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Reclaiming the Language of Revelation

by Ram ben Ze'ev


Reclaiming the Language of Revelation
Reclaiming the Language of Revelation

Language is never neutral, and within Judaism it is never accidental. Every word we use either preserves the inner truth of Torah or subtly reshapes it. When foreign terms are introduced, normalised, and repeated often enough, they do not merely translate our tradition; they reframe it. Over time, that reframing alters how Torah is understood, taught, and lived.


The phrase עשרת הדברים (Aseret HaDibrot, Ten Utterances) stands as a clear example. These were not presented at Sinai as a list of rules or legal instructions. They were Divine speech. They were utterances spoken by G-D Himself, echoing the ten utterances through which creation itself came into being. Speech creates reality. Commandments regulate behaviour. The distinction is not academic; it is foundational.



The foreign rendering “Ten Commandments” shifts the entire theological centre of gravity. It recasts revelation as legislation and reduces encounter to compliance. This language did not emerge from within Torah or mesorah. It entered through external traditions, filtered through Greek and later Christian frameworks, and was absorbed uncritically into common usage. Once absorbed, it began doing its quiet work.


This pattern repeats across many terms. Jewish concepts are translated, renamed, and reframed until their inner meaning is dulled or replaced. Sacred language is stripped of its depth and recast in forms that are more comfortable for the Nations, more aligned with their theology, and more distant from ours. When Jews adopt this language, even casually, the damage is compounded. What begins as convenience becomes erosion.


Responsibility for this erosion does not lie solely outside the community. It lies also with Jews who have failed to guard the language of Torah with the seriousness it demands. Precision in language is not pedantry; it is fidelity. When we abandon our words, we weaken our ability to transmit meaning accurately to the next generation. When we accept distorted terms, we accept distorted ideas.



This is therefore both an act of education and an act of resistance. Education, because our own community must be reminded that Torah speaks in its own voice and on its own terms. Resistance, because the ongoing corruption of our sacred language cannot be met with silence or accommodation. The Torah does not require external validation, nor does it need to be reshaped to fit foreign frameworks.


Notice must therefore be given, clearly and without apology. The language of Torah is not open for reinterpretation by those outside it. Jewish concepts are not raw material to be repackaged for mainstream consumption. The integrity of our teachings, our words, and our theology will be defended by returning to the language in which they were given.


Faithfulness begins with speech. When we reclaim our words, we reclaim our meaning. When we insist on accuracy, we restore depth. And when we speak Torah in its own language, we affirm that revelation has not been diluted, replaced, or surrendered. It remains alive, precise, and uncompromised, just as it was spoken.



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