Live Long and Prosper
September 19th, 2005
Leonard Nimoy has beed quoted, stating that the Vulcan “live long and prosper” hand signal came from his time at temple. The Aaronic blessing (it was spoken by the high priest Aaron in Numbers 2:22-27) is given at services by the Kohanim (koe-hah-NEEM) . It is done with both hands, touching at the thumbs. This hand gesture represents the Hebrew letter shin. This is to represent the Hebrew word for “Shaddai”, meaning “Almighty [God].” Nimoy is “an adherent of Reform Judaism.”
“May the Lord bless you and keep you; may He make His face [cause his spirit] to shine on you and be gracious to you; may He lift up His countenance [smile] on you and give you peace.”Numbers 2:22-27
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Yivarechicha Adonai V’yishmirecha; Ya-Ayr Adonai panav Aylecha v’yichunecha; Yee-saw Adonai panav Aylecha v’ya-saym l’cha shalom. |
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“The special moment when the Kohanim blessed the assembly moved me deeply, for it possessed a great sense of magic and theatricality… I had heard that this indwelling Spirit of God was too powerful, too beautiful, too awesome for any mortal to look upon and survive, and so I obediently covered my face with my hands. But of course, I had to peek.” (Nimoy, “I am Spock”.)
One is not to look at anything during the blessing. Instead one should look at the ground and concentrate on the blessing. Looking at the Kohanim could be distracting.
When the Holy Temple stood in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), the Shekinah Glory (Divine Presence) would shine on the fingers of the Kohanim as they would bless the Yehudim (Jews), and no one was allowed to look out of respect for God. Today Orthodox Jews continue this practice as a reminder of what praying was like in days past.
