Shabbat Shalom,
Last year on our congregational mission to Israel, my friend Yael Goodman led some of the members of our group on a running tour of Jerusalem. Just five minutes from our hotel, we came to a place called Ketef Hinnom, tucked behind the Menachem Begin Cultural Center.
It was originally a series of rock-hewn caves used for burial, dating back to the First Temple Period—nearly 3,000 years ago.
Yael then explained that this place was the site of one of the most significant biblical archaeological discoveries ever made.
In 1979, archaeologist Gabriel Barkay uncovered two tiny silver scrolls in one of the tombs. Inscribed on those scrolls—likely worn as amulets by ancient Israelites more than 2,600 years ago—were the words of Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing found in this week’s Torah portion, Naso:
יְבָרֶכְךָ ה׳ וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ
Yevarechecha Adonai v’yishmerecha
May God bless you and guard you.
יָאֵר ה׳ פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ
Ya’er Adonai panav eilecha vichuneka
May God’s light shine upon you and be gracious to you.
יִשָּׂא ה׳ פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם
Yisa Adonai panav eilecha v’yasem lecha shalom
May God’s face be lifted to you and grant you peace.
These are among the oldest biblical texts ever uncovered by archaeologists—predating the Dead Sea Scrolls by five or six centuries—and they reveal how our ancestors understood the blessing not just as a prayer, but as a source of sacred protection.
It’s a message we all need now—especially in this season of graduation.
Here at Wise, we’re celebrating our Aaron Milken Center pre-K students, sixth graders, high school seniors, and college graduates. Each is crossing a threshold, stepping into a world full of promise—and real challenges.
This ancient prayer offers three eternal hopes—for our graduates, their families, and our entire community—each one deeply relevant today:
May we be safe.
In an age of rising antisemitism—tragically underscored by what happened just two weeks ago in Washington, D.C., and just days ago in Boulder—we pray for the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness of our graduates.
May we carry ourselves with courage and pride.
And may we know that we are not alone—there is an entire people, Am Yisrael, standing beside us, and true friends and allies supporting us.
May we remain kind.
In the face of cruelty and insensitivity, we bless one another with grace.
In a world that too often willfully fails to see our pain, may we remain open-hearted, compassionate, and loving.
May we bring light into the world through our kindness.
May we be whole and bring wholeness—shalom—to our world.
Shalom is not simply the absence of conflict—it is healing, justice, and connection.
May we become what our tradition calls us to be—rodfei shalom, pursuers of peace in all we do.
To all our graduates and your families:
We are so proud of you.
We believe in you.
And we offer our blessing—with strength, with love, and with peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yoshi
