Hey, good morning and good Shabbos. I hope you are well. A short letter this morning. Letter Kaf Alef. יעויין רש״י על הכתוב Shema Yisrael ה׳ שהוא אלהינו עתה ולא אלהי העכו״ם הוא עתיד להיות ה׳ אחד.
Right, so that's how Rashi teitches the posuk Shema Yisrael ה׳ אלהינו ה׳ אחד. Hakadosh Baruch Hu whom now only we recognize him, his sovereignty, he will be Hashem Echad. He will be in Yemos Hamashiach and Achris Hayomim, he will be recognized as the one and only Hakadosh Baruch Hu. הוא עתיד להיות ה׳ אחד שנאמר כי אז אהפוך אל עמים שפה ברורה לקרוא כולם בשם ה׳. ובודאי שישנם עוד הרבה פסוקים בתנ״ך אשר תוכנם הוא שכל אומות העולם יודו לכנסת ישראל.
We could have found other psukim which describe how in Achris Hayomim the nations of the world will recognize that their beliefs were false and the correct belief is the belief that we have maintained throughout the millennia. ובכל זאת לא הביא כאן רש״י אלא הכתוב הנ״ל דצפניה.
And yet, apparently there is something special about this posuk. Veha'inyan. The inyan in Yalkut posuk zeh de-Tzefaniah שמפורש שם דנבואה דשפה ברורה. What does that mean? Again, literally a clear language. What does that mean? כוונתו הוא להוציא מן האמור בדור ההפלגה שנבללו שפתם ועיינו שם.
The posuk in Zephaniah is describing that in Achris Hayomim there will be a reversal of what happened in the Dor Haflaga. In the Dor Haflaga כי שם בלל ה׳ שפתם. That’s when Hakadosh Baruch Hu introduced the foreign language requirement. That’s when all the multiplicity of languages came into existence and that will be reversed. והיינו שדקדק רש״י להביא דוקא פסוק זה משום שבקריאת ה׳ אחד נכלל גם התיקון לדור ההפלגה.
So it's interesting. We think of language which is correct to a degree and within a certain context language is convention, right? If we want to communicate, okay, so we can use sign language. If I want to tell you something so I can use sign language and try to convey the idea that way or we can have words that denote objects and ideas and then by speaking those words, by articulating those words, so then I'm able to communicate. That being the case, why is language and specifically the existence of shivim leshonos, why is that something so significant and why does that stand in opposition to achdus Hashem? When in Achris Hayomim achdus Hashem will be universally recognized to the degree that we can understand for what it is, so there will be a reversal, there will be a tikun of the Dor Haflaga. The safa berurah stands in contrast and as a rectification to ballal sham sfosam. שאין לך מנוגד לאחדות כמו ההפלגה. So I think the idea that emerges from this letter, again, I'm not sure exactly where the letter stops and our discussion begins, communication. facilitates and fosters unity of purpose. What's happening sort of literally in this story of the Dor Haflaga so נעשה נבנה מגדל וראשו בשמים ונעשה לנו שם פן נפוץ על פני כל הארץ.
When Hakadosh Baruch Hu there's a merida against Hakadosh Baruch Hu here on a literal level so Hakadosh Baruch Hu to to foil their plans so you can't have a construction project if the manager can't communicate with the workers. If the workers can't communicate with each other so then they can't join together to to undertake any any project. So multiplicity of languages which then creates which then creates the the inability to to communicate. A person who speaks French can't communicate with someone who speaks Japanese. A person who speaks Japanese can't communicate with someone who speaks French. So multiplicity of languages represents because on a practical level it it prevents unity so multiplicity of language then comes to reflect and serve as a metaphor for lack of unity. Again language is if if people want to coalesce around a particular plan around a particular project so the way they do it is by coordinating communicating. If they can't communicate they can't coordinate they can't coalesce around any any unifying purpose. So language then become becomes a metaphor for unity not only again because of it on a practical level it is necessary for unity it then becomes a metaphor for unity. And the pshat the omek hapshat or a little bit of the omek hapshat I don't know what the omek hapshat is but a little bit of the omek hapshat in the Dor Haflaga is that again so on its simplest level Hakadosh Baruch Hu just throws a monkey wrench into their plans by by impeding and preventing their communication. If you can't communicate you can't work together. On a deeper level and and if you can't communicate there can't be an achdus. There can't be and you can't coalesce around any any unifying idea purpose etc. On a deeper level so Hakadosh Baruch Hu is is doing is not just technically and practically preventing their their project from going on but on a deeper level Hakadosh Baruch Hu is is saying that that what's happening is the following. True achdus genuine unity of purpose of feeling of identification is only possible through emuna b'Hashem. It's the only ultimately the only truth. It's ultimately the only reality and because of that genuine achdus among people as well has to be rooted in a recognition and a subservience to אחדות הקדוש ברוך הוא. When the Dor Haflaga is rebelling against Hakadosh Baruch Hu so Hakadosh Baruch Hu is saying I'm not going to allow you to have this fraudulent type of unity. It's not a genuine unity unless it's rooted in emuna b'Hashem. Achdus among people lehavdil and what the concept of achdus means has to be rooted in a belief in and subservience to achdus Hashem. כל זמן שלא ניכר הקדוש ברוך הוא. The unity is false. It's fraudulent. And that's why HaKadosh Baruch Hu says Tohu that there is no genuine unity, so let that be reflected in multiplicity of languages that doesn't allow for communication. So when there will once again b'achas hayamim be universal הכרת הקדוש ברוך הוא, so then there will be a genuine unity of belief, of purpose, of identification, of being avdei Hashem, of being יציר כפיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא, so then HaKadosh Baruch Hu is going to reverse, then it's not appropriate that it should be in shiv'im l'shonos. No, then it's going to be, then there's going to be the rectification of כי שם בלל השם שפת, and there will be safa berurah. ועל כן בחתימת ברכת קריאת שמע של לפני השם אחד תקנו ובנו בחרת מכל עם ולשון מאותו טעם עצמו שנתפשט לנו נוסחא זו בקידוש.
I don't have that volume so I wasn't able to follow up on the reference but at least within the framework that we've been discussing, ובנו בחרת מכל עם ולשון is that bechiras Yisrael mikol am v'lashon, meaning from amongst all that multiplicity, from amongst all those who don't recognize achdus Hashem, so HaKadosh Baruch Hu chose us that we should remain steadfast and firm in that recognition, and that's why this is the lead-in to the pasuk of שמע ישראל השם אלקינו השם אחד. Okay, so we'll stop here.