Joy in Israel, Joy in the Diaspora

          The prevailing Halachic opinion is that the mitzva for Kohanim to bless the congregation, as contained in our parasha, is in force today [Sefer haḤinuch 367; and subsequent Halachic authorities].

          In practice, the custom in Jerusalem and most places in Israel (except the Galilee) is for Kohanim to bless the congregation daily (and twice on Shabbat). Outside Israel, the Ashkenazi custom is that Kohanim bless the congregation only on Shalosh Regalim (the three pilgrimage holidays) and Yom Kippur. [Rama, Oraḥ Ḥayyim 128:44]

          Rama himself suggests that the underlying reason for the Ashkenazi practice is that outside Israel, the requisite level of joy required for the Priestly Blessing can be achieved only on the holidays.

          My cousin Aytan haKohen Himelstein noted that in many synagogues in Israel, the custom is for Kohanim to bless the congregation at Minḥa of Tisha b’Av, indicating that the level of joy in Eretz Yisrael at Minḥa of Tisha b’Av exceeds the level of joy on Shabbat in the Diaspora!