In this week’s parasha we read of the special mitzvah that Kohanim have to bless the people.

But what if the Kohen is not particularly worthy? What if he is unobservant of the important mitzvot of our faith? Would we then allow him to bless us? What would his blessings be worth?

Addressing a case such as this, the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) rules unequivocally that he must still bless us. In the colourful language of the Talmud “we don’t tell a person who has eaten garlic and whose mouth now stinks, to eat more garlic so that his mouth should smell even more.” In other words, we don’t encourage a person who sins to sin even more. Blessing the people is a mitzvah - a Divinely ordained command and responsibility - not a right. It is a sin for the Kohen not to bless the people. It is bad enough that he commits other sins, should he now be encumbered with the sin of not blessing the people?

Should you then ask: what power could the blessing of such a sinful person have? The blessings do not originate from the Kohen but from G-d. G-d blesses us through the Kohanim. And G-d has chosen to deliver his blessings through the medium of the Kohanim no matter their person level of observance.

There is a powerful lesson in this - and it does not only apply to Kohanim. Each and every Jew is part of G-d’s “Kingdom of Priests and Holy Nation” as we read on Shavuot. As such, each one of us is obligated to perform G-d’s mitzvot-commands.

On occasion we all think: what is the purpose? I am a sinful person. What good could possibly come from my observance of a mitzvah? It feels so hypocritical!

The answer is: it’s not about you. It’s about G-d. Whoever and whatever you are - G-d has chosen you as a vehicle for his blessings. Every mitzvah you do is a powerful channel that ensures that G-d’s Divine Light flows into the world. Just because you have messed up in other areas, does not mean that you should mess up again now and not act as a G-d’s conduit for G-d’s light. Get over yourself! Get over what you did a day ago, or even five minutes ago!

No matter who you are, recognize the responsibility and power that you have to heal a fractured world. There is nothing like a mitzvah to bring goodness, kindness and unity to our fractured world. Sinners of the world - Unite!

Rabbi Benzion Milecki OAM