One of the Torah’s most famous lines, finding itself around many of your Shabbat tables, is found in this week’s Parashah, Parshat Naso. The 3-line Priestly Blessing features the words, יִשָּׂא יְהוָֹה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם: May Adonai lift God’s face to you, and grant you peace.
A Midrash asks what it means that Adonai will lift God’s face to us. Are there any preconditions for Adonai lifting God’s face toward us? It reads, “As the Israelites lift their faces toward Me, so will I lift My face toward them.” The Sefat Emet, a great Hassidic commentator, wonders what it means for us to lift our faces towards God. Is this just an internal orientation? Do our actions have to be large-scale efforts that change the world for God to turn to us? He so beautifully writes, “the Holy One accepts even just a little bit of service to God as though it were much. When a person rejoices in a good deed and is glad to have done God’s will, whether great or small, so does the Creator accept this offering with a smile.”
I’m struck by two elements of this teaching. First, even a small bit of service that we offer is considered to be a lot by God. It doesn't mean we shouldn't do big things, but we often disregard small deeds because they might not make a global difference. The Sefat Emet reminds us that even small acts bring us and God joy. (See the article about our incredible gleaning program in this morning’s Commercial Appeal, which only takes an hour and a half once a week.)
Second, how beautiful of an image it is to conceive of God smiling at us. When we do just a little bit of service, God doesn’t just lift God’s face to us, God smiles at us, in joy. Perhaps it is that smile that grants us a sense of peace, a sense of wholeness, fulfilling the last line of the Priestly Blessing. It is our own service in this world, then, no matter how large or small, that will bring us a sense of peace. May we each work towards lifting our face towards God, receiving God’s smile in return, and finding a sense of shalom.
