Every Tongue and Tribe
The book of Deuteronomy addresses the children of Israel as they draw near the end of their journey into the land, providing an interesting instruction from HaShem:
You shall set up for yourself large stones and coat them with lime … You shall write on the stones all the words of this Law very clearly. (Deuteronomy 27:2, 8 NASB, emphasis mine)
The ArtScroll Chumash translates the Hebrew word behind “very clearly,” ba’er, as “well clarified.” The sages’ interpretation of this word gives us insight into God’s plan to reveal himself to all nations.
According to the Talmud, “They built the altar and plastered it with plaster, and they wrote on it all of the words of the Torah in seventy languages, as it is stated: ‘And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law clearly elucidated,’ indicating that it was to be written in every language.” That is to say, the sages of Judaism understood that the beauty of Torah should be accessible and understandable to all.
Unfortunately, though Yeshua’s followers are best positioned to make this happen, millennia of separation from the Torah and the Jewish roots of the Christian faith have obstructed our ability to share the beauty contained within God’s complete Word.
First Fruits of Zion
