Yahweh
spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is
how you shall bless the children of Israel. You shall tell them:
May God bless you and keep you.
May the light of His face to shine upon
you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord look upon you kindly and
give you peace.’
So
shall you invoke My name to the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”
Numbers 6:22-27
Every
Sunday night before we sit down to eat, my wife and I place our hands on our
daughter’s head and recite this ancient blessing.
It
is not so much an attempt to get God to do something, but a recognition that He
has already done it. As the descendants
of Abraham, we can claim the ancient promise God made to him. This is the covenant, so often repeated, and
so often confirmed throughout the Biblical narrative – that God will always suffer
with us and love us. Though the universe is vast and often seems capricious and cold, we are never alone.
