By Rabbi Moshe Pogrow
From the beginning of our people’s history, a special arrangement has had an enduring place in our midst: the separation of Moshe and Aharon, teaching and oratory.
From the beginning, speech in the service of the Torah had two functions: (a) precise and faithful formulation of content; and (b) presentation of this content to the people in such a way that it would be and taken to heart.
Our Sages, the successors of Moshe and Aharon, like them would separate these two functions. On the one hand was the chacham, whose function was to accurately formulate the halacha and to sharpen the concepts so that they could be grasped by the intellect. On the other hand was the meturgeman, whose function was to present the halachic content to the people in an easily comprehensible form.
This division is critical for the pure and faithful transmission of G-d’s Torah. To win people’s hearts for the truths of the Torah, it is not sufficient to develop only the content to be learned. One must take into consideration the intellectual level of the people one wishes to win over and inspire. One must start from the opinions, ideas, views, desires, and aspirations that they have, and from this starting point work toward the ideal.
Such is the task of an Aharon, a meturgeman. Whereas mere speech requires only the clear and comprehensible presentation of whatever one wishes to teach, the aim of eloquence is to win the heart of the listener and to lead him not only to knowledge but also to acceptance.
The orator, however, runs a real risk. In adapting to his audience’s way of thinking, he is liable to carry over their point of view into the truth he wishes to impart, in order to suit it to their taste. He might water it down in order to facilitate its acceptance. There is also the risk that he will produce a great number of words that contain very little.
In a time that so often takes speaking ability as the sole measure of man, we would be saved from a good deal of misery if, in our choice of leaders, we would follow the example of our ancestors and distinguish between wisdom and speaking ability, which are rarely found together. Our communities would then be led only by chachamim, even if they were not men of words.
Based on the commentary of Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch zt”l on Chumash, with permission from the publisher.
