The Priestly Blessing Unpacked Word by Word in Tanchuma

Another interpretation of (Numbers 6:23): "Thus shall you bless the children of Israel." (Verse 24:) "May the LORD bless you and keep you" — with the blessing comes the keeping. He blesses you with keeping, in wealth; and "keep you," that you may do commandments (mitzvot). "May the LORD make His face shine, etc." — may He raise up from you children who are sons of Torah, as it is said (Proverbs 6:23): "For the commandment is a lamp and the Torah is etc." "May the LORD make His face shine" — may He raise up from you priests who kindle light upon the altar, as it is said (Malachi 1:10): "You shall not kindle fire upon My altar in vain." "And be gracious to you (vi-chuneka)" — Rabbi Hiyya the Great taught: may the LORD encamp (yachaneh) beside you. Another interpretation of "and be gracious to you": may He raise up from you prophets, as it is said (Zechariah 12:10): "And I will pour upon the house of [Judah] [David and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem] a spirit of grace and supplications." Another interpretation of "and be gracious to you": may He grant His grace upon you in every place that you go, as it is said (Esther 2:17): "And she won grace and favor." "May the LORD lift up His face unto you" — yet another text says (Deuteronomy 10:17): "Who does not lift up faces (show favor)." How can this be? If one does repentance before the decree is sealed, "may the LORD lift up His face"; once it has been sealed, "who does not lift up faces." Another interpretation of "May the LORD bless you and keep you" — with the blessing comes keeping. A king of flesh and blood has a friend in Syria, while he himself dwells in Rome. The king sent for him; he arose and came to him. He gave him a hundred litra of gold. He loaded it and set out on the road, and bandits fell upon him and took everything he had given him and everything that was with him. Could he possibly keep him from the bandits? Therefore it is said: "May the LORD bless you and keep you." Another interpretation: "May He bless you" with wealth; "may He bless you" with sons, "and keep you" with daughters — for the females require keeping. And so it says (Psalms 121:5): "The LORD is your keeper, the LORD is your shade upon your right hand." ["May the LORD make His face shine upon you"] — may He make the light of His face shine for you. And "shining" (ya'er) means nothing but life, as it is written (Proverbs 16:15): "In the light of the king's face is life," and it says (Psalms 118:27): "God is the LORD, and He has given light to us," and so it says (Psalms 67:2): "May God be gracious to us and bless us; may He make His face shine upon us." "May the LORD lift up His face, etc." — but does the Holy One, blessed be He, lift up the face (show favor) to a creature? Is it not written (Deuteronomy 10:17): "Who does not lift up faces, etc."? Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: just as they lift up faces to Me, so do I lift up faces to them. How so? I wrote in the Torah (Deuteronomy 8:10): "And you shall eat and be satisfied and bless." Yet a person sits, he and his children and the members of his household, with not enough before them to be satisfied, and they still lift up faces to Me and bless and are scrupulous with themselves down to an olive's measure, down to an egg's measure. Therefore: "May the LORD lift up His face unto you."