26 May NASO: YOU’RE NOT BEARING THE BURDEN ALONE

Parashat Naso
includes birkat
kohanim
the special blessing
with which the
kohanim are commanded to bless the
rest of the nation. The first portion of
this berachah is: Yevarechecha
Hashem Veyishmerecha– “G-d shall
bless you and protect you” (6:24).
Rashi explains this to mean that
Hashem should bless us with material
prosperity and then protect it for us.
Normally, Rashi writes, when a
person gives his fellow a gift, the
giver’s involvement ends the moment
the gift is given. It is now entirely up
to the recipient to do with the gift
what he wants, and to take care of it.
It can be stolen, it can be misused, it
can be damaged, it can be lost, it can
end up causing harm in some way.
The kohanim bless the people that
Hashem will not only give them
money and possessions but also

protect these gifts for them. Hashem
does not leave us after giving us a
gift. He stays with us, guarding it and
protecting it.
We’ve all received many gifts. Our
spouse, our children, our homes, our
careers or businesses, our friends, our
community – everything we have is a
gift from Hashem. And, as we all
know, these gifts can often be difficult
to handle. Raising children in today’s
day and age is very, very hard, and
fraught with challenges. Full-time
jobs are often very demanding and
take up our entire day. Every
businessman knows how much stress
and pressure is involved in running a
business. Our close-knit community
is wonderful, but with so many people
knowing each other and working with
one another, complicated and
uncomfortable situations arise. We
have so many blessings, but with
those blessings come numerous
challenges.

This is particularly felt when one is
privileged to make a simchah, like
marrying off a child. Nowadays, the
logistics involved in making a
wedding are overwhelming. There
are so many details that need to be
ironed out, so many different people
that we are trying to please,
accommodate, and avoid offending,
and so many different pieces that
need to fit into the puzzle. What
should be the happiest time in our
lives can easily become the most
stressful time. ̧
We need to remember that Hashem
stays with us after giving us a gift. He
doesn’t just hand it to us and go away.
We are not shouldering the burden by
ourselves. Whatever it is that we’re
struggling with, we must realize that
we are not alone. Hashem is by our
side, carrying the weight of the
responsibility with us. Once we
realize this, and we turn to Him in
prayer and ask for His help, the

burden becomes so much easier to
handle. We will then be able to truly
enjoy and cherish all the blessings in
our lives, without seeing them turn
into sources of stress and hardship.