Another interpretation (of Numb. 6:23-24), “Thus shall you bless the Children of Israel: The Lord bless you and keep you.” “Bless you,” with wealth; “and keep you,” so that may do good works (<i>mitswot</i>). (Vs. 25:) “The Lord make His face shine,” and raise up children from you to be Torah scholars. Thus it is stated (in Prov. 6:23), “For the commandment (<i>mitzvah</i>) is a lamp, and Torah is [a light].” Another interpretation (of Numb. 6:25), “The Lord make His face shine (from <i>he'ir</i>) [upon you],” to raise up priests from you, who kindle fire (from <i>he'ir</i>) upon the altar. Thus it is stated (in Mal. 1:10), “you will not<sup class="footnote-marker">59</sup><i class="footnote">In the biblical context, the sense would be “may you not.”</i> kindle fire (from <i>he'ir</i>) on My altar in vain.” (Numb. 6:25, cont.:) “And be gracious to you.” R. Hiyya the Great taught, “May the Lord encamp with you.”<sup class="footnote-marker">60</sup><i class="footnote">So did R. Hiyya understand the word translated AND BE GRACIOUS TO YOU (<i>WYHNK</i>), and the word can indeed be understood as coming from the root <i>HNH</i> (“encamp”).</i> Another interpretation (of Numb. 6:25), “and be gracious to you,” to raise up prophets from you. Thus it is stated (in Zech. 12:10), “And I will pour out upon the House of David and upon anyone dwelling in Jerusalem a spirit of grace and mercy.” Another interpretation (of Numb. 6:25), “and be gracious to you.” May He set His grace upon you in whatever place you go. Thus it is stated (in Esth. 2:17), “and she won grace and favor.” (Numb. 6:26:) “The Lord lift up His face unto you.” But another text says (of the Holy One, blessed be He, in Deut. 10:17), “who does not lift up His face (i.e., show favor).” How can this be?<sup class="footnote-marker">61</sup><i class="footnote"><i>Sifre</i>, Numb. 6:26 (42); <i>PRK</i> 24(suppl. 7):1.</i> [If] one has repented before judgment is sealed, (Numb. 6:26:) “The Lord lift up his face (i.e., show favor).” When judgment has been sealed, (Deut. 10:17:) “who does not lift up His face.” Another interpretation (of Numb. 6:24), “The Lord bless you and keep you.” Along with the blessing there is a keeping.<sup class="footnote-marker">62</sup><i class="footnote">Numb. R. 11:5.</i> A king of flesh and blood has a friend in Syria, but he dwells in Rome; when the king sent for him, he arose and came to him, and [the king] gave him a hundred pounds<sup class="footnote-marker">63</sup><i class="footnote">Gk.: <i>litrai</i>; cf. Lat.: <i>librae.</i></i> of gold; [but when] he loaded it up and set out on the road, bandits<sup class="footnote-marker">64</sup><i class="footnote">Gk.: <i>lestai.</i></i> fell upon him. They took everything that he had given him and everything [else] that he had with him. Do you suppose that he could have kept him from the bandits? For that reason it is stated (in Numb. 6:24), “The Lord bless you and keep you.”<sup class="footnote-marker">65</sup><i class="footnote">See the parallel in Numb. R. 11:5, which expands here: “THE LORD BLESS YOU with abundance AND KEEP YOU from bandits.”</i> Another interpretation (of Numb. 6:24), “The Lord bless you and keep you.” May He bless you with money, that there not be a tax collection in the province, and that a tax collector not come to the province and say to you, “Give your gold.” Rather (as in Numb. 6:24), “The Lord bless you and keep you.” Another explanation. “Bless you” refers to sons (who can produce wealth), [while] “keep you” refers to daughters, since the females need keeping. And so it says (in Ps. 121:5), “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade [on your right hand].” (Numb. 6:25:) “The Lord make His face shine upon you. May He make the light of His face shine for you.” Now “make shine” (<i>y'r</i>) can only mean life, since it is written (in Prov. 16:15), “In the light of the king's face there is life.” It also says (in Ps. 118:27), “The Lord is God and has given light (<i>y'r</i>) to us.” And similarly it says (in Ps. 67:2), “May God be gracious to us and bless us; [may He make His face shine for us].” (Numb. 6:26:) “The Lord lift up his face.” Does the Holy One, blessed be He, lift up His face for a creature? Moreover, is it not already written (in Deut. 10:17), “who does not lift up His face (i.e., show favor).”<sup class="footnote-marker">66</sup><i class="footnote">Numb. R. 11:7.</i> It is simply that, just as they lift up their faces (show favor) to Me, so do I lift up My face to them. How so? I have written in the Torah (in Deut. 8:10), “Then you shall eat, be full, and bless [the Lord your God].” So when a person sits down with his children and the children of his house, and when there is not enough before them to be full, they [still] lift their faces to Me as they give the blessing. Moreover, they exercise meticulous care [to recite a blessing] for [something as small] as an olive, for [something as small] as an egg. Therefore (in Numb. 6:26), “The Lord lift up his face unto you […].”<sup class="footnote-marker">67</sup><i class="footnote"><i>Ber.</i> 20b.</i> (Numb. 6:23:) “Thus shall you bless the Children of Israel], ‘Say to them.’” “Say (<i>amor</i>)” is written] fully (i.e., with the o represented by the vowel letter, <i>waw</i>).<sup class="footnote-marker">68</sup><i class="footnote">Numb. R. 11:4.</i> Say to them, i.e., to the priests, “[It does] not [follow that], because I told you to bless Israel, that you will bless them [as though] in forced labor<sup class="footnote-marker">69</sup><i class="footnote">Gk.: <i>aggareia</i>; Lat.: <i>angaria.</i></i> and in sudden haste. Rather you shall bless them (fully) with religious devotion (<i>kawwanah</i>) of the heart, so that the blessing will be fully effective with them. It is therefore stated, “Say” fully, to say that a person should wish his fellow well with a full [heart].