daf bit: Sotah 33

[cellio]

The mishna lists several items that must be recited in the holy tongue (Hebrew) and not in the vernacular. The gemara includes the public reading of torah in this list. There is a dispute about the Sh'ma; Rabbi says it must be recited in Hebrew, but the Sages say it may be recited in any language the speaker understands. But if the torah may be read only in Hebrew, how can the Sh'ma be permitted in other languages? Because, the sages say, the torah there uses the word "hear", which overrides the general rule about reading torah. (It's not stated explicitly, but "hear" seems to also convey "comprehend".) (32b - 33a)

(A little farther down the page is the assertion that one should not say the t'filah in Aramaic because the ministering angels don't understand it (!), but this is disputed. Alas, I don't really understand the explanation that follows, which revolves around a "bat kol". I know what those words mean, but not what they have to do with ministering angels, so it's probably an idiom.)

Comments

[cellio]

Thanks!