100,000 Attend Birkat Kohanim at the Kotel

Photo Credit: Hadas Parush/Flash90

Photos by Hadas Parush/Flash90, Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90, Kobi Richter/TPS

Some 100,000 people took part in the annual Passover Priestly Blessing at the Western Wall Monday.

In the ceremony, known in Hebrew as Birkat Hakohanim, male descendants of the priestly cast, Kohanim, recite the three-line Priestly Blessing: “May the Lord bless you and guard you. May the Lord make His face shed light upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up His face unto you and give you peace.”

The tradition derives from Aharon, the first High Priest, who would bless the people after offering sacrifices.

Among those participating in this year’s ceremony was United States Ambassador David Friedman.