"Israel is a unique nation in this world." (Samuel II 7:23)
All the other nations of the world are
divided into 70, each one having a representative known as a "Sar" - ministering Angel. A nation's downfall is preceded by the downfall of its sar, its spiritual image in Heaven.
Unlike the other nations of the world, the Jewish People's fortunes are not guided by intermediaries such as the constellations. Hashem told Moshe that there is no administering Angel for Israel and they are directly headed by Hashem Himself.
The following is written by Daneal Weiner Based on the Torah of Rav Moshe Wolfson
Pharaoh's throne was placed atop a platform with a 70 stair ascent. Anyone who had audience with him was able to ascend the stairs, one for each language the guest knew. Pharaoh knew all 70. It actually was incumbent upon the king of Egypt to be versed in all 70 world languages.
Our Rabbis say that the angel Gavriel came to Yosef while he was imprisoned and taught him all 70 languages. But Yosef couldn’t retain any. Gavriel added a ה to his name, a letter of G-d’s Name, and Yosef finally was able to learn them all. Why did Egypt’s by-laws insist on the king knowing 70 languages? If Pharaoh knew 70, why didn’t he know the 71st - Hebrew? And Yosef Hatsaddik, the ben zekunim- wisest of Israel’s sons - he could only grasp one?
Every nation has divided up in its language, represented with each word, the klipot of that nation. Klipot, meaning peels or shells, is the word used for forces of impurity. Partly used for its analogy since impure forces “envelope” sanctity and try to remove the positive presence from the world. Taking this mystical concept a step further, what comes out of it is that knowing a language makes one vulnerable to the ills and influences of that society's klipot. Saying, “I’m so proud of my son. He speaks Greek, Latin and German.” is like saying, “I’m so proud of my son. He is inclined towards homosexuality, paganism and murder.”
Early in the book of Kings it says that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of Egypt. Egypt was, indeed, a nation with know-how. They were masters of every physical channel of energy. They had magicians and necromancers who could manipulate nature and tap into the all forces of impurity. Their pyramids and mummification eludes the engineers and scientists of today. Pharaoh's knowledge of all 70 languages gave him dominion of the channels and forces of those nations.
We know Egypt was the world power of its time. Now we know what that really means. It had at its disposal all the forces of the nations of the world. So Pharaoh would certainly have to know all 70 languages in order to have control of those other forces.
Amalek is reishis- head of the nations. As we know, that which is the head is inclusive of all else. Wouldn’t Amalek, then, be that which we now attribute to Egypt?
Yes. That is true and takes place after the fall of Egypt.
When the split sea came down on the Egyptians, the Torah says, “Israel saw Egypt dead on the sea shore.” The word dead is singular, yet it references all the slain soldiers. Our Rabbis say it refers, rather, to the Sar of Egypt. A Sar is an overseeing angel. Every nation has one, except Israel. When Egypt’s Sar was slain, that meant Egypt had no representation on high. No connection to the source means no juice to the engines. Egypt was no more. That created the void which Amalek came and filled. Hashem maintains a balance of good and evil in the world. Amalek, the head of the nations- Reishis goyim Amaleik = 1210 = Sar shel Mitzrayim- the overseer of Egypt.
Paralleling this idea, Egypt tapped into the 50 Gates of Impurity, another mystical concept we haven’t heard of for a while. We’ll hear more of it as we get closer to Purim. Think of them as battery sources. Each one supplies a negative influence into the world. Opposite these gates, on the balance, are the 50 Gates of Wisdom. Egypt is the former 50 and Israel, its nemesis, is the latter 50. Egypt’s dominion of the klipot of the 70 nations is the same idea as there being 50 Gates of Impurity. 50 gates- Sha’ar Nun = 620 = Ayin Sarim- 70 Sars. [The Hebrew letter Ayin has the numeric value of 70.] The Torah calls Egypt the ervas ha’arets- the nakedness of the earth. The paradigm of perversion. Ervas ha’arets = 972 = Shivim Sarim- 70 Sars. [Shivim is the Hebrew for 70.]
When Israel went down to Egypt, they went down with 70 souls. Israel's 70 counterweighted Egypt’s 70. It was their insurance card. Hashem more than maintains the balance between good and evil, he sees to it the good wins.
Doesn’t 70:70 that mean it’s a draw, rather than Israel's prevailing? No. Because Israel has one card up its sleeve. Buried under whatever and however many klipot they have is an incorruptible spark of sanctity. Haman had the impure forces of 50 under his belt, being a descendant of Amalek. He therefore sought to hang Mordechai on a gallows 50 amos high, to defeat him on his level. Haman didn’t realize that the 50th Gate of Wisdom is an incorruptible, indestructible spark of the Jewish soul which will always come out on top.
Not to get too far off track, Pharaoh could not possibly know Hebrew because Hebrew is a nickname for Lashone Hakodesh- Holy Tongue. Lashone Hakodesh is the language of G-d, Himself, so to speak Who created the world with 10 utterances, uttered in Lashone Hakodesh. Pharaoh had no dominion, no understanding, not even a connection to Hebrew, which was the antithesis of everything they stood for.
Rav Wolfson presented that what sealed Haman’s fate was eating the matzos Esther made for him and Achashveirosh at her feast. What snake poison is to us, holy food is to Haman. Once the purity got into his system, he was cut off from his Sar and no connection means no life. He was spiritually dead. All that was left were the technical aspects. Maybe we can make a parallel saying to such an extent did Pharaoh avoid learning Lashone Hakodesh. It would be his downfall.
The opposite should be understandable regarding Yosef. He didn’t want 70 poisons running rampant in his system. But knowing he was going to rule Egypt, as viceroy to Pharaoh, Hashem dispatched Gavriel to teach him. He was going to have to know all 70 languages as well. Not to rule Egypt, as Pharaoh, but to be ruler over Egypt, keeping the impure forces in check, so that none would influence him. So Gavriel added a ה to his name, a little antidote, and then taught him the languages. Still, coming from Gavriel, this time the languages came from a source of sanctity.
Regarding the huge stones Moshe commanded the Elders of Israel to hew when they crossed the Jordan, he said, “You shall inscribe on the stones all the words of the Torah, well clarified.” On ‘well clarified’ Rashi says, “In 70 languages.” This time the languages aren’t masking, clouding or corrupting the Torah. They are well clarifying it. Then, as well as now, by Yehosef, the source of the languages are wisdom, not impurity. King David wrote in Psalm 81, “He imposed it as a testimony for Yehosef when he went forth over the land of Egypt; ‘I understood language I never knew.’”
In the Gemorah Kesuvos our Rabbis say that a Jew born outside Israel is like an idolator. Writings of our more recent Sages offer an explanation. A Jew born outside Israel dons a garb, so to speak, of the Sar of the country in which he/she is born. This accounts for the eventual adaptation of a Jew’s facial features to that of the people amongst whom they dwell.
We have come full circle. Having begun in a melting pot of all the languages of the world, the majority of world Jewry now resides in the modern day melting pot of the world. In a country made of refugees from all corners of the world. And unlike anywhere else where Jews resided, they had always maintained their own language. And every language they spoke had always been written with the holy letters of our holy language. In America, however, we speak English, we write English, we appear to have been wholly consumed by the klipot of Western “civilization.” But Hashem always maintains a balance. Better still, He always sees that we will endure.
We each have in us that incorruptible spark of the 50th Gate. We need to reach in to our inner essence and use that spark to start a fire. Our Sages describe a Torah Scroll as black fire on white fire. The same expression is used in describing how our Third and final Temple will be built, may we merit it soon. It is waiting for us.
