Cf. Siddur, p. 268ff.

Whenever Birkas Kohanim is said, the procedure to be followed by each congregant is as follows.[312] When the Kohanim say yivarechecha the congregant faces forward; when they say Hashem he turns his head to the right, i.e., to the left of the Kohanim; at veyishmirecha he faces forward; at yaeir he faces left; and so on, [word by word - center, right, center, left, etc.,] until when they say shalom he faces forward.[313]

The prayer beginning ribono shel olam is said only while the Kohanim sing; when they say the words of the blessing, one should listen. When they sing the melody that introduces the third-last word, veyaseim, the congregation says from ribono shel olam until hatzaddik; while they sing the melody for l'cha, the congregation says from ve'im to Elisha; while they sing the melody for shalom, the congregation says from u'ksheim to l'tovah; and while they say shalom, the congregation says v'sishmireini u's'chaneini v'sirtzeini.

One says the paragraph beginning adir bamarom after having responded amein to the blessing, and while the tallis still covers one's face.

When the Kohanim utter the Divine Name, the congregation does not respond baruch hu uvaruch shemo; nor do they respond kein yehi ratzon [at the end of each of the three phrases]; nor do they say bezchus Avraham Avinu, Yitzchak Avinu, Yaakov Avinu.

The paragraph beginning ribono shel olam is said once only.

   

Notes:

312. (Back to text) HaYom Yom, p. 60; the section on Minhagim in Kuntreis 113. Regarding the traditional melody that accompanies the Priestly Blessing, see Likkutei Dibburim, ch. 23 (Pesach 5703), p. 87 [and in English translation: Vol. III, p. 178-9]; Sefer HaNiggunim (Nichoach, N.Y., 1948), Vol. I, p. mem tes of Hebrew Introduction [and p. 21 of musical scores (Notation No. 27)].

313. (Back to text) [For the procedure to be followed by the sheliach tzibbur, see p. 28, above.]