רבינו בחיי — יברכך ה' וישמרך

Q — Birkas Kohanim opens with yivarechecha (give) and immediately follows with v'yishmerecha (guard). Why the second clause — isn't being blessed already protection?

A — Rabbeinu Bachya catches the unique pairing and reads it as a contrast with the limits of any human benefactor. A king of basar va'dam, however generous, has a hard ceiling on what he can do: he can make his friend rich, but he cannot then *guard* the gift. The midrashic scene RBB cites is precise — the king sends his beloved a hundred litrin of gold, the friend leaves Rome with the treasure, and bandits seize it on the road; the king has no jurisdiction outside his palace. Hashem's brachah carries neither limit. The yivarechecha-AND-v'yishmerecha structure is therefore announcing the metaphysical distinction between human and divine benefaction: a human can give but cannot ride out with the receiver; Hashem gives, and travels with the gift, guarding it on every road it travels. The Kohen channels both — bracha *with* shemirah.