This week's D'var Torah is l'iluy nishmat my Grandmother - Malka bat Yehuda HaCohen, a"h
"Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying, 'Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying: So shall you bless the Children of Israel, say to them: "May Hashem bless you and guard you. May Hashem illuminate His countenance toward you and endow you with grace. May Hashem lift His countenance to you and establish peace for you." They shall place My Name upon the Children of Israel, and I shall bless them.'"
Last year, a gentleman came to my Yeshiva offering me "investment packages" for my staff. I'm certainly no scholar when it comes to finance, but the gist of the idea is that my staff would take money out of their bi-weekly paychecks pre-tax and the money would then be invested. This is done frequently in businesses as a means of long-term savings accounts or retirement plans.
I recall that one of the selling points this gentleman mentioned to me was that his company would keep a close, watchful eye over the money being invested and that - periodically - the money would be moved and invested in different areas. Their reason for doing this was to ensure that our money was constantly being invested in the areas with the highest return - so we could get the biggest "bang for our buck."
Rashi comments on the first of the three-part beracha being given to us by the Kohanim - "May Hashem bless you and guard you." He points out that in any other instance where one would be given a gift, the responsibility of the "giver" for that gift ends once it is received. If it would subsequently be stolen, that would be the problem of the recipient - certainly not the giver! In the case of Hashem, Rashi says - He is both the giver and the guard. Not only does He give us blessings, but He watches over us and the blessings being given to ensure that all goes well.
This gentleman who came to my office last year wanted to convince me to allow his company to invest my money - promising they would watch over it for me and ensure it was being invested well. Little did he know, I have the greatest "Investment Banker" of all watching over my money, my home, my family and everything else I could possibly care about - and He watches over them constantly, not periodically!
May we all be more cognizant of the profound depth that Birkat Kohanim carries and may we grow to appreciate this beracha even more than we already do. In this zechut, may Hashem shower us with berachot, and may He guard them as well!
Shavuah Tov!!
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