Elevating Holiness in All Tongues

במדרש ה' עוזי ומעוזי כו' ביום צרה אליך גוים יבואו כו' באתה רחב יתרו כו'.

In the Midrash: “Hashem, my strength and my stronghold… on the day of distress nations will come to You…” and it states that Rahab came, and Jethro came.

The Sefat Emet begins by noting the Midrash that highlights how righteous converts such as Rahab and Jethro were drawn toward holiness in times of revelation and divine strength.

כי הנה כל גלות שבנ"י נכנסין בה. הוא רק כדי להוציא ניצוצות קדושות שבתוך האומות.

For behold, every exile into which the Children of Israel enter is only in order to extract the holy sparks within the nations.

Exile serves a spiritual purpose: Israel is dispersed to elevate hidden holiness embedded among the nations.

כדכ' במד' ע"פ אם ערבת לרעך כו'.

As it is written in the Midrash on the verse “If you have become a guarantor for your fellow…”

The Midrash interprets Israel’s covenantal responsibility as a form of spiritual guarantorship for the world.

שבנ"י הם ערבים במה שקיבלו התורה לתקן כל העולם גם האומות מה שנמצא בהם טוב.

For Israel are guarantors, having received the Torah to rectify the entire world, including the nations, elevating whatever good is found within them.

Receiving the Torah obligates Israel to uplift all creation, refining even the small sparks of goodness within other peoples.

ולולא עמלק הרשע ימ"ש שעירבב אותנו. בוודאי הי' מתקנים כל הבריאה.

And were it not for Amalek the wicked, may his name be erased, who confounded us, surely all of creation would already have been rectified.

Amalek disrupts Israel’s mission by creating spiritual confusion, delaying the universal repair that Israel is meant to bring.

ולכן יתרו שרצה להתדבק באמת נתקרב.

Therefore Jethro, who sought to cleave to the truth, was drawn near.

Because Israel spreads holiness outward, sincere seekers like Jethro are enabled to approach and join the divine path.

ובמד' תנחומא ע"פ לריח שמניך כו' ראשונים ריח שירה שרו לפניך ואנחנו לא הנחנו לשון של שבח שלא שרנו לפניך.

And in Midrash Tanchuma on the verse “The fragrance of Your oils…” it says: “The former ones sang before You with the scent of song, and we have not left any tongue of praise with which we have not sung before You.”

The Midrash emphasizes that Israel employs every language on earth in praise of God, expanding holiness across linguistic boundaries.

פי' כי בנ"י מתקנים כל הלשונות ע"י התורה שמתפרשת בשבעים לשון כו'.

This means that Israel rectifies all languages through the Torah, which can be interpreted in seventy languages.

The Torah’s capacity to unfold in all languages is part of Israel’s universal mission to elevate speech and sanctify all cultures.

וכ' וישמע יתרו והוא ע"י שהכניסו בנ"י הארת הקדושה בכל הלשונות כי וודאי יתרו לא נתדבק בלשון הקודש קודם הגירות.

And it is written: “And Jethro heard”—this occurred because Israel had brought the light of holiness into all languages, for surely Jethro did not attach himself through the Holy Tongue before he converted.

Jethro’s ability to “hear” spiritually arose from Israel’s diffusion of holy illumination into every language, making divine truth accessible even before one reaches Hebrew.

והבן כי קצרתי.

And understand, for I have been brief.

The Sefat Emet concludes by signaling that this explanation only touches the surface of a far deeper teaching.

Summary: Israel enters exile to elevate holy sparks among the nations. Their acceptance of the Torah obligates them to uplift all creation, even through the sanctification of all languages. This diffusion of holiness enabled seekers like Jethro to recognize truth and draw near.