Ilustration Credit: Noa Kelner
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
God commands Aharon and his descendants to bless Benei Yisrael. This blessing is known as בִּרְכַּת כֹּהֲנִים (Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing). Here’s its final line:
יִשָּׂא ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם:
May God’s face be lifted toward you and grant you peace.
But God doesn’t have a face! So this probably means something like: May God pay attention to you, or show you special kindness.
הָאֵ-ל הַגָּדֹל הַגִּבֹּר וְהַנּוֹרָא
אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשָּׂא פָנִים וְלֹא יִקַּח שֹׁחַד׃
The great, mighty, and awesome God, Who doesn’t lift a face and doesn’t take bribes.
In Devarim, the idea that God “doesn’t lift a face” seems to mean something like: God doesn’t pick favorites.
תָּא שְׁמַע: שָׁאֲלָה בְּלוֹרְיָא הַגִּיּוֹרֶת אֶת רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, כְּתִיב בְּתוֹרַתְכֶם: ״אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשָּׂא פָנִים״, וּכְתִיב: ״יִשָּׂא ה׳ פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ״?
נִטְפַּל לַהּ רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַכֹּהֵן. אָמַר לָהּ: אֶמְשׁוֹל לָךָ מָשָׁל, לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה? לְאָדָם שֶׁנּוֹשֶׁה בַּחֲבֵירוֹ מָנֶה וְקָבַע לוֹ זְמַן בִּפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ, וְנִשְׁבַּע לוֹ בְּחַיֵּי הַמֶּלֶךְ. הִגִּיעַ זְמַן וְלֹא פְּרָעוֹ.
בָּא לְפַיֵּיס אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ, וְאָמַר לוֹ: עֶלְבּוֹנִי מָחוּל לָךְ, לֵךְ וּפַיֵּיס אֶת חֲבֵירְךָ.
הָכָא נָמֵי, כָּאן בַּעֲבֵירוֹת שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לְמָקוֹם — כָּאן בַּעֲבֵירוֹת שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵירוֹ.
Beloreya the convert asked Rabban Gamliel: How is it written in your Torah about God, “Who doesn’t lift a face” (Devarim 10:17), and also, “May God’s face be lifted toward you” (Bemidbar 6:26)?
R. Yose HaKohen joined the conversation with her. He said: I will tell you a mashal (parable). What’s this like? It’s similar to a person who lent money to his friend. In front of the king, they agreed on a time for the loan to be repaid. The borrower even made an oath by the life of the king promising that he would repay the money. But when the time arrived, he did not repay the loan.
The borrower came to ask forgiveness from the king (for not keeping the promise he made in front of the king and in the name of the king). The king said to him: You’re forgiven for insulting me, but now you must go and make up with your friend.
This applies here too. “May God’s face be lifted toward you” is about sins committed between human beings and God, which God will forgive. The pasuk that says that God “doesn’t lift a face” is about sins committed between people.
- Which would you have thought is more serious—sinning against God, or sinning against other people?
- Why can sins against God be easily forgiven, but not sins against other people?
- What kind of King is God in this parable?
- What can you do to help repair a relationship with a friend when things have gone wrong?
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