safek kohanim?
This question is addressed by several acharonim. R. Jacob Reischer argues that since a kohen who does not perform the blessing is as if he has violated three positive commandments, the Sages said that ...
- 49.1k
6
votes
Duchaning without a talis
Chashukei Chemed - Megila - page 314 says that it is better for the Kohain not to Duchan rather than covering himself with another object.
Yalkut Yosef 5764 edition - Tefila Volume 2 - 128:100 also ...
- 139k
6
votes
Accepted
Socks versus shoes for the priestly blessing
The reason kohanim remove shoes before nesiat kapayim is due to a concern that a strap may break while the kohen is going up, causing him to stop to fix it and thus miss nesiat kapayim (Sotah 40a). ...
- 41.8k
5
votes
Birkat Kohanim for a Kohen who was very far from Judaism and decided to be a good Jew
Can a Kohen converted to Christianity or married with a non-Jewish woman recite the Birkat Kohanim after Teshuva?
This answer is referenced, but an explicative part is based on personal reflection, ...
- 22.7k
5
votes
If a kohen participates in a stoning is he still allowed to bless the people?
R. Ephraim Bilitzer (Yad Ephraim no. 5), in addressing the question how could Phineas perform the priestly service after killing Zimri & Kosbi, admits as obvious that only a kohen who was not ...
- 11.9k
5
votes
Accepted
How does saying "pasim" help us safely enunciate the name of Hashem?
If you open for example the Artscroll siddur (in my case p. 698 of the Ashkenaz-English version), you'll see that there's a 22 letter Divine Name hidden in it that is not read, but just scanned with ...
- 7,434
5
votes
Birkas Kohanim when wife is a niddah
Piskei Teshuvot 128:92 quotes a discussion and recommends being machmir, whereas Yalkut Yosef 128:87 recommends not.
- 2,086
5
votes
Kohanim names. Am I a Kohan
The definition of a Kohain is someone whos father is a kohain and so forth dating back to Aharon the brother of Moses. There were three families in our synagogue named Cohen. One was a Kohain, one was ...
- 42.9k
4
votes
Why do we say כן יהי רצון in response to each blessing of Birkat Kohanim?
Mishnah Berurah 127:10 explains that it is because the chazzan is not actually blessing the congregation, which only the kohanim do. Instead, he is requesting of G-d that He bestow those blessings on ...
- 41.8k
4
votes
Accepted
Birkat Kohanim in Chutz Laaretz
See RM Issarles on SA OC 128, 44:
נהגו בכל מדינות אלו שאין נושאים כפים אלא ביום טוב משום שאז שרויים בשמחת יום טוב וטוב לב הוא יברך מה שאין כן בשאר ימים אפילו בשבתות השנה שטרודים בהרהורים על מחייתם ...
- 22.7k
4
votes
Accepted
A minyan made entirely of cohanim
I'm summarizing some points found in the text as well as Mishnah Berurah commentary to O.C. 128:25
If there are only 10 people and they are all Cohanim, all of them duchen and they bless those that ...
- 70k
4
votes
Duchaning without a talis
http://etzion.org.il/en/birkat-kohanim-priestly-blessing-part-iv
According to this article on the Yeshivat Har Etzion Virtual Beit Midrash there are achronim who hold that If one does not have a ...
- 1,165
4
votes
Why not remove shoes before washing hands for the priestly blessing?
Actually Mishna Berura 128:15 suggests that the shoes should be removed prior to Netilas Yadayim. It says he may remove it after the Netila also.
- 139k
4
votes
Accepted
Priestly blessing for a different minyan - any need for kohen to participate?
It's strongly implied (S"A O"C 128:2) that if a Kohen is in the room when the Chazzan calls "Kohanim" (or some other form of the Kohen being called up to give the blessing), he has an obligation to ...
- 6,753
4
votes
Accepted
Can a Kohen wear striped socks?
While my gut feeling per my understanding of Chayei Adam 32:4 was that 'distracting' clothing would prevent a Kohen from doing Birkas Kohanim, Rav Moshe Feinstein in Igros Moshe OC 2:32 (credit to @...
- 6,753
4
votes
Accepted
A Kohan married to a Convert Blessing the People
No a kohen is not allowed to perform birkat kohanim if he is married to a convert or even if he is no longer married to one until he swears not to do it again as the shulchan aruch paskens in OC 128:...
- 1,165
4
votes
Birkas Kohanim when wife is a niddah
The Raavad at the end of Mesechta Tamid quotes the Sefer Hamiktzo'os (assumed to be authored by Rabeinu Chananel): When there is a niddah in the home of a cohen he may not ascend the duchan [for ...
- 6,919
4
votes
Birkas Kohanim when wife is a niddah
R. Eliezer Waldenberg has a responsum which discusses this. He cites the Sefer Hamiktzo'os (mentioned in other answers) and then quotes a bunch of sources (some cited in the above answers as well) ...
- 49.1k
3
votes
Quiet Birchas Kohanim
It would at least be a waste of time since holding up the arms and reciting the blessing aloud are required (ShA OC 128:14). In any event so long as no one called him up to bless, he isn't violating ...
- 97.4k
3
votes
Birkat Kohanim in entirely Israeli minyan in chutz laaretz
The minhag of those from Eretz Yisrael is to say birchath kohanim daily. While many Ashkenazim in Europe had a controversial practice of refraining from birchat kohanim during the year, this custom ...
- 17.7k
3
votes
Duchaning without a talis
The sefer נשיאת כפים כהלכתא writes in perek 10 (12) that if one cannot obtain a tallis one should not duchan since the custom today is that ll the kohanim cover themselves with a tallis and one is not ...
- 47.2k
3
votes
Accepted
Why not remove shoes before washing hands for the priestly blessing?
As a kohain who does this myself, I can explain why we do it this way.
There are three reasons that I know of. These are reasons I have personally found in common all over the USA and Israel. (There ...
- 910
3
votes
How did the “custom” of not duchaning on Yom Tov that falls on Shabbos arise
The Beit Yosef says that the reason he heard that ashkenazim do not duchan daily is that the kohanim have the custom of going to the mikvah before saying birkat kohanim and it is too hard for them to ...
- 1,165
3
votes
procedure for birkat kohanim
Indeed, the Minhag in many communities such as Eretz Yisrael and Bavel was once like the Rambam and Shulchan Aruch, but the Ashkenazi Minhag has some procedural benefits, as it's easier for everyone ...
- 2,086
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