BY DR. TZVI HERSH WEINREB THE PERSON OU Executive Vice President, Emeritus IN THE PARSHA

of translation began, I was not all that To Each His happy. I am a bit of a purist and have long clung to the belief that sacred books should be read in the original. I was willing to make exceptions for those religious classics which were originally here was a time when the literary written in languages other than Hebrew, treasures of the Jewish people such as those works of Maimonides, Saadia were accessible only to those with T Gaon, and Bahya ibn Paquda, which were a reading knowledge of Hebrew. This is originally written in Arabic and translated no longer the case. I know of no major into Hebrew and eventually English as Jewish religious work which has not well. But for me, the Bible and classical been translated into English in recent commentaries were to be read only in the years and, in most instances, into many language in which they were written. other languages as well. The past several decades have witnessed the publication I was guided in my opposition to translation of multiple editions of the Bible and by the classic Italian motto, “traduttore the Talmud, commentaries ancient and traditore”, “the translator is a traitor.” No modern, liturgical works, historical tomes, translation is exactly accurate, and ideas biographies, and even cookbooks with expressed in one language inevitably lose recipes of our ancestors. some of their meaning when rendered into another language. Every translation I must confess that when this phenomenon compromises beauty and forfeits subtlety and nuance. Family and friends are cordially invited to We will mark the 4th yahrzeit of our a Zoom event to commemorate the dear husband, father, grandfather and Ironically, in recent years, I myself have 5th yahrzeit of great-grandfather, become a translator. My first professional Eli Fachler z”l Rabbi Joel Litke z"l effort was with the elegies that are recited Date: Tuesday, 28th July on Wednesday evening, Sep. 9 on the solemn day of Tisha b’Av, when recall the seemingly endless chain אור לכ”א אלול Erev Tisha B’Av 5780 Time: 21:00 (Israel) We will meet at the main parking lot of catastrophes that have marked Jewish Zoom meeting- 480 896 6948 in Har Hamenuchot at 7:00pm history. Translating these poignantly .tragic poems was a difficult challenge פרקי תהילים ותפילת ערבית Direct Link- https://bit.ly/Fachler PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ZOOM EVENT Litke, Sorotzkin and Gruner Families But I undertook the task in the belief that WILL BE IN ENGLISH 8 TORAH TIDBITS / KI TAVO 5780 an English translation was better than no translation, and that I was doing a public service by bringing these poems to the “Y ears from now public, albeit in a far from perfect form. I didn’t want to regret Since then, and to this day, I have been missing out on this great involved in the process of translating opportunity, so, with just classical Jewish works, and have come $75,000 I sealed the deal!” to terms with the fact that translations, although far from perfect, bring Torah said another happy client study to multitudes of individuals who NOW is the time to take advantage and lock down would otherwise be deprived from so a great deal on your dream vacation home – much of our tradition. one which offers sun, pleasant sea breezes along with beautiful views in delightful Ashkelon! These reflections bring us to this And best of all, it’s very affordable – just 15% down payment, with mortgages available and bank week’s Torah portion, Parshat Ki Tavo guarantees. Rental income often in excess of 3.5%. (Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8). The relevant verses read, “As soon as you have crossed L I V E O P P O S I T E T H E S E A the Jordan into the land that the Lord your 0 5 4 4 - 3 3 2 6 2 1 God is giving you, you shall set up large davidz@A shkelonProperties.com stones. Coat them with plaster and inscribe upon them all the words of this Teaching... On those stones you shall inscribe every word of this Teaching most distinctly” (Deuteronomy 27:2-3, and 8).

What does this phrase, ba’er heitev, translated as “most distinctly,” mean? The Babylonian Talmud Tractate Sotah 32b suggests that the inscription of the “Teaching,” that is, the Torah, should be done in seventy languages, in every language known to mankind. How fascinating! Moses himself, speaking on behalf of the Almighty, instructs the people to engage in that “traitorous” task True wholesaler from the diamond boursa with over 25 years experience of translation. He seems unconcerned member diamond dealers club with the difficulties of rendering the word of God from sacred Hebrew into the Engagement Rings ∙ Stud Earrings Pendants ∙ Tennis Bracelets languages of all mankind. 050-573-9061 [email protected] Why? Why was it necessary to translate www.JeffMorDiamondJewelry.com

OU ISRAEL CENTER 9 the Torah into languages which were “language” more broadly. The word need incomprehensible to the people of Israel? not be restricted to its literal meaning, Our Sages offer two very different answers referring to French, Spanish, Swahili, and to this question. Portuguese. Rather, “language” can refer to a cognitive modality, or to a learning The Talmud takes a style. Thus, some of us prefer the language universalistic approach and suggests of humor, while others prefer the language that these translations were to bring the of logic and reason. We speak of angry teachings of the Torah to the entire world. language, soothing language, and the The Zohar, the basic text of the , language of love. Music is a language, notes that the members of the Jewish High play is a language, and there is even the Court, the Sanhedrin, knew all seventy language of war. languages. But the Zohar does not take this Every teacher worth his salt knows that literally. Instead, the Zohar understands he must use different “languages” for the seventy languages to be a metaphor different students. This does not mean for the seventy facets of Torah, the seventy that he speaks to some students in English different avenues of interpretation with and to others in Yiddish. No. This means which the sacred text is endowed. The that some students will respond to clear members of the Sanhedrin were thus and logical explanations. Others will not linguists, according to the Zohar, require anecdotes and stories. Still others but experts in probing the depths of the will require humor, or perhaps visual Torah’s meaning. Perhaps, the seventy illustrations of the subject matter being languages inscribed on the stones in the taught. This is the lesson which every River Jordan were also not the languages successful teacher learns sooner or later: for the peoples of the world, but were no two individuals learn in the same way. seventy codes enabling so many different Woe to the teacher who delivers his or approaches to the Torah’s interpretation. her prepared lecture once, and expects Permit me to offer a somewhat different all thirty pupils to learn the material. The approach. I prefer to understand the word successful teacher discerns the learning styles of each pupil and develops strategies and modalities that facilitate the learning of every member of the class.

Perhaps this is what the Talmud in Tractate Sotah is really teaching. Inscribed on those stones in the River Jordan were seventy different teaching strategies, seventy pedagogical tools, which would enable every recipient of the Torah to learn its messages in his or her own idiosyncratic

10 TORAH TIDBITS / KI TAVO 5780 way. Some would learn best by reciting the conveyed in mikrah (Scripture) will be words by rote until they were memorized. conveyed in mishnah; whatever is not Others would learn by breaking the text conveyed in midrash will be conveyed in down into small phrases and reflecting on the halachot; whatever is not conveyed in them, and still others would learn by using the halachot will become clear in the study visual imagery to “see” the meaning of the of the aggadot. Thus, the student will sit in text. place and fill himself with all that is good and blessed.” (Avot DeRabbi Nathan, 8:1) Indeed, the phrase “seventy facets of Torah” could be the Zohar’s way of In this passage our Sages are advocating referring to seventy different learning a richly variegated curriculum. They styles, encouraging teachers to identify know that not every student will be fully a “stone in the River Jordan” to match informed by the study of one subject. every pupil, even those who on the surface The student who fails to gain from the appear unteachable. study of mikrah, will gain instead from a very different type of text, mishnah, the If I am at all correct in this interpretation early rabbinic codification of the Oral of “the seventy languages” I am asserting Law. And similarly for midrash, rabbinic that our Sages were very aware of a basic lore; halachot, rules and regulations, and lesson in education. That lesson is that aggadot, legends and stories. there is a need for individualized curricula so that diverse populations can all learn There are many erudite quotations that well. I could cite to summarize the point of my brief essay. But I prefer to conclude This lesson is reflected throughout with a remark I hear from my teenage Talmudic literature. Here is one grandchildren: Different strokes for example: different folks. Arguably, this is an apt “Observe the excellent advice given to motto for getting along with people in us by the Tanna Rabbi Yehoshua ben all situations. But it is especially apt for Perachya: ‘Make for yourself a teacher, teachers. And as I have repeatedly stated and acquire for yourself a friend...’ If you in this column, we are all teachers! do this you will find that your teacher will teach you mikrah, mishnah, midrash, halachot, ve’aggadot. Whatever is not TALBIEH LONG TERM RENTAL 5 spacious rooms, central air Sukkah balcony, private prkg. Call David 0544-332621

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