ONE+ONE Sarah By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz

Many have the practice to recite, in the prayer following Shemoneh Esrei, a verse that starts and ends with the same letter as their name, or that contains their name, or both. This is considered a source of merit. In this series, we will briefly analyze these verses. שְׂאוּ יְדֵכֶם קֹדֶשׁ וּבָרְכוּ אֶת ה Raise your hands in holiness and bless G-d. – Psalms 134:2 This psalm, as explained by the Ibn Ezra (among others), refers to birkas kohanim, the “Priestly benediction.” “Raise your hands in holiness” can also be understood as “in the Temple.” The kohanim raised their hands to bless the people as we see in Leviticus 9:22, “Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them.”