The Rebbe Rejected Word-for-Word Translation

Key Points:

• Rabbi Tuvia Bloi, coming from a religious Orthodox background, identified a lack of accessible literature on Chabad philosophy for the charedi community and revived the journal Bitaon Chabad in 1962 under the Rebbe’s guidance.
• Bloi began translating the Rebbe’s Yiddish open letters into Hebrew after 1962, a complex process involving mailing drafts between Israel and New York, with the Rebbe meticulously editing and adding extensive footnotes.
• The Rebbe emphasized that translations should preserve the content rather than being word-for-word, adapting style and language to the target audience to maintain the message’s clarity and impact.
• Following the passing of the Rebbe’s mother in 1964, the Rebbe developed a revolutionary approach to Rashi’s biblical commentary, identifying numerous interpretive principles that Bloi later compiled and published as "Rashi’s Principles."
• After encouragement from the Rebbe and his secretary, Bloi published multiple editions of "Rashi’s Principles," culminating in a 2018 edition listing 620 interpretative rules, reflecting the Rebbe’s ongoing teachings on Rashi’s commentary.