The priestly benediction

174. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). It is a commandment that the priest shall bless the people every day by raised fingers and make a daily benediction, so that blessings will prevail above and below, since these fingers are in the uppermost secret, five within five, five of the right and five of the left. The five of the right have more importance than those of the left, since the right is more important than the left. Therefore, during the benediction with which the priest blesses the people, he needs to raise the right hand higher than the left and observe THE BLESSINGS with a good eye.

175. When the priest spreads his hands, the Shechinah rests on his fingers, since the Holy One, blessed be He, agrees with the priest with these benedictions. Yisrael are blessed from both sides, from above and from below. From above, it is from the Shechinah that rests on his fingers and FROM BELOW, IT IS from the priest that blesses.

176. Come and see, the things that are done BELOW awaken CORRESPONDING matters above. Similarly, with the spreading of the fingers of the priest below, the Shechinah awakens to come and rest on them. Also there are various things in the world that inspire matters above, since another power is awakened above with the awakening below. We have already explained this in several places. That is the reason of TAKING the Lulav and the reason of BLOWING the Shofar. Just as in this matter there are ten fingers, the Shechinah is inspired to rest on them and another ten levels are inspired above - WHICH ARE THE TEN SFIROT OF ZEIR ANPIN - to illuminate. And all this is simultaneous.

177. Therefore, a person must not raise his fingers in vain, except during prayer and benedictions and at the name of the Holy One, blessed be He. We have already explained that RAISING THE FINGERS IS arousing the Holy Name and the secret of the Faith. The raised fingers appoint by their uprightness ten rulers. SINCE THE FINGERS ALLUDE TO THE REVELATION OF CHOCHMAH, IT IS WRITTEN: "WISDOM STRENGTHENS THE WISE MAN MORE THAN TEN RULERS" (KOHELET 7:19). We explained this, and the priest has to give his benediction with a proper attitude, with the acknowledging of the Shechinah, as we learned.

178. When the benediction leaves the mouth of the priest, these sixty letters THAT OCCUR IN THE PRIEST'S BENEDICTION go out and fly in the firmament and appoint sixty ministers over each individual letter. They all acknowledge all these blessings. What is the reason that there are sixty letters in these benedictions? It is because Yisrael are six hundred thousand and they always live in the world based on the secret of six hundred thousands. Each and every one OF THE LETTERS IN THE BENEDICTIONS is a ten thousand. THEREFORE, THEY CORRESPOND TO THE SIX HUNDRED THOUSANDS OF YISRAEL.

179. The Holy Name that is pronounced BY THE PRIEST'S BENEDICTION rises to that throne above, WHICH IS BINAH. Then the supernal Shechinah, WHICH IS BINAH, and the lower Shechinah, WHICH IS MALCHUT, acknowledge AND AGREE with the priest on these blessings. And all these sixty ministers IN CHARGE OVER EACH AND EVERY LETTER, AS MENTIONED ABOVE, ARE BLESSED. Therefore, it is written: "And they shall put my name upon the children of Yisrael; and I will bless them" (Bemidbar 6:27). Then the Holy One, blessed be He, blesses Yisrael.

180. The following commandment is the benediction of the priests. "Hashem bless you...Hashem make his face shine... Hashem lift up:" The source of these three names is Yud-Vav-Dalet, Hei-Yud, Vav-Aleph-Vav, Hei-Yud. Sanctification is Eheyeh, Eheyeh, Eheyeh, whose source is Yud Vav-Dalet, Hei-Aleph, Vav-Aleph-Vav, Hei-Aleph. The connection of both, the uniting of both, is Adonai, which contains Aleph-Yud. A fourth Aleph-Yud is alluded to from the two names that are made explicit in them. End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd).