đź’§ Sotah Summary – Sotah 38: Birkat Kohanim: How Blessing Is Transmitted

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  1. Core Rules of Birkat Kohanim

Derived from “Koh tevarchu”:

  • Must be recited in Hebrew
  • While standing
  • With raised hands
  • Spoken audibly
  • Kohanim and people must face each other

  1. Temple vs. Outside the Temple

Differences:

  • Temple: Explicit Divine Name, hands raised above head
  • Outside: Substitute name, hands at shoulder‑level

  1. Who Is Included in the Blessing

Included:

  • Women
  • Converts
  • Freed slaves

Excluded:

  • Those standing behind the kohanim

If all are kohanim:

  • They bless those in the fields who cannot attend.

  1. Blessing Requires Generosity

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi emphasizes:

A stingy kohen undermines the channel of blessing.

One‑sentence takeaway

Sotah 38 teaches that divine blessing flows through correct form, posture, language, and selfless intent.

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.