For the source text click/tap here: Sotah 39
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The Gemara (Sota 38a) teaches that Birkat Kohanim must be recited in Hebrew.
Our Rabbis taught: "'In this way shall you bless…' (Bamidbar 6:23) — in the Holy Tongue. You say that it means in the Holy Tongue, but perhaps it is not so, and it means in any language! It is stated here, 'In this way shall you bless…' and elsewhere it is stated: 'These shall stand to bless the people' (Devarim 27:12) - just as in this latter passage, it must be in the Holy Tongue, so also in the former it must be in the Holy Tongue.
"Rabbi Yehuda says: '[This deduction] is unnecessary, because it states, "In THIS way shall you bless" [which signifies] that they must pronounce it in this language [as written in Scripture].’"
We explore more halachot regarding the act o duchening…