"…Who has sanctified us with holiness of Aharon and has commanded us to bless His people Israel באהבה — with love."
Although the Torah clearly instructs this obligation to confer the three specific verses enumerated in the command, but nowhere in those verses does it indicate a need for them to express these sentiments with 'love'.
Although many struggle to answer this dilemma, there is a novel suggestion that the entire question is based on a false premise.
The love is not referring to the Kohanim blessing the people with love but rather to G-d Who out of His boundless love for His children, commanded the Kohanim to bless them.
There is one other blessing we recite that also emphasizes the nature of it being an expression of G-d's love for us.
The blessing of Ahava Rabba that we recite prior to saying the Shma, can serve under certain circumstances as fulfilling our obligation to recite Birchas HaTorah before learning Torah.
Here too, the blessing describes within it, G-d's 'eternal love' and having chosen us as His nation 'with love'.
There is another parallel between the blessing on Torah and the blessing of the Kohanim.
In the blessing over Torah, we beseech of G-d to sweeten the Torah in the mouths of ourselves and our offspring so that we be יודעי שמך — [those who are privileged to] know your Name.
After the Torah instructs the Kohanim to confer the three verses of blessings, G-d adds: ושמו — Let them place, את שמי — My Name upon them, and I shall bless them.
The objective in both blessings is 'to know' and 'carry' G-d's Name.
A most striking observation is the fact that these verses in the Torah that comprise the blessings of the Kohanim, out of all the verses in the Torah, are the very first words of Torah we recite immediately following the Birchas HaTorah each morning!
In what way are these two blessings so integrally connected?
What does 'to know G-d's Name' mean?
There is a 'tradition of truth', Nachmanides records, that כל התורה כולה שמותיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא — the entire Torah consists of Names of the Holy One blessed be He.
There are two representations of the ineffable Name. One is related to הוי"ה — existence, referring to G-d's essence which is היה הוה ויהיה — was, is, and will be — past, present, and future. The other Name, the way we express this written Name, by referring to His אדנות — mastery over the world.
We cannot fathom His true essence. We can only perceive G-d through the manner He manifests within this physical world, exhibiting His many attributes: חסד — kindness; ארך אפים — tolerance; רחום — compassion, and many others.
The Torah and its guidelines for a fulfilling life addresses every facet of life.
To 'know His Name' is to sense G-d's presence in the intricacies of our daily lives, interpreting its message through the scope of Torah.
The entire Torah is then indeed the instrument by which 'know His Name', and thus in truth, the Names of G-d.
The Holy Arizal points out that שמו — His Name, and the word רצון — [G-d's] will, are numerically equivalent, 346.
These are two sides of the same coin. The Torah is G-d's will that manifests His magnificence to the extent we can comprehend.
Those who 'know' His Name, grasping the magnanimous attributes of G-d, are the ones who sense G-d's love for them through thick and thin.
The Kohanim recite three sentiments.
May the L-rd bless you and watch over you.
May the L-rd cause His countenance to shine to you and favor you.
May the L-rd raise His countenance toward you and grant you peace.
Rashi enlightens these verses by breaking them down into three very succinct ideas.
The first verse asserts that your possessions will be blessed and protected.
The second verse attests to G-d smiling upon you radiantly, granting you favor.
Lastly, the third sentiment is an assurance that ‘He will suppress His wrath’.
Every child, to develop healthily, needs to sense three things: his material needs are provided for; that there is someone always looking after him who cherishes him; that even when he falters, he will be tolerated.
G-d showers us with love. He provides precisely what we need. He is always looking down lovingly assuring our safe passage in life. Even when we come up short, He never gives up.
In G-d's eternal love for His beloved children, he assigns the Kohanim to transmit this message by their placing this message of His Name — His constant attention to our welfare in every facet of life — upon us.
With that same love G-d presented us with the greatest gift, the instrument by which one can come to know G-d. To know is to love. To love is to devote our sole focus on His will, with an awareness that there is nothing more thrilling, nothing more brilliant, nothing more elevated than cleaving to Hashem — The Name!
In the blessing on Torah, we say: please make the words of Your Torah pleasant in our mouths and in the mouths of Your people Israel. And may we and our descendants [and the descendants of our descendants] and the descendants of Your people the House of Israel, כולנו — all know Your Name and be students of Your Torah for its own sake. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who teaches Torah to His people, Israel.
Rabbi Avrohom Yitzchok Shain, in his masterful work on Chumash, Birchas Ish, asks an obvious question.
We ask that all of us, our descendants, and the descendants of all members of the House of Israel should know G-d's Name, why then after enumerating every past, present, and future member of the Jewish people, we reiterate כולנו — all of us all know your Name. We mentioned everyone who is left out that we add, כולנו?
He suggests that the word כולנו doesn't mean all of us, but rather כולנו — our complete personal selves, our total focus and attention in knowing His Name.
Our thoughts, our will, our aspirations, our joy, should, כולנו — completely be dedicated to this mission.
It is then that we will see with clarity the love Hashem carries in His heart for us!
