Continuing last week’s discussion, we now turn to the practical questions: can Oral Torah be translated into other languages? Is such work considered a mitzvah, merely permissible, or perhaps – even forbidden? Should we encourage students to learn in their native language in order to deepen comprehension and inspiration, or should we guide them toward learning in Lashon HaKodesh, enabling them to learn Torah in its original form? Why has the approach changed over the generations? Can Shir HaShirim be translated? What about translation-resistant passages of Aggadah?
Is translating the Zohar permitted? Is there value in simply reading when one does not understand the language?
Prayer is another topic that begs for translation. Can one pray in a foreign language? Can a historic translation be used once the need for it has passed?
These and other related questions are the focus of this week’s article.
Translating Torah: Permission, Obligation, or Risk?
From Gemara to Shir HaShirim, from Zohar to prayer — when may Torah be translated into other languages, and when should it remain in Lashon HaKodesh? This week we explore the halachic rulings, shifting needs, and the fine balance between accessibility and the original Lashon HaKodesh.
In previous articles we discussed the question of translating the Torah into different languages.
In the first article, we focused on the reasons to prohibit translation, and the advantages of translating, when it is permitted or forbidden.
In the second article we reviewed the historic backgrounds of various Torah translations and seforim written in foreign languages in earlier generations.
This week’s article will focus on the practical application of the halachic rulings, past and contemporary.
Translating Oral Torah
One of the first questions we must ask on this topic is whether it is truly fitting to translate the Torah Sh’Baal Pe.
Our shelves are filled with translations of the Mishnah and the Gemara. The most famous is the ArtScroll editions of the Mishnah, Gemara, and many other foundational works, fully translated into English, Modern Hebrew, French, Spanish, and more.
But this trend did not begin today. Many centuries ago, the Rambam penned a commentary on the Mishnah in which the text of the Mishnah appears in Hebrew along with an explanation in Judeo-Arabic. This was the vernacular spoken by Jewish communities during his generation, and he wrote his sefer to open the gates of Torah for Jews of all levels.
And yet, as noted in last week’s article, when asked to translate his Mishneh Torah (Yad HaChazaka) into Arabic, the Rambam declined, explaining that it could not be translated in full precision. In fact, he even expressed the desire to rework his commentary on the Mishnah into the pure and exalted language of Lashon HaKodesh.
So, should Torah be translated, or should it not? This question was posed to Rabbi Shlomo Kluger (Elef Lecha Shlomo 258) [1785–1869] by a person who wanted to translate the Mishnah into Yiddish so even simple people who could not understand Lashon HaKodesh would be able to understand the Mishnah. Rav Shlomo Kluger recommended not doing so, writing that the risk outweighed the benefit. He added that although there were Jews who would then be unable to learn, one who truly wants to study but is prevented from doing so is rewarded for his intention.
However, contemporary rabbis have permitted, and even encouraged, writing Torah works in various languages, including translations of the Torah, Mishnah, and Gemara. However, there do remain significant restrictions: translations must be interpretations, not definitive statements of the text.
Therefore, the interpretation is always printed alongside the original text, or interlined (as in ArtScroll). The reason permitting it nowadays, while forbidden in the past is linked to the changing needs of contemporary learners, as well as shifting risks – what was considered risky in the past, is now more of a benefit.
The “Chavrusa” edition of the Gemara, written under Rav Shach’s supervision, was that to demark its goal -- to provide every Jew, wherever he may be, with a “chavrusa” -- study partner. Certainly not a replacement of the Gemara.
Rabbi Henkin (Teshuvos Ibra 56:2) explains that translation into English or other languages cannot replace learning in Lashon HaKodesh. However, for the time being, due to the pressing needs, translation is necessary and appropriate. However, we must always aspire to learn Torah in Lashon HaKodesh, which has no substitute.
Distorted Translations
One of the main reasons for the changed approach to translation is the changing reality: in the past, learners instinctively recognized authentic Torah. Today, unfortunately, the printed word is cheap, and Torah is constantly being misinterpreted and distorted to fit the writer’s Weltanschauung. This increases the necessity of producing faithful, Torah-true translations and commentaries.
History offers notable precedents. Rav Saadia Gaon translated the Torah into Arabic during his fierce battle against the Karaites, deeming it essential for the entire nation to understand the Torah’s true meaning. Centuries later, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch translated the Torah into German in his war against the Reform movement, when distorted translations were widely circulating and read.
Another reason for distinction is the purpose: Rabbonim strongly opposed Moses Mendelssohn’s German translation of the Bible, not only because of inherent concerns about translating into a foreign language, but also because its purpose was to draw Jews toward German language and culture. Rabbi Samson Rephael Hirsch’s translating was widely endorsed because his goal was the opposite: to reignite the flame of Yiddishkeit among Jews already immersed in German culture. For those who had little hope of learning Hebrew, he provided a faithful translation in their spoken language, serving as a bridge back to authentic Torah life.
Rabbi Yonasan Eybeschitz (Ya’aros Devash, Drush 2) offers an instructive parallel. During Moshe Rabbenu’s lifetime, after forty years of Torah study, once the nation had mastered the Torah, translating it into the seventy languages added breadth and depth without risk. But during the Greek rule, when large segments of the Jewish people did not speak or use Hebrew or understand the Torah, translating it into Greek caused them to abandon the original text, with all the losses that entailed.
This same reasoning underlies the approbations to the Hebrew edition of the ArtScroll–Schottenstein Talmud, in which the Gemara is rendered into contemporary Hebrew. Gedolei Yisrael such as Rav Elyashiv stressed that the translation is needed precisely because there are commentaries that misrepresent the Gemara, and a precise and faithful translation is not only helpful — it is essential for preserving the Torah.
Aggadah and Kabbalah
One of the Jewish residents of Bombay translated the Idra from the holy Zohar into spoken Arabic. The rabbis of the city opposed the translation and demanded it buried. The translator argued that there was no prohibition against translating the Zohar, and agreed to bury his work if they could show him a source forbidding it. The rabbis turned to the Ben Ish Chai with the question of how to proceed.
The Ben Ish Chai (Rav Pe’alim I, YD 56) answered that the matter was so far-fetched that no one had even considered doing such a thing, and therefore it was hardly mentioned in the poskim because it was obvious it could not be done. Nonetheless, the Ben Ish Chai found several sources and reasons for this prohibition:
- The Idra is written in a language understood only by the soul. Therefore, reading it in its original language is important, even without comprehension. In translation, one thinks he can comprehend the words. Since that is impossible, translating is inherently distorted and therefore prohibited.
- Rabbi Chaim Vital (Sha’ar Ma’amarei Rashbi) on the Idra (Mishpatim 120b) explains that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai knew how to conceal his teachings -- he encrypted his teachings so that only the wise and capable could comprehend them. Even the holy Arizal, with his great holiness, needed Eliyahu Hanavi’s help to understand the Zohar, especially the Idra.
- Over 300 years ago, the Chavos Yair (210) wrote that in order to study Toras Ha’Sod, including the cryptic Aggados in the Gemara, Kabbalah, and the hidden parts of the Zohar, one must first be well-versed in the entire Shas and poskim like the Arizal’s disciples, as well as having a learned teacher to transmit this Torah orally, because Sod cannot be learned from books. The Chavos Yair writes that in his times there was already no one to teach Kabbalah and Sod. Therefore, he writes that one should engage only in the revealed portions of the Zohar and the moral teachings there that are clear to all.
The Ben Ish Chai recounts that when the Ein Yaakov — a collection of Aggados HaTalmud -- was translated about 150 years ago, the Divrei Chaim was deeply disturbed and appealed to Rabbi Chananya Lipa Meizlish, the rabbi of Przemyśl, who responded with a strongly worded letter opposing the translation (the letter appears in the end of Tiferes Yosef). His main argument was that the Aggados cannot be understood literally; thus, they cannot be translated, since translation can only convey the simple meaning, and readers will see the allegory as fact. This is like attempting to render a code of hints and metaphors word-for-word into another language. The end product will be absurd at best.
The Ben Ish Chai concludes with another example: a teacher of young children once boasted that he had translated Shir HaShirim into spoken Arabic, and every child in his class had copied it down and “understood” it perfectly. The Ben Ish Chai rebuked him, explaining that Shir HaShirim is an allegorical sefer, containing profound spiritual secrets. Now, due to his translation, his students perceived it as nothing more than a cheap love story.
Prayer
Is it permissible to pray in a foreign language? The Shulchan Aruch (OC 101:4) rules that public prayer may be in any language. However, when praying alone, one should pray only in Lashon Hakodesh, because private prayer needs the assistance of the ministering angels to raise, and they do not raise a prayer in a “despised language.”
However, the Mishnah Berurah (13) writes that this allowance applies only for outstanding exceptional cases, and establishing a regular public prayer in a foreign language is prohibited. He adds that the mitzvah of tefilla is optimally in Lashon HaKodesh. Beyond its inherent sanctity, Hebrew encompasses all the spiritual intents embedded in the prayers as they were composed by the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah. When translated, these qualities are inevitably lost. Furthermore, one who prays in another language must understand the exact meaning of every word he utters. Thus, one who reads a prayer that includes literary terms which they do not understand has not fulfilled their obligation of prayer.
When the Reform movement replaced Hebrew prayers with German, they insisted it was the only way to keep youth connected. But the result was overwhelming abandon of Torah. Most worshippers show up only on Yom Kippur, the median age was 54 in 2013, and 80% of their youth abandon the movement by high school graduation. Meanwhile, those who held fast to Hebrew prayer kept their children — and shuls fully functioning, three times a day.
Contemporary Halachic Ruling
The Chazon Ish (sec. 12) explained that the creation of Targum Onkelos was permitted only because, in its time, Jews understood and spoke Aramaic, and it was a case of “Eis La’asos LaHashem” (Tehilim 119:126). This same principle applied to other translations produced by rabbonim throughout history when there was a pressing, temporary need, such as those of Rav Saadiah Gaon or Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. In each generation, when the leading rabbis deemed a translation necessary, it was permitted; when they ruled against it, it was forbidden.
By that reasoning, nowadays, when Hebrew is better understood than Aramaic, there would seem to be grounds to prohibit using Targum Onkelos. The only reason it remains firmly embedded in Jewish learning is because Onkelos was a disciple of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, composed his work under Divine inspiration, and wove into it elements of the Oral Torah that guide us in correct understanding of the Written Torah. For this reason, we are not only permitted, but obligated to read the weekly parashah, “sh’nayim mikra, v’echad targum.”
In contrast, translations produced by language experts who are not Torah scholars — though they may have been permissible in their times — may not be used today once the “Eis La’asos LaHashem” is no longer relevant.
Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe, YD 38) wrote guidelines for one of his students who wished to publish Torah books in English. He writes that it is better to encourage learners to study and understand Hebrew and avoid translating the Mishnah, rather than translating the Mishnah and Gemara into English. His reasons are that learning in Lashon HaKodesh brings deeper understanding and zechus, and only a great Torah scholar who is also an expert in English can ensure the translation is accurate.
In contrast, halachic handbooks and compilations, especially those written for women, may be written in English, but they should rely only on the most authoritative sources. If quoting from a source that is not mainstream, the writer must also provide that source’s reasoning and justification for quoting it.
Sh’nayim Mikra, Echad Targum
We are halachically obligated to read each week’s parasha “sh’nayim mikra, v’echad targum” -- twice in Hebrew and once Onkelus’ translation. There is an ancient debate as to whether the Aramaic translation may be replaced with a translation into another foreign language. Next week we will be’ezras Hashem complete this series, focusing on fulfilling this mitzva in other languages.
