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Birkat Cohanim: Difference between revisions
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# If one is slightly behind the Cohanim one is not included in the Bracha, however, if one is standing directly on the side, one is included in the Bracha, yet, one should face the Cohanim. Even if there is a partition - even an iron wall - between the Cohanim and the people who are being blessed, since they are facing the Cohanim, they are included in the blessing.<ref>S”A 128:24, Beiur Halacha s.v. Aval, Rambam, Mishneh Torah: Hilchot [[Tefillah]] U'Birkat Cohanim, Chapter 15, Halacha 8</ref> | # If one is slightly behind the Cohanim one is not included in the Bracha, however, if one is standing directly on the side, one is included in the Bracha, yet, one should face the Cohanim. Even if there is a partition - even an iron wall - between the Cohanim and the people who are being blessed, since they are facing the Cohanim, they are included in the blessing.<ref>S”A 128:24, Beiur Halacha s.v. Aval, Rambam, Mishneh Torah: Hilchot [[Tefillah]] U'Birkat Cohanim, Chapter 15, Halacha 8</ref> | ||
# If one is in front of the Cohanim one should face east (the front of the Shul). <Ref> Beiur Halacha 128:24 s.v. Aval </ref> | # If one is in front of the Cohanim one should face east (the front of the Shul). <Ref> Beiur Halacha 128:24 s.v. Aval </ref> | ||
# 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 [[ | # 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 [[tallit]]. <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 Shulchan Aruch 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 Shulchan Aruch 100:13</ref> | # The congregation shouldn't say any pesukim during the Birkat Cohanim. <ref>Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 100:13</ref> | ||
# If one is in the middle of his silent shemoneh esrei when the congregation says birkat kohanim, he should stand silently without answering amen. <ref> Iggerot Moshe OC 4:21:2 </ref> | # If one is in the middle of his silent shemoneh esrei when the congregation says birkat kohanim, he should stand silently without answering amen. <ref> Iggerot Moshe OC 4:21:2 </ref> | ||
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# 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> | # 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> | ||
#Similarly, a stutterer or one who speaks unclearly, whose words cannot be understood by everyone, should not recite Birkat Cohanim<ref>Rambam, Mishneh Torah: Hilchot [[Tefillah]] U'Birkat Cohanim, Chapter 15, Halacha 1</ref> | #Similarly, a stutterer or one who speaks unclearly, whose words cannot be understood by everyone, should not recite Birkat Cohanim<ref>Rambam, Mishneh Torah: Hilchot [[Tefillah]] U'Birkat Cohanim, Chapter 15, Halacha 1</ref> | ||
# A Cohen who has a defect, blemish, or deformity, on his face or his hands should not do Birkat cohanim, because the people will look at him and be distracted. However if he is "[[Dash]] B'Iro", meaning that he is had a blemish for at least 30 days and the whole tzibur knows that he has this blemish, there is no worry that people will look at him, and he may do Birkat cohanim. <strong>Nowadays</strong>, since the Cohanim cover themselves with a [[ | # A Cohen who has a defect, blemish, or deformity, on his face or his hands should not do Birkat cohanim, because the people will look at him and be distracted. However if he is "[[Dash]] B'Iro", meaning that he is had a blemish for at least 30 days and the whole tzibur knows that he has this blemish, there is no worry that people will look at him, and he may do Birkat cohanim. <strong>Nowadays</strong>, since the Cohanim cover themselves with a [[tallit]] during the blessing, there is no worry that people will look at him, and any Cohen who has a blemish on his hands or face may do Birkat cohanim. <ref>Yalkut Yosef, [[Tefillah]] Volume 1, page 319</ref> | ||
#A Cohen who drank a [[revi'it]] of wine at any time should not do Birkat Cohanim until the effects of the wine have worn off. <ref>Rambam, Mishneh Torah: Hilchot [[Tefillah]] U'Birkat Cohanim, Chapter 15, Halacha 4, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 100:3</ref> | #A Cohen who drank a [[revi'it]] of wine at any time should not do Birkat Cohanim until the effects of the wine have worn off. <ref>Rambam, Mishneh Torah: Hilchot [[Tefillah]] U'Birkat Cohanim, Chapter 15, Halacha 4, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 100:3</ref> | ||
#A Cohen who recited the Birkat Cohanim and went to another synagogue and found the congregation in the midst of [[prayer]], before Birkat Cohanim, should partake in that [[minyan]]'s Birkat Cohanim. A Cohen may recite the Birkat Cohanim several times during the day.<ref> Gemara [[Rosh Hashana]] 28b, Rambam, Mishneh Torah: Hilchot [[Tefillah]] U'Birkat Cohanim, Chapter 15, Halacha 11, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 100:19</ref> | #A Cohen who recited the Birkat Cohanim and went to another synagogue and found the congregation in the midst of [[prayer]], before Birkat Cohanim, should partake in that [[minyan]]'s Birkat Cohanim. A Cohen may recite the Birkat Cohanim several times during the day.<ref> Gemara [[Rosh Hashana]] 28b, Rambam, Mishneh Torah: Hilchot [[Tefillah]] U'Birkat Cohanim, Chapter 15, Halacha 11, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 100:19</ref> | ||
