Let’s Bless Like Tevye

In Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye blesses his daughters with the familiar words:

May the Lord protect and defend you.
Favor them, oh Lord, with happiness and peace.
Oh, hear our Sabbath prayer. Amen.

The 1964 Broadway show, written by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, is based on the Yiddish writer Sholom Aleichem’s story, Tevye the Dairyman, published in 1894. Songs such as “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Tradition” belie the more melancholy tone of Aleichem’s original story. Although in both our hero’s shtetl is destroyed, there are crucial differences. In particular, in the Broadway musical the family heads to Amerika; in the original story, the family makes plans to journey to the land of Israel.

The show’s conclusion affirms American Jews’ faith in their adopted land. Sholom Aleichem’s story ends with more questions than answers. The village is destroyed. Our exile persists. The State of Israel’s creation is then only a distant hope. Antisemitism and persecution remain regular features of our existence.

Too often such differences remain hidden. And yet the choices they represent begin to take form. Do we wish to keep on singing and dancing as Tevye does on stage? Do we wish to have our commitments affirmed? Or do wish to turn through the pages of the book? Do we wish to leave with new challenges placed before us?

Tevye’s blessing is based on the priestly benediction found in this week’s Torah portion:

Lord, bless you and protect you!
Lord, deal kindly and graciously to you!
Lord, bestow favor upon you and grant you peace! (Numbers 6)

Again, our association with these words is different than how the tradition has ritualized them. We believe that the priestly blessing is something that the rabbi recites. And it remains my greatest privilege to bless bnai mitzvah students with these words, as well as newborn babies and wedding couples, especially those who I have known since their earliest days. (Mazel tov!)

The tradition, however, urges parents to recite these words. They are to offer this blessing to their children (and even grandchildren) on Shabbat and holidays. Every week, parents place their hands on their children’s heads and recite these ancient words. It is a ritualized way of saying, “I love you.”

And while Tevye could not control his fate, or his children’s decisions for that matter, and while we are not likewise masters of our own destinies, or of our children’s paths as well, we do hold the power of blessing in our own hands.

Don’t rely so much on me. Instead rely on yourselves.

We can always add more blessing to our lives. We can always bless those we love.