daf bit: Sotah 38

[cellio]

The mishna discusses the priestly blessing, in which the kohanim (priests) bless the congregation. We have learned in the previous mishna that this blessing must be said in Hebrew. The current mishna discusses how they say it.

The passage consists of three individual blessings, and outside of the temple they are said as three (with responses of "amen" after each). In the temple, however, they are said as one. Outside the temple they do not say the divine name, using the usual substitute instead, but in the temple they pronounce the name. Outside the temple they raise their hands to shoulder-height, but in the temple they raise them above their heads (but the kohein gadol, the high priest, raises only to his forehead). (37b-38a)

I don't see anything in the g'mara on in the next few pages (through the next mishna) that says why there are these differences, though I was skimming.