Most people have this terrible habit of determining how their lives are going by comparing themselves to others. They look around at other people’s homes, careers, children, vacations, and so on, and then see how their own lives compare to other people’s lives. This is a very unhealthy way to live. This creates a lot of anxiety, and makes it all but impossible to experience fulfillment and contentment in life. People who live this way are often bitter and resentful when they see other people’s success and blessings, because that success and those blessings are understood as indications of their own failure. To gain a proper perspective on this problem, let us turn to the mitzva of birkat kohanim , which the Torah presents in Parashat Naso. Every morning, the kohanim stand in front of the shul and confer a blessing upon the rest of the congregation. Hashem says to Moshe, דבר אל אהרון ואל בניו לאמר: כה תברכו את בני ישראל, אמור להם – “Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying: So shall you bless the people of Israel: Say to them…” Rather than simply command the kohanim to pronounce the blessing to the people, Moshe was to first tell the kohanim , כה תברכו את בני ישראל – “So shall you bless the people…” At first glance, this seems redundant. What is the meaning of this introductory statement – כה תברכו ? The answer to this question might be found in a different pasuk , one of the more famous pesukim in Tehillim (121:5): ה' צלך על יד ימינך – “G-d is your shadow on your right side.” The Ba’al Shem Tov explains that Hashem is our “shadow” in the sense that He acts toward us the same way that we act. If we are kind and generous to people, then He is kind and generous to us. If we celebrate other people’s successes and sincerely want to see them blessed, then Hashem looks at us the same way. This is much easier said than done. It is so hard to hear about somebody’s blessing that we don’t have and feel genuinely happy for that person. It is so hard for a person with older unmarried children to celebrate when his or her friend’s daughter gets engaged. It is so hard for people struggling to pay their bills to feel happy for their neighbors who are renovating their home. But perhaps we can make this challenge easier by remembering the concept of ה' צלך , Hashem being our “shadow.” If we wish for the success of others, then Hashem will wish for our success, too. If we want the best for the people around us, then Hashem will want the best for us. This concept is expressed by the word כה , which literally means, “like this.” כה alludes to the fact that Hashem deals with us the same way we conduct ourselves. The way we look upon others determines the way Hashem looks upon us. Moshe was therefore commanded to turn to the kohanim and tell them, כה תברכו את בני ישראל . The first and most important blessing they can give Beneh Yisrael is the message of כה , teaching them that Hashem deals with them the way they deal with others. Without this concept, we will be unable to enjoy any berachah that we receive. No blessing in our lives will ever make us happy if we are constantly comparing ourselves to other people, because there will always be people with more than what we have. And thus birkat kohanim must begin with כה תברכו , with the message that we must wish for the good fortune of other people so that Hashem will wish for our good fortune. Only then can we receive the many blessings that Hashem wishes to bestow upon us. This message is taught by the kohanim , because they are the descendants of Aharon, the person who embodied this concept. The Torah tells that Aharon rejoiced when his younger brother, Moshe, was appointed leader of the nation ( וראך ושמח בלבו – Shemot 4:14). He felt no jealousy and no resentment; he felt only joy. This is the model we should aspire to, as this quality is what enables us to enjoy life’s blessings. Let us, then, try to overcome our natural feelings of envy and competition, to truly rejoice over other people’s good fortune. We will then find ourselves so much happier with our lives, and we will then make ourselves worthy of Hashem’s abundant blessings.