Mishnah
Mishnah

Commentaire sur Méguila 4:7

כֹּהֵן שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּיָדָיו מוּמִין, לֹא יִשָּׂא אֶת כַּפָּיו. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אַף מִי שֶׁהָיוּ יָדָיו צְבוּעוֹת אִסְטִיס וּפוּאָה, לֹא יִשָּׂא אֶת כַּפָּיו, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָעָם מִסְתַּכְּלִין בּוֹ:

Un Cohein qui a des imperfections sur les mains [de même sur son visage ou sur ses pieds] ne peut pas réciter la bénédiction sacerdotale. [Car les Cohanim ne sont pas autorisés à monter pour la bénédiction à leur place. Et s'il a des imperfections sur ses pieds, ils les regarderont, et de là, ses mains. Et si l'on regarde les Cohanim dans leur bénédiction, ses yeux sont obscurs (Chagigah 16a), la Shechinah demeurant entre leurs mains.] R. Yehudah dit: De plus, celui dont les mains sont teintes avec de l'istis [un colorant bleu] ou avec du puah [les racines rouges, qui produisent un colorant rouge] ne peuvent pas lever les mains, car il est regardé. [Le gemara conclut que s'il était un "familier" dans sa ville, de sorte que tous connaissaient (et étaient indifférents à) ses imperfections ou à ses mains teintes, ou si la plupart des hommes de la ville travaillaient dans les teintures, c'est permis, car alors on ne le regarde pas.]

Bartenura on Mishnah Megillah

כהן שיש בידיו מומין – and similarly on his face or his feet
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

English Explanation of Mishnah Megillah

A priest whose hands are deformed should not lift up his hands [to say the priestly blessing].
Rabbi Judah says: also one whose hands are colored with woad or madder should not lift up his hands, because [this makes] the congregation look at him.

This mishnah teaches that priests who have something distracting on their hands, either a deformation or a discoloring should not lift up their hands because this makes the people look at them and not think about the blessing that they are receiving. The mishnah considers it crucial that the congregation focus not on the external attributes of the priest but the contents of the blessing that they are receiving.
We should note that today people refrain from looking at the priests’ hands when they are reciting the blessing and their hands are also covered with a tallit.
Since the mishnah is straightforward I have refrained from commenting below.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Bartenura on Mishnah Megillah

לא ישא כפיו – since the Kohanim are not entitled to go up in their sandals to the Dukhan (priest’s stage from which they pronounce the Priestly Blessing). And if he has blemishes on his feet, people will look at him and through this they will come to look at his hands, and one who looks at the Kohanim when they raise their hands to recite the Priestly Blessing, their eyes will become dim, because the Divine Presence rests between their hands.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Bartenura on Mishnah Megillah

אסטיס – its color is similar to Tekhelet/azure.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Bartenura on Mishnah Megillah

פואה – red roots that we paint red and we reach a definitive conclusion in the Gemara that if he would thresh in his city, that is, he was regularly with them and everyone knows of the blemishes that he has on him , or the color that is on his hands, or that the work of most of the people of the city is in that, it is permitted, for furthermore, they don’t look at him.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Verset précédentChapitre completVerset suivant