There is not enough hugging going on in families today! There's a lot of criticising: "Don't do that, put that down, clean up your room...", but there's not too much positive expression of love going on. So the Torah reminds us - be loving to your family - as it says:

"Vayisa Aharon - And Aharon lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them..."

Rashi says: He gave them the blessing of the Kohanim..."May Hashem bless you and keep you...be gracious to you...shine His face upon you...

" So why are these blessings known as "Nesias Kapayim" - "the raising of the hands" by the Kohanim? Isn't the raising of hands a symbolic external expression while the "real thing" is the verbal blessing? The Nesivos Shalom, ztz'l answers that the real medium of showing kindness to another is through the hands - by giving - and thereby expressing love. When Avraham Avinu was about to sacrifice Isaac it says:

"And Avraham extended his hand and took the knife..."

Why doesn't the Torah merely say: "And Avraham took the knife...?" It is because Avraham had so much love for his son that he had to push himself and force himself to extend his hand to take the knife. Love for his son would have prevented him from fulfilling G-d's will. So Avraham's love is expressed by him "extending (forcing) his hand to take the knife", because his natural attribute of love would not have allowed him to merely "take the knife". He had to push away his deep love for Yitzchok and force his hand to take the knife. The "hand" is therefore associated with love.

So, too, the attribute of Aharon was "a lover of peace and a seeker of peace". The foundation of the blessing of the Kohanim is "Levarech es amo Yisroel b'ahavah" - to bless His people Israel with love. And so the symbol of that love is "raising the hands". This is the "kedushaso shel Aharon" - his holiness was his love for the children of Israel. The hands represent the "hug" and the "reaching out" to another, with love.

This is why we bless our children on Friday night by placing our hands on their heads - to show our love for them. Whoever doesn't extend his hands from their heads into a hug for his kids on Friday night is missing the point! And who said we should only hug our kids on Friday night? The warmest and most secure feeling for a child is to hold that child in your arms for no reason in particular, and say: "I love you. And do you know why I love you? Because you're mine. I don't hug you because you hit a home run, got an "A" on a test, or tidied up the house - I just love you because you are you." And say it with a warm hug.