The book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, opens with the simple phrase, "These are the words…" And immediately, the ancient interpreters of our tradition, the rabbis of the Midrash, latch onto this. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on Deuteronomy, dives right in. "These are the words" – and then, seemingly out of nowhere, a halakhic discussion begins. (Halakha, by the way, refers to Jewish law). The question? Is it permissible for a Jew to write a Torah scroll in any language?
It’s a fascinating question, isn't it? You see, the Sages taught that while tefillin (phylacteries) and mezuzot must be written in Hebrew, a Torah scroll could be written in another language. But then Rabban Gamliel throws a wrench in the works. He says, no, even Torah scrolls are only permitted to be written in Greek! (Megillah 8b). Why Greek?
Well, Bar Kappara offers a beautiful interpretation based on the verse, “May God expand Yefet, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem” (Genesis 9:27). He suggests this means that the words of Shem (from whom the Israelites descend) can be stated in the language of Yefet (from whom the Greeks descend). (See Genesis 10:2, 11:10–27).
But the Midrash doesn't stop there. It goes even deeper, exploring the inherent power of the Torah's language itself. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "See the language of the Torah, how dear it is, that it cures the tongue!” Where do we find this idea? In Proverbs 15:4: “A healing tongue is a tree of life.” And a tree of life, as Proverbs 3:18 tells us, is none other than Torah itself.
So, the language of the Torah, according to this understanding, has the power to "unencumber the tongue." It frees us to speak, to express ourselves, to connect.
The Midrash continues, painting a vivid picture of the future, when the Holy One will take “excellent trees” from the Garden of Eden – trees whose very leaves will be for healing (Ezekiel 47:12). Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi debate: is it a medicine, or something more? One says that anyone mute who tastes of it will be cured and immediately articulate matters of Torah. This idea comes from the phrase "on this side and on that side" in Ezekiel 47:12, which the Midrash connects to the description of the Tablets of the Covenant in Exodus 32:15: “Tablets that were inscribed on both sides, from this side and from that side they were inscribed."
Rabbi Levi offers a final, powerful proof. Why search elsewhere, he asks? Look at Moses himself! Before receiving the Torah, he says, Moses declared, "I am not a man of words" (Exodus 4:10). But after receiving the Torah, his tongue was cured, and he began to speak. How do we know? Because the Torah itself tells us: "These are the words that Moses spoke."
It’s a remarkable transformation. From someone who felt incapable of speech to the greatest prophet, the one who delivers the very word of God.
So, what does this all mean for us? Perhaps it's a reminder that language is more than just a tool for communication. It’s a sacred gift, a potential source of healing and transformation. The words we choose, the way we speak, can either liberate or constrict us. And the Torah, in its very essence, offers us a path towards that liberation, towards finding our own voice and speaking our own truth.