100,000 Participate in Priestly Blessing at Western Wall
Around 100,000 people took part in the Passover priestly blessing of the kohanim (members of the priestly line) at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Mon. 2 April, 2018.
The blessing is recited by Jewish people who are said to be descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses, and is one of the most ancient blessings in the Jewish faith. Kohanim often cover their faces when they utter the blessing, it being a long-held tradition that the face of a kohen during the blessing is awe-inspiring.
The ceremony was attended by leading rabbis in Israel in addition to USA Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. The blessing is recited by kohanim at various times throughout the Jewish calendar in the diaspora, but is recited daily during prayers in Jerusalem and weekly across Israel, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The priestly blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace” (Num. 6:24-26).
