The Blessing of Love.

At 176 verses, Nassau is the longest of the Parishiyot.

Yet one of its most moving passengers, and the one that's had the greatest impact over the course of history, is very short indeed, and is known by almost every Jew, namely Birkhat Khanim, the priestly blessings.

This is what the parisher says.

The Lord said to Moses, tell Aaron and his sons, thus shall you bless the Israelites, say to them,

may the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Let them set my name on the Israelites and I will bless them. This is among the oldest of all prayer texts. It was used

by the priests in the temple and it's said today by the co-onym in the reader's repetition of the

Amida in Israel every day and most of the diaspora, specifically on festivals.

It's used by parents as they bless their children on Friday night, and it's often said to the bride

and groom under the chuppah. It's the simplest and most beautiful of all the blessings.

It also appears in the oldest of all biblical texts that have physically survived to today.

In 1979, the archaeologist Gabriel Barcai was examining ancient burial caves at Kethev-Hinam,

outside the walls of Jerusalem, in the area now occupied by the Monachembegian Heritage Centre.

A 13-year-old boy who was assisting Barcai discovered that beneath the floor of one of the

caves was a hidden chamber.

There the group discovered almost a thousand ancient artifacts, including two tiny silver

scrolls, no more than an inch long.

It was so fragile that it took three years to work out a way of unrolling

them without causing them to disintegrate. Eventually the scrolls turned out to be cameoot,

namely amulets containing, among other texts, the priestly blessings. Scientifically dated to

the 6th century BCE, the time of Jeremiah and the last days of the first

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