Like many young children, my favorite part of shul was Birchas Kohanim, the ritual priestly blessing recited by kohanim on Yom Tov (although in Israel it is recited every day). I remember huddling underneath my father’s tallis with its distinctive wool scent, making sure I did not catch a glimpse of their hands lest I suffer a fate which, in my youthful imagination, resembled the climax of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. One year, I remember I was chewing gum and blowing bubbles underneath my father’s tallis. That was a big mistake for a host of reasons.

My youthful fascination with Birchas Kohanim has endured into adulthood. When I was a guest on the Meaningful People Podcast, they ended every interview by asking their guests, "What is your favorite mitzvah?" I didn't hesitate. "Birchas Kohanim," I responded.

Why? I am not a Kohen nor do I harbor any ambitions to become one. Yet, I think this is one of the most powerful mitzvos in the Torah.

Every morning, we make a special bracha, known as Birchas haTorah, on the commandment to study Torah. Immediately after the blessing, our custom is to say a few passages from the Torah to fulfill the mitzvah of Torah study after saying the bracha. But which part of Torah should be studied?

I would have guessed perhaps a part of Torah that discusses the importance of Torah itself. The passages from the Oral Torah that we read after reciting Birchas haTorah all revolve around the theme of the value of Torah study. That makes sense. But strangely, we also read the verses of Birchas Kohanim after reciting Birchas HaTorah. Why do we read these verses?! What do they have to do with the study of Torah?

Allow me to pose one more question related to Birchas HaTorah in general. The Talmud (Nedarim 81a) asks: Why do the children of rabbis so rarely become rabbis themselves? In response to this question, the Talmud presents five approaches:

Rav Yosef says it is so that people do not say Torah is an inheritance. Rav Sheishet, the son of Rav Eidi, says so that they do not become arrogant among the community. Mar Zutra says so that they do not become too dictatorial against the community. Rav Ashi says it is because they [speak negatively about common folk]. Ravina explained because they do not make the requisite Blessing on the Torah.

Of all of the explanations, Ravina’s seems to be the most puzzling. What does the Blessing on the Torah have to do with the religious outcome of one’s children? And are we really to assume that great rabbinic scholars all skipped the Biblically mandated Blessing on the Torah each morning?

To understand all of this, let’s explore some of the history of clergy’s children.

Read the rest on Substack, and listen to the full shiur above!