Tag: Blessed

This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ Numbers 6:23-26

The story of the Exodus does not stop with the book of Exodus. God spends a lot of time with the Israelites wandering in the desert helping to build up their faith. There’s a lot of instruction about how worship should be run, and different laws that the Israelites should follow. In the Book of Numbers, we find a beautiful passage sometimes referred to as the “priestly blessing”. God instructs the priests, the people who are supposed to lead worship, to offer a very specific benediction as part of worship.

This blessing is supposed to cultivate a sense of peace, or in Hebrew Shalom, for the people, and it is still used frequently in worship today, both in Christian and Jewish settings. What’s interesting about this blessing is that historically it was accompanied by a specific hand gesture called the Shefa Tal. It is made with two hands pointing up and connected at the thumbs with a large space in between the middle and ring finger on each hand.

You might have even seen this hand gesture before. Actor Leonard Nimoy was raised as an Orthodox Jew, and saw this gesture performed in worship accompanied by the priestly blessing. When he was awarded the role of Spock on Star Trek, he decided to work this gesture into the famous “live long and prosper” greeting known as the Vulcan salute, using a modified version with only one hand.

What we do with our hands in worship is actually pretty important. Our body language is an extension of our heart. Some people raise their hands in worship as a symbol of joy, some people pray with hands clench to represent humility. Traditionally, people in the church have held their hands open and flat out in front of them, ready to receive God’s goodness, whenever a blessing or benediction is being offered. As you spend time in prayer today, consider stretching out your open hands, eager to receive the which God wants to give you.