The birchas kohanim conclude with the possuk, “And they shall place My Name on Bnei Yisrael, and I will bless them” (Naso 6:27.) What does this possuk add? Rashi explains that Hashem is saying that when the kohanim offer their bracha, He will agree with the kohanim and bless the Jewish people. But if Hashem is the One who is ultimately giving the bracha, then why does He need the kohanim to bless the people in the first place? And what does Hashem’s blessing have to do with “placing His name” on the people?
The Rashbam explains that the Torah is indicating that the manner in which the kohanim offer their blessing will determine whether the bracha is actually fulfilled. The Torah commands, “So shall you bless the Jewish people: Hashem should bless you...” (6:23). The Torah is saying that the kohanim should not bless the people with their own individual bracha like the average person would, but rather they should pray to Hashem that He should bless the people, as the words of the bracha imply, ‘Hashem should bless you.’ If the kohanim offer their bracha in this manner, then Hashem will listen to their plea and grant a blessing to the Jewish people.
According to the Rashbam, the phrase, “And you shall place My name on bnei Yisrael” means that the kohanim should bless the people with Hashem’s name and say, “May Hashem bless you…May Hashem shine His countenance toward you…May Hashem favor you” (6:24-26). If the kohanim give their bracha with this tefillah formulation, Hashem promises that He will fulfill the wishes of the kohanim and grant a bracha to the Jewish people.
Why is this formulation so critical for the bracha to take effect? The answer lies in a deeper understanding of brachos in general. Most brachos begin with the phrase Baruch ata Hashem, which is commonly translated as “Blessed are You Hashem.” But this interpretation seems insufficient. After all, what does it mean that Hashem should be blessed? If the intent is that we are offering Him a blessing, how do we understand this gesture? What value is there in our blessing? Can Hashem really benefit from the blessing of mere mortals?
The Sefer Hachinuch (430) suggests that Baruch ata Hashem does not mean that Hashem should be blessed, but rather that Hashem is the source of all blessing (mekor habracha). We express our recognition of this fact at the beginning of each bracha as if to say that we understand we are completely dependent on Hashem’s beneficence, and we hope that just as we appreciate that Hashem is the source of all goodness in the world, so too the rest of humanity should come to this realization as well.
Rabbenu Bechaye (Eikev 8:10) and the Rashba (Teshuvos 5:51) add another dimension to the concept of a bracha. They both point out that the word “bracha” means tosefes v’ribui - additional and overflowing abundance. A bracha is really an expression of tefillah that Hashem should continue to shower His unlimited goodness on all of mankind. Using this idea, the Rashba (Chiddushei Aggados) explains a perplexing passage in the Talmud (Brachos 7a). R’ Yishmael ben Elisha recounts that one time when he entered the kodesh hakodashim to bring the incense offering, he saw some kind of image of Hashem seated on a throne, and Hashem said to him, “Yishmael, My son, barcheini – bless Me.” R’ Yishmael responded with a beautiful tefillah asking Hashem to have mercy on the Jewish people. What did Hashem mean when he asked R’ Yishmael to bless him? The Rashba suggests that Hashem was saying, “Ask of Me, the source of blessing, to bestow a multitude of blessing on the Jewish people.” And that is exactly what R’ Yishmael did with his tefillah. A bracha is not just an acknowledgement of man’s utter dependence on divine mercy. It is a tefillah requesting that Hashem continue to demonstrate that mercy in the future.
Perhaps this is why mentioning Hashem’s name in the formula of birchas kohanim is so important, because what ensures the effectiveness of the bracha is the recognition that Hashem is the source of all blessing. When the kohanim invoke Hashem’s name, and both they and the people they bless internalize the awareness that Hashem is the One granting them happiness and success, they can hope that Hashem will respond by continuing to shower them with His kindness and blessing.