May We Be Blessed with Peace

 May We Be Blessed with Peace

"May G-d bless you and protect you.

May G-d shine His face upon you and be gracious to you.

May G-d lift His face to you and grant you peace."

(Birkat Kohanim, Numbers 6:24–26)

This final phrase— “grant you peace”—

is not just the conclusion of the priestly blessing.

It is the climax, the vessel that holds all the other blessings.

Our sages teach:

“There is no greater container for blessing than peace.”

Peace (Shalom) is not merely the absence of conflict.

Shalom is rooted in shleimut—wholeness, completeness.

Peace is the highest expression of harmony, when all parts of creation—

opposing forces, clashing energies, differing views—

are brought into balance.

It is the perfection of unity,

the reflection of Divine oneness in the fractured world we inhabit.

One of G-d’s very names is Shalom.

Peace is not only a blessing from Gd—it is a revelation of Gd.

When we live in peace—with others, within ourselves, and with the world—we are living in alignment with the Divine.

We say it in our prayers, again and again:

“Bless Your people Israel at all times and in every moment with Your peace.”

“May the One who makes peace in the high heavens make peace upon us and upon all Israel.”

These are not throwaway lines.

They are our constant plea—because in a world filled with division, strife, and noise, peace is the rarest and most precious gift.

Especially today, when war, hatred, and suffering seem so rampant, the promise of peace is more than comforting—it is vital.

It is our hope.

But G-d’s peace doesn’t descend automatically.

It is offered—but we must prepare ourselves to receive it.

That means purging jealousy, ego, and the pursuit of honor from our midst.

It means recognizing the divine image in every person we meet.

It means rejecting hate and replacing it with love, empathy, and courage.

We must yearn for peace, work for it, pray for it, and live in a way that invites it.

The Priestly Blessing is not just a hope for Divine favor—it is a roadmap.

When we live with humility, integrity, and a commitment to seeing G-d in one another, we create the conditions for Gd’s peace to dwell among us.

And when peace finally takes root on earth, we will become a mirror of the heavenly realms, and all the blessings Gd longs to pour into this world will flow freely.

May that day come soon.

And may we be among the builders of peace.

With love,

Elissa