Birkat Cohanim: Difference between revisions

# One shouldn’t look at the hands of the Cohanim during Birkat Cohanim but rather one should face downward <Ref>S”A 128:23 </ref> or cover one’s face with a [[talit]]. <Ref> Mishna Brurah 128:92, [[Tefillah]] KeHilchata 14:49 </ref> However, nowadays that the Cohanim wear the [[Talit]] over their hands one may look at the Cohanim. <Ref>Siach [[Tefillah]] (Shaar 5, 1:2) writes that nowadays that the Cohanim wear the [[Talit]] over their hands one may look at the Cohanim. [See also Rav Herschel Schacter’s opinion at yu.edu.] [http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/753466/Rabbi_Hershel_Schachter/Shavuot_%E2%80%93_Birkat_Cohanim Rabbi Hershel Schachter in a shiur on Birchat Cohanim] (min 33-5) explains that if the Cohanim cover their hands with a [[Talit]] it's permitted for the congregation to look at the Cohanim (based on S"A 128:23). However, the Piskei Teshuvot 128:55 writes that one should still not look at the Cohanim so as not to get distracted even if the Cohanim cover their hands with a Tallit. </ref>

# The congregation shouldn't say any pesukim during the Birkat Cohanim. <ref>Kitzur S"A 100:13</ref>

===Answering Amen and Baruch Hu Baruch Shemo===

# The congregants should answer "[[Amen]]" after each of the three [[berachot]] said in Birkat Cohanim.<ref>As such: "Yevarechecha Hashem v'yishmerecha --[[Amen]]-- Ya'er Hashem panav elecha v'yichunecha --[[Amen]]-- Yisa Hashem panav elecha v'yasem lecha shalom --[[Amen]]--. Rambam, Mishneh Torah: Hilchot [[Tefillah]] U'Birkat Cohanim, Chapter 14, Halacha 3</ref>

* Rav Ovadyah Yosef in Sh”t Yabia Omer 7:12 writes that one doesn’t have to stop in middle of [[Shemoneh Esrei]] in order to listen to Birkat Cohanim (based on the above two reasons), however, if one wanted to one should do so in between the [[Brachot]]. However, Rav Shlomo Zalman in Halichot Shlomo 10:3 writes that in deference to those who hold that there’s also a mitzvah for those being blessing one should stop to listen.

* Chazon Ish (Dinim VeHanhagot 4:29), Igrot Moshe 4:21(2), Shevet HaLevi 3:15, and Halichot Shlomo 10:3 (note 18 adds that one should listen from the beginning of the Bracha that the cohanim make before Birkat Cohanim.) all hold that one should stop and listen for Birkat Cohanim. See also Avnei Yishfah ([[Tefillah]] pg 205) quoting Rav Elyashiv and Sh”t Teshuvot VeHanhagot 2:77 who say that one shouldn’t stop to listen to Birkat Cohanim. </ref> If one stopped to listen to Birkat Cohanim one should not answer [[Amen]]. <Ref> [[Tefillah]] KeHilchata 14:51 based on Sh”t Shevet HaLevi 3:15, and the Imrei Yosher in name of the Chazon Ish writes not to answer [[Amen]]. [[Tefillah]] KeHilchata 14:51 writes that if one is saying [[Shemoneh Esrei]] together with the Shaliach Tzibbur one should answer [[Amen]]. </ref>

==Things that may prevent a Cohen from doing Birkat Cohanim==

# If a person can not pronounce his letters correctly, for example if he says his "Ayin's" like "Alephs" and his "chet's" like "caf's", he is still allowed to do Birkat cohanim, because nowadays that is how everyone pronounces them. However if he happens to be in a place where they are very meticulous about correct pronounciation, he should not do Birkat cohanim. There are those who say that if a person is in a place that they are meticulous, but all the people know that this person can not pronounce their letters the "corect" way, or if they pronounce it a different way (for example: if an ashkenazi, who has different letter pronunciations, is in a sephardic shul they all know that he can't pronounce the letters correctly), he may do Birkat cohanim. This is the accepted minhag. <Ref> Yalkut Yosef, [[Tefillah]] Volume 1, page 318 </ref>