This week's Parsha begins with the words, אלא הדברים אשר דיבר משה: These are the words that Moshe Rabbeinu spoke. The Midrash interestingly compares this to the first conversation between Hakadosh Baruch Hu and Moshe. There, when Hashem was trying to convince him to speak with Paroh he said, "לא איש דברים אנכי", I am not a man of words. Someone claiming not to be a man of words now being the sourse of "These are the words."
An interesting turn-around. How did it happen?
The Midrash goes on to explain that the Torah taught Moshe Rabbeinu how to speak. "עץ חיים מרפא לשון" - The tree of life, the Torah, heals the tounge.
The Sfas Emes (תרל"א) zy"a, asks: How could it be that Moshe could say about himself "לא איש דברים אנכי"? He said those words whilst speaking with Hashem Himself. Is that not the most exalted level of speech?
The Passuk says later on that Moshe stood before the people and gave the Torah over to them באר היטב, with spectacular clarity. Chazal explain that this means that he repeated the Torah seventy times - in seventy different languages. What was he trying to prove with this?
The Sfas Emes explains that when Moshe Rabbeinu had first complained about his oratory capabilities he was trying to convey that he saw it impossible to take that which G-d was telling him and draw it down to a level that would be understandable to Paroh. Speaking to Hashem would be no big deal for Moshe. On the other hand, dumbing-down the Divine Word? That's a whole other story. (We will hopefully post a clarification post on the unique nature of Moshe.)
Receiving the Torah rectified this.
Chazal teach us that Hashem used the Torah as a metaphorical blue-print for the world creation.Every iota of reality is rooted in those holy words. Before Matan Torah there was spiritual theory of the heavens and concrete physicality of this world. Ma'amad Har Sinai bonded the dichotomy. Now the Ruchani content of the Torah was fused with its mundane manifestation and the Hashem's messages could be directly connected to the mundane (see המועדים בחסידות by HaRav Yoel Kahn Shlit"a on Shavuos).
This is the meaning of the translation of the Torah into all seventy languages. After receiving the Torah, not only did Moshe Rabbeinu become an איש דברים, but he was able to draw down the potent internal energy of the Dvar Hashem into every spoken language. By doing this, he gave us the ability to find the Dvar Hashem in every situation.
The Torah's connection to every language means as follows: Hashem is constantly relating to every Jew, even in the farthest throws of the exile. The Torah is the life source of all things. Thus, anything I may come in contact with can serve as a point-of-connection to a higher plane of reality.
More on this to come...
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