Birchas Cohanim - Kedushas Aharon

This post is from a Dvar Torah chiddush from my friend David Braun.

The Gemorah in Mesechta Sotoh 39a says, Shoalu talmidov shel Rebbe Elazar ben Shamua, the students of Rebbe Elazar ben Shamua asked him, with what did you merit your longevity? He answered them, because of three things that I emphasized in my life: 1) In all my years I never used a Bais HaKeneses as a shortcut to walk through to another area; 2) I never stepped over the heads of our holy people the students in the yeshiva when I was making my way forward; and 3) I never held up my hands, that is blessed the congregation with the Blessing Of the Cohanim, without first making my own blessing. Asks the Gemorah, what was his blessing? Rav Zeira said in the name of Rav Chisda, Asher Kideshonu Bekedushosoh Shel Aharon VeTzivonu Levoreich Es Amoh Yisroel BoAhavoh.

The question is obvious. What is the tremendous chiddush, novelty, that Rebbe Elazar did that merited longevity for making the blessing that all Cohanim ordinarily make as part of the Duchan service? The answer is that he didn’t have to make the blessing but did anyway. Let’s understand why he didn’t have to make the blessing and why when he did make the blessing it was something special, special enough to warrant meriting longevity.

The Sfas Emes on Torah on Pesach 5640 says – Mah She’ein mevorchim birchas hamitzvos al sippur yetzias mitzrayim – the reason that we do not make an ordinary blessing for mitzvos, asher kideshonu bemitzvosov, who made us holy with his mitzvos, because relating the stories of Yetzias Mitzrayim is an obvious action that we should do as appreciation to Hashem for redeeming us. Even if Hashem would not have given us the commandment to relate Yetzias Mitzrayim to our children, we would have done it anyway. Such a mitzvo, that our basic intelligence says to do it, does not warrant a blessing over mitzvos.

Pardes Yosef on Shemini quotes the Sfas Emes son, the Gerrer Rebbe Imrei Emes ztz’l on the mitzvo that the Cohanim have of “Ko sevorchu es Bnei Yisroel”, so shall you bless the Children of Israel, but that in no place does it specifically make this a commandment. Because the Cohanim would naturally of themselves bless the Jewish nation in appreciation for all the gifts given to them, Terumah, Challah, Kodshim, etc. The Cohanim don’t need a specific commandment. The Torah rather just tells them, when you do bless the people, use this specific language, ko sevorchu.

Rabbeinu Bechaya on Torah on parshas Shelach in his explanation of Tzitzis says that all mitzvos are of two types, Mekubolos or mitzvos that the Torah specifically states as commandments, and Muscholos or mitzvos that are obvious to any reasonable person. The Chachomim instituted the birchas ha mitzvos on the Mitzvos Mekubolos but not on Mitzvos Muscholos. The reason for this is because the Mekubolos specifically commanded by Hashem bring with them an aura of Kedushoh, Holiness, when completed. Through doing these mitzvos the Jews are called Kedoshim and therefore we make a blessing asher kideshanu bemitzvosov, that He sanctified us through his mitzvos. But by doing mitzvos that our human natural intellect would have us do, we don’t normally become sanctified.

Now we can understand why Rebbe Elazar ben Shamua merited longevity. With the words of the Sfas Emes and Imrei Emes we see that mitzvos sichliyos do not require a brocho. Rabbeinu Bechaya further states that this is because these mitzvis in themselves do not sanctify us. Rebbe Elazar ben Shamua however could not bring himself to bless the congregation, although humanly reasonable because of his appreciation to the Jews, without blessing his actions. He felt that by blessing his action it would further sanctify the blessing and bring the holiness of Hashem to the people. So he made a blessing connecting himself to his illustrious and holy forbear Aharon by saying asher kideshanu, He who sanctified us with the holiness of Aharon and commanded us to bless His people with the following language. This special attitude of respect by Rebbi Elazar ben Shamua merited his longevity.