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Speak the Language of the Soul

by Ram ben Ze’ev


Speak the Language of the Soul
Speak the Language of the Soul

Every time a Jew refers to פסח (Pesach) as “Passover,” to תהילים (Tehillim) as “Psalms,” or to ארץ ישראל (Eretz Yisrael – the Land of Israel) as the “Holy Land,” a subtle fracture opens in the collective soul of עם ישראל (Am Yisrael – the Nation of Israel). Words are not neutral.


Words carry the shape of identity. When our language is replaced by foreign terminology—coined in the halls of idolatry and shaped by tongues that have long sought to distort and replace the תורה (Torah)—it is not mere translation; it is spiritual dilution.



We are commanded to be נבדל (nivdal – distinct), as it is written in ויקרא (Vayikra – Leviticus) 20:26:


"והייתם לי קדשים כי קדוש אני ה׳ ואבדיל אתכם מן העמים להיות לי"


“And you shall be holy unto Me, for I, G-D, am holy, and I have separated you from the peoples, to be Mine.”


That separation is not about isolation. It is about sanctity. To collapse that boundary by adopting alien terms—however innocently—begins a slow erosion of our קדושה (kedushah – holiness).


Why It Matters

This is not about semantics. This is about soul. The תניא (Tanya), in שער היחוד והאמונה (Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah – Gate of Unity and Faith), teaches us that even the letters of לשון הקודש (Lashon HaKodesh – the Holy Tongue) are vessels of Divine light. When a Jew utters words of תורה (Torah) in Hebrew—even a single word—it draws spiritual light from the Infinite into this world. No other language does this. Translations may offer comprehension; they cannot offer connection.



The ספר הזוהר (Sefer HaZohar – Book of Splendour) is even more explicit. It explains that each letter and word in the sacred tongue contains Divine combinations that act as channels between worlds. Substituting them with borrowed Western terms from foreign theologies severs that channel.


Assimilation Begins in the Mouth

We tend to think of assimilation as marriage outside the covenant or abandonment of מצוות (mitzvot – commandments). But it begins far earlier—with speech. It begins when a Jew posts online about “Old Testament verses” instead of תורה (Torah), when a parent teaches their child to call the Land “Holy Land” instead of ארץ ישראל (Eretz Yisrael). These words may seem harmless, but they are not. They are fingerprints of exile.


The assimilation of language is often the first step toward the assimilation of values. Our enemies have long known this. That is why they coined these terms to begin with: “Old Testament” to imply replacement; “Passover” to flatten the true meaning of פסח (Pesach), which is not merely about skipping over but about G-D's protective sheltering of Am Yisrael; and “Psalms” to obscure the essence of תהילים (Tehillim), which means praises—whereas “psalm” evokes the notion of a generic song, more akin to מזמור (mizmor), stripping away its sacred purpose of glorifying the Creator.


What Can Be Done

Not every Jew in the diaspora can become fluent in Hebrew overnight. But every Jew can choose to reclaim authentic words. Say Torah, not “Old Testament.” Write Pesach, not “Passover.” Speak of Eretz Yisrael, not “the Holy Land.” These are not small changes—they are acts of resistance. Acts of identity.


The רמבם (Rambam – Maimonides) writes that one of the traits of a Jew is שפה ברורה (safah berurah – a clear tongue), meaning we are meant to speak in the tongue of our people. Even in exile.



A Final Plea

Our generation faces confusion, distortion, and unprecedented exposure to false ideologies cloaked in familiar words. To guard our souls, we must guard our speech.


Every authentic Hebrew word you use is a gate that opens heavenward. Every foreign term you discard is a chain you break from the exile of the mind.


Speak the language of the soul.



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