Seventy Languages, One Torah

In chapter 27, Moshe tells the nation that when we cross over the Jordan into Israel we should take along huge stones and smear them with lime. That we should write the entire Torah on them in clear explanation, i.e. seventy languages. Trying to translate words requires more than just parroting the same words, it would mean that we understand the concepts in depth so that we can phrase them properly in other languages. For example, if one were to translate the sentence ‘the two parties agreed’ to Hebrew, he would come up with two words that describe the word ‘parties’. One would be, ‘Mesibot (Parties),’ while the other would be “Tzdadim (sides).’ When we understand the context of the sentence we can accurately place the proper word in its place.

The Torah can be understood in many perspectives, seventy to be exact, as the Gemara and its commentary point out in Sanhedrin 34a. Each person is born with a certain perspective on earth, some are optimistic while some pessimistic, some are full of energy while some are deflated. No matter how we came to those personalities and characteristic traits, either nature or nurture, we see the world from this point of view and it shapes the way we see things and how we understand them. As we see throughout the ages, as philosophers slowly crept into the world hundreds if not thousands of books explaining the Torah on a  much deeper and impactful level were published. People gravitated to this way of thinking and it shaped their view of the world.

With everything we know, be it car engines or educating adolescents, our way of thinking will be influenced by the knowledge we are immersed in. We associate our new problems with the way we dealt with our old ones, we come to similar conclusions in subject B as we arrived at subject A. People who have gone through hardships will likely point out the obstacles we may face in this new endeavor while people who’ve always had it good will point out the dreams and hopes at every turn, and we need them both. Someone who relies on his personal perception of things may fail in many cases, or may possibly give up. So too, one with an overly optimistic view won’t know how to deal with the stresses of this job since they have no ability to handle failure.

We need each other and in such cases it is the opposites who are needed in order to reach the goal. Every person has their individuality to give to the world and with the merge of all of their perspectives we can achieve success. The seventy faces of the Torah are directly connected to the seventy languages, which of course, have a direct correlation to the seventy nations in the world. Take a look at your classroom and notice how each kid has their own way of thinking, notice how when you sit down to learn with your son how he comes up with questions that you have never thought of, even though you’ve learned this exact page twenty times in your life. We each see things in ways others don’t and when we merge our abilities with each other we are destined to make it in the end.

As we come into the land of Israel, Hashem commands us not to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. Rather he wants the rest of the world to see our direction and learn from it for themselves. There is no fear at all that one nation will come along and become better at the Torah than ourselves, just the opposite, when we see others take our belief seriously, how much more are we going to invest into ourselves. We have so much to give to the world that it is unlikely that any other faith can persuade us to their way of thinking. They may be different kinds of people with different points of view, but as we listen to Hashem and, as a nation, learn His Torah, we learn from all vantage points and become one nation with all perspectives. 

Each nation will connect to the Torah since we have grown in all of them. Each person with their own personality, each family with their occupation and each community with their personal goals contributes to the explanation of the Torah. When we understand the concepts of the Torah and truly stick to the context of the teachings we rise up and become better and more tolerant people. We open up our doors to the world and give them the opportunity to see that God is good. Understandably, those stories that they learn from are not their own, but for them, they are metaphors which were played out on us for them to learn the lessons. 

The world should be grateful that we, the Jews, are the ones who suffer and go through hardships and pain to be the example for the rest of the world. They should admire us for the people we have become, since they use our stories to make themselves better people. Through our trials and errors we have taught the world so much, and through our perseverance we have given the rest of them hope.

The Parsha continues with the curses we [would] face when we don’t listen to Hashem’s direction. Many people may opt out of this way of life and choose to stick to a life of gumdrops and rainbows, where no toil is expected and only ease meets them along the path. Why choose freedom through obedience when I can be free and do all of my heart’s desires wherever my heart desires to do them? When we learn the Torah we resonate with the stories of the past, we know that “The work of the fathers is a sign for their children.” We may not be going through exactly what they have, but as humans we face the same doubt in our hearts when things go dark. 

It is at these moments, when we face our mortal enemies, that we learn from their example and stick to our belief. We learn the entire context of the story, not just the little occurrence that is shaking up the world around us at the moment. We go all the way back to the beginning and see how everything in this world is planned by the One above and that we are here on earth to help Him further His plan. He wants us to recognize Him throughout our personal experiences, He wants us to notice Him as we go through hardships as a nation, and He wants us to call out His name when the world is falling apart as a whole.

Write down the entire Torah in seventy languages with its full context. Let the rest of the world know that there is something much greater than their credit card bill or the government spying on them. There is a plan that requires belief and persistence that will ultimately lead them to the promised land. We were gifted with so much love and grace from Hashem, our father’s have proven this love for us by dying for this cause and by living with it. Throughout all that history has brought upon us and with all that lies ahead for us in the future we always remember that our salvation comes from Him through the depth of the words of the Torah.

David Lemmer is a Orthodox Jewish Hypnotherapist and Author. Find his books on Amazon.con and watch his videos on YouTube @LemmerNetwork. He can be reached at LemmerHypno@gmail.com