Translation of the Torah
The Gemara in Megila states that the Torah was translated into Greek during the days of King Ptolemy. (Probably Ptolemaic king of Philadelpheus in 250 B.C) In Megilas Ta'anis Chapter 8 it states that the world was thrown into darkness for 3 days when the Torah was translated into Greek. It is also considered (the 8th day of Teves, when this story occurred) a day of fasting forever because of the terrible consequence of the translation of the Torah.
The Gemara in Megila continues," King Ptolemy gathered 72 elders individually and had them put in separate rooms. Each one was told to translate the Torah. God inspired them all to translate the Torah using the exact same words including changes that would allow the Greeks to read the Torah and not be offended or notice the obvious questions or contradictions that seem prevalent when read superficially. (hence it is called "the Septuagint")
King David in Tehilim cries (Psalms 79) "Bah'u Goyim Nachalasecha" "Other nations have come to your Inheritance". David is crying over the fact that they have come. What is wrong with other nations coming to our Holy places and seeing the light so that we can spread the light and be "Ohr Lagoyim" a light unto nations? only afterwards does King David say Achal as Yaakov Ve'es Nave'hu Heishamu that the other nations that have come have ultimately destroyed the Beis Hamikdash.
Interestingly the Greek Kingdom is considered by Chazal (Bereishis Raba 2.4) as "Vechoshech Ol Penei Tehom- Darkness Upon the Face of the Universe- This refers to the Greek Kingdom that Darkened the Eyes of Israel with their Decrees, They Demanded that the Bnei Yisrael write on the horns of their Oxen "We Have no Part in the God of Israel"". The Greeks were the nation that tried to "Le'haskeecham Toratecha- To force the Jews to Forget the Torah. Although the Greeks were the only nation at the time interested in translating the Torah and they were the only nation that in fact appreciated the Torah, they were also the nation most antagonistic to the Jews practicing the Torah.
"Magid Devarav LiYaakov, Chukav Umishpatav LiYisrael" (Tehilim 147) The laws of the Torah were given to Israel. Morasha Kehilas Yaakov. Period, the Torah is an eternal blueprint given to Israel to study and practice and learn Gods ways. The Bais Hamikdash is considered "Nachalaseinu" - Our Inheritance, the first breach and the path to the ultimate destruction was when "Ba'u Goyim Nachalasecha".
The translation of the Torah was not the prelude for the days of darkness that followed. Rather the small and seemingly minute and insignificant changes that were in fact deemed necessary and authorized/initiated by God himself through the elders for the consumption of the Greeks is what caused the catastrophes that followed. This is stated clearly in Mesechas Sofrim Chapter 1.7 "The day that the Torah was Translated to Greek was as Hard a Day for Israel as the Day of the Golden Calf becase they could not Translate the Torah as it Need be Translated". The day was not considered harsh because the torah was translated and it shouldn't or couldn't be translated, it was harsh because of the minute changes that were made to the Torah. The elders understood (through the divine will) that if they would have translated the Torah literally in would have brought an even greater catastrophe so they made the changes but even so it was considered one of the harshest days for Israel.
The elders did not lie in their translation, they did not change any of the essential meaning of the torah, they only changed it enough so that it was palatable for Greek consumption. They allowed the Greeks to partake in a Torah that was not written for them. That was the tragedy of the translation. It was a perversion of the purity of the Torah that is a "Morasha Kehilas Yaakov". The Torah cannot be changed so that others can appreciate it too. That is not its purpose and moreover a perversion that ruins its purity the purity of the blueprint of the world.
Our job as Israelites is not to bring Torah per se to the world at large it is to keep the Torah and keep the Torah to ourselves. Everything else will follow including us being a "Light unto the Nations". They with theirs and us with ours.
It is interesting to note that the secular account of this translation differs dramatically from our traditional account. According to the secular account the translation was ordered by the Jewish leaders themselves becuase as the Jews were spreading into the Diaspara to such places as Antioch, Damascus, Alaxandria, and Athens they were forgetting Hebrew. These Jews still wanted to maintain a cultural affinity with their bretheren and therefore commisioned a translation of the most important book in Judaism.
Maybe so, maybe the effect that the Septuigint had on the half assimilated Jew was greater than it did on the Greek population. This might be why the Mishna maintains that it was such a tragedy. Now half assimilated Jews can synthisize their thinking and their way of life with the Torah. They can now use the Torah to justify whatever type of exestance they please. This might be a greater tragedy than the Greeks and their cultural decendeants using the Torah to justify their perversions.
The Gemara in Megila continues," King Ptolemy gathered 72 elders individually and had them put in separate rooms. Each one was told to translate the Torah. God inspired them all to translate the Torah using the exact same words including changes that would allow the Greeks to read the Torah and not be offended or notice the obvious questions or contradictions that seem prevalent when read superficially. (hence it is called "the Septuagint")
King David in Tehilim cries (Psalms 79) "Bah'u Goyim Nachalasecha" "Other nations have come to your Inheritance". David is crying over the fact that they have come. What is wrong with other nations coming to our Holy places and seeing the light so that we can spread the light and be "Ohr Lagoyim" a light unto nations? only afterwards does King David say Achal as Yaakov Ve'es Nave'hu Heishamu that the other nations that have come have ultimately destroyed the Beis Hamikdash.
Interestingly the Greek Kingdom is considered by Chazal (Bereishis Raba 2.4) as "Vechoshech Ol Penei Tehom- Darkness Upon the Face of the Universe- This refers to the Greek Kingdom that Darkened the Eyes of Israel with their Decrees, They Demanded that the Bnei Yisrael write on the horns of their Oxen "We Have no Part in the God of Israel"". The Greeks were the nation that tried to "Le'haskeecham Toratecha- To force the Jews to Forget the Torah. Although the Greeks were the only nation at the time interested in translating the Torah and they were the only nation that in fact appreciated the Torah, they were also the nation most antagonistic to the Jews practicing the Torah.
"Magid Devarav LiYaakov, Chukav Umishpatav LiYisrael" (Tehilim 147) The laws of the Torah were given to Israel. Morasha Kehilas Yaakov. Period, the Torah is an eternal blueprint given to Israel to study and practice and learn Gods ways. The Bais Hamikdash is considered "Nachalaseinu" - Our Inheritance, the first breach and the path to the ultimate destruction was when "Ba'u Goyim Nachalasecha".
The translation of the Torah was not the prelude for the days of darkness that followed. Rather the small and seemingly minute and insignificant changes that were in fact deemed necessary and authorized/initiated by God himself through the elders for the consumption of the Greeks is what caused the catastrophes that followed. This is stated clearly in Mesechas Sofrim Chapter 1.7 "The day that the Torah was Translated to Greek was as Hard a Day for Israel as the Day of the Golden Calf becase they could not Translate the Torah as it Need be Translated". The day was not considered harsh because the torah was translated and it shouldn't or couldn't be translated, it was harsh because of the minute changes that were made to the Torah. The elders understood (through the divine will) that if they would have translated the Torah literally in would have brought an even greater catastrophe so they made the changes but even so it was considered one of the harshest days for Israel.
The elders did not lie in their translation, they did not change any of the essential meaning of the torah, they only changed it enough so that it was palatable for Greek consumption. They allowed the Greeks to partake in a Torah that was not written for them. That was the tragedy of the translation. It was a perversion of the purity of the Torah that is a "Morasha Kehilas Yaakov". The Torah cannot be changed so that others can appreciate it too. That is not its purpose and moreover a perversion that ruins its purity the purity of the blueprint of the world.
Our job as Israelites is not to bring Torah per se to the world at large it is to keep the Torah and keep the Torah to ourselves. Everything else will follow including us being a "Light unto the Nations". They with theirs and us with ours.
It is interesting to note that the secular account of this translation differs dramatically from our traditional account. According to the secular account the translation was ordered by the Jewish leaders themselves becuase as the Jews were spreading into the Diaspara to such places as Antioch, Damascus, Alaxandria, and Athens they were forgetting Hebrew. These Jews still wanted to maintain a cultural affinity with their bretheren and therefore commisioned a translation of the most important book in Judaism.
Maybe so, maybe the effect that the Septuigint had on the half assimilated Jew was greater than it did on the Greek population. This might be why the Mishna maintains that it was such a tragedy. Now half assimilated Jews can synthisize their thinking and their way of life with the Torah. They can now use the Torah to justify whatever type of exestance they please. This might be a greater tragedy than the Greeks and their cultural decendeants using the Torah to justify their perversions.
posted by funnyfundamentalist at 12:52 PM
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