The Maharal Explains: What Makes Hebrew the Holy Language?

Sefer Devarim centers on Moshe's final words to the people of Israel before his passing, as it says: "These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan" (Devarim 1:1).

Yet Moshe was not originally "a man of words." He described himself as "slow of speech and slow of tongue," saying, "I am not a man of words" (Shemot 4:10). So how did Moshe become the great teacher whose final book is devoted almost entirely to his speeches?

Chazal answer this question in Midrash Rabbah (1:1), teaching that once Moshe merited the Torah, his speech was healed, and he truly became "a man of words," as reflected in the opening verse of Sefer Devarim. They conclude: "See how beloved the language of Torah is, for it heals the tongue."

This healing was not limited to Moshe's physical speech. Chazal explain that the "language" itself was healed, and from this they derive that a Torah scroll may even be written in another language.

This raises an important question. If Torah has the power to "heal" a language, what is the spiritual deficiency in the languages of the nations that requires healing? And what is the essential difference between Lashon HaKodesh and every other language?

Language Reveals the Essence of a Nation

When Moshe recounts the story of the spies, he says:

"You all approached me... and they will bring us back word" (Devarim 1:22).

Rashi explains that "bring us back word" refers to discovering what language the inhabitants of the land spoke.

The Maharal, in Gur Aryeh, asks why that mattered. His answer is profound: every nation was given a language that reflects its unique spiritual identity. As he writes, "According to the nature of each nation, so Hashem gave it a language."

Language, therefore, is not merely a practical tool for communication. It expresses the inner character of a people.

For this reason, the spies wished to know the language spoken by the nations living in the Land of Israel, because "language is the defining boundary of a nation."

A Nation Without Its Own Language

A nation that lacks its own language lacks a distinct national identity.

This idea appears in the verse:

"I will provoke them with a no-people" (Devarim 32:21).

Rashi explains that this refers to Esav. Chazal teach (Megillah 13b) that Edom "has neither script nor language."

The Maharal explains that every nation received its own distinct language from Hashem, whereas Edom did not. Since language expresses a nation's soul, lacking an independent language reflects a deficiency in national identity.

Language Is the Key to a Nation's Heart

The Gemara (Sotah 36b) relates that when Pharaoh appointed Yosef as viceroy, his advisers objected that a slave should not rule over them.

Pharaoh replied that Yosef possessed royal qualities. They responded that if this were true, Yosef would have to know the seventy languages.

The Gemara relates that the angel Gavriel taught Yosef the seventy languages. The following day, Yosef answered Pharaoh in every language he spoke. Yosef then addressed Pharaoh in Lashon HaKodesh, which Pharaoh could not understand.

Why was this so important?

The Maharal explains that ruling over a nation requires understanding its inner essence, and language is the gateway to that essence. If language were merely a communication tool, translators would suffice. Instead, language expresses the heart of a people.

Pharaoh knew the languages of many nations because he ruled over them. But he could not grasp Lashon HaKodesh, because he had no connection to the unique holiness of the Jewish people.

Why Is It Called Lashon HaKodesh?

The Rambam offers a practical explanation in Moreh Nevuchim (Part III, chapter 8). He explains that Hebrew is called Lashon HaKodesh because it avoids crude terminology relating to bodily functions and sexuality, preferring refined or indirect expressions.

The Ramban disagrees, writing:

"It is clear that the language is holy of holies."

The Maharal explains that the language is not holy simply because it lacks vulgar expressions. Rather, it is holy because it reflects the holiness of the Jewish people themselves.

The absence of coarse vocabulary is therefore a consequence of the language's holiness, not its cause.

As the Maharal writes, language is "the pen of the heart." Since the heart of Israel is holy, its language naturally reflects that holiness.

The Language of Creation

The Maharal further explains that Lashon HaKodesh possesses unique creative power because it is the language through which Hashem created the world.

The Mishnah teaches:

"With ten utterances the world was created" (Avot 5:1).

Similarly, Sefer Yetzirah describes letters as the building stones of creation.

For this reason, the Maharal explains that Lashon HaKodesh was uniquely suited to the holy nation entrusted with the Torah.

Words That Express Essence

According to the Maharal, every language enables communication.

Lashon HaKodesh, however, does something more. Its words reveal the essential nature of the things they describe because those very words were used in creation itself.

This also explains an interesting halachic distinction.

A person fulfills the mitzvah of Kriat Shema in another language only if he understands what he is saying.

By contrast, when reciting Kriat Shema in Lashon HaKodesh, one fulfills the obligation even without understanding every word.

Since other languages function primarily as communication, their words lose meaning when they are not understood. Lashon HaKodesh, however, retains its inherent sanctity and power regardless of the speaker's level of comprehension.

Healing the Languages of the Nations

If every language reflects the inner character of its people, what does it mean that Torah "heals" other languages?

Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain, the Sochatchover Rebbe, explains in Shem MiShmuel (Parashat Devarim, 5679) that every nation possesses certain spiritual tendencies reflected in its language.

Because language influences the speaker, it can also transmit those tendencies. This is the "illness" of the languages of the nations.

When a language is used to teach and understand Torah, however, it becomes connected to holiness. Torah elevates the language itself, weakening its negative spiritual influence and filling it instead with purity.

This also explains why Rashi so frequently used Old French in his Torah and Talmud commentaries. It was not because Hebrew lacked suitable vocabulary. Rather, by using French to explain Torah, he elevated the language itself and connected its speakers to holiness.

The Healing Power of Torah

Language is far more than a means of communication. It reflects the soul of a people and influences those who speak it.

Lashon HaKodesh is unique because it is inherently holy, expressing not only ideas but the very essence of creation itself.

Other languages, too, can be elevated when they become vehicles for Torah. When they are used to understand and teach words of holiness, they themselves are refined and uplifted.

As we say in the blessing before the Torah: "Who chose us from among every nation and exalted us above every tongue."