The Aramaic Language and Seeing Through Another's Eyes

Full Summary

Rabbi Zweig begins by establishing a fundamental principle about Torah (תורה): it is not merely a book of laws but contains infinite wisdom that speaks to people at every age and stage of life. The same text delights both children and great scholars because Torah is the blueprint of creation, containing all of life's experiences and challenges. This leads to his main thesis: Torah is about living, not just rules. The shiur focuses on a puzzling observation from Rashi (רש"י)—why does Ben Bag Bag's famous teaching 'hafoch ba v'hafoch ba' (turn it over and turn it over) appear entirely in Aramaic when most Mishnayos are in Hebrew? Rabbi Zweig rejects the simple explanation that Aramaic was merely the spoken language of the time, noting that this would require most prayers to be in Aramaic rather than just select passages. Rabbi Zweig provides a revolutionary interpretation of the Torah's description of Rivkah as 'daughter of Betuel the Aramean, sister of Lavan the Aramean, from Paddan Aram.' Rather than teaching us that despite her corrupt family she remained righteous, the Torah is teaching that because of her background among master manipulators, she developed the crucial ability to see the world through another person's eyes. This skill, which her family used for deception, she used for kindness and righteousness. The rabbi explains that successful manipulation requires understanding what the other person truly wants—stepping into their perspective. This same ability, when used properly, becomes the greatest tool for genuine kindness and effective relationships. He illustrates this with the daily prayer 'al titzricheni' where we ask God not to need favors from others, showing how uncomfortable it is to ask for help, and therefore how sensitively we must give it. Rivkah's manipulation of Yitzchak to give the blessings to Yaakov exemplifies this positive use of perspective-taking. She understood that if Yitzchak knew Esav had sold his birthright, he would want to bless Yaakov. Her 'manipulation' gave her husband what he truly would have wanted with full information, without causing him pain. Rabbi Zweig demonstrates this principle through the Torah's use of the word 'chesed (חסד)' when forbidding marrying two sisters. In Hebrew, chesed means kindness, but in Aramaic it means shame. The Torah uses the Aramaic meaning to teach that true kindness requires awareness of the recipient's shame and discomfort. He explains why angels cannot understand Aramaic—because angels embody single purposes without multiple perspectives, while Aramaic represents the ability to hold two viewpoints simultaneously. This is why the Babylonian Talmud (תלמוד), with its constant dialogue and multiple perspectives, is written in Aramaic. Similarly, the Haggadah begins in Aramaic to establish an interactive, questioning mindset for the Seder. The Mishnah (משנה) about Torah's infinite depth is written in Aramaic because truly understanding Torah requires seeing it from multiple perspectives. Each time we approach the text from a different angle—considering how others might understand it—we discover new insights. This is the essence of 'hafoch ba v'hafoch ba dekula ba'—everything is contained within Torah because there are infinite ways to view it. Rabbi Zweig concludes that we all need to adopt more of an 'Aramaic mode' in our relationships—genuinely trying to understand others' perspectives rather than simply pushing our own agendas. This creates true partnership and collaboration in marriage, parenting, and all human relationships.