On Tuesday, tens of thousands of worshippers gathered at the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem for the traditional birkat kohanim (priestly blessing ceremony) recreating a mitzvah (Torah commandment) as it was once performed in the Temple. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation organizes the mass event during the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot. Among those attending was former hostage Eliya Cohen, a Jew of priestly descent, who was freed from Hamas captivity after 505 days.
The event began at 8:45 a.m. with morning prayers, which included the first birkat kohanim at 9:30 a.m. Prayers were followed by reciting the Hallel, celebratory verses in Psalms. Musaf, the additional prayer service, started at 10:15 a.m., with the main priestly blessing taking place at 10:30 a.m.
The Kohanim are Jewish men with a tradition of patrilineal descent from Aaron, the first High Priest. The ritual may only be performed by a kohen and only in the presence of a quorum of ten Jews. A kohen who is under the influence of alcohol or in mourning may not perform the blessing. Demographically, kohanim represent about five percent of the Jewish population. The Temple Institute instituted a registry for the priestly class as a step towards reinstating the Temple service.
The blessing is performed by the priests holding their hands up with the fingers of both hands separated so as to create five spaces between them. The spaces are between the ring finger and middle finger of each hand, between the index finger and thumb of each hand, and between the two thumbs touching each other at the knuckle.
Before giving the blessing, the Kohanim remove their shoes, and have their hands washed by men who have a family tradition of being from the tribe of Levi. The Kohanim then moved to the front of the crowd and took up places adjacent to the ancient stones of the Kotel. Since the priests served in the Temple barefoot, they removed their shoes and covered themselves entirely in a tallit (prayer shawl).
After the blessing, carried out by over one hundred Kohanim at 10:40 a.m., participants held a special prayer for the safety and return of the hostages held by the Palestinian Hamas in Gaza was added to the prayer service. Prayer was added for the protection and victory of the IDF soldiers fighting on the borders of Israel and in Judea and Samaria. A prayer was added for the health and recovery of the wounded.
The blessing of Israel, once an integral part of the Temple Service, is now performed on a regular basis in synagogues around the world.
