The 8th-10th of Tevet

(1) There are days on which all Israel fasts because of the hardships that occurred on them in order to arouse the hearts and to open the pathways of Teshuva; and that this be a reminder of our evil deeds and the deeds of our ancestors that are like our deeds, that caused these hardships for them and for us. In remembering these things we return to goodness, as it is written, "And you shall confess your transgressions and the transgressions of your ancestors..."(Leviticus 26:40).

(2) And these are they: ... And the tenth of Tevet - for, on that day, Nevuchadnezzar king of Bavel camped against Jerusalem and brought her under siege.

(1) These are days when hardships occurred to our ancestors, and so it is appropriate to fast on them:

(2) ...On the eighth of Tevet the Torah was written in Greek during the days of King Ptolemy and darkness was in the world for three days. On the ninth of it, it was not known who caused the trouble that happened on it.

It is not known. In our Selichot it is brought that Ezra the Scribe died [on the ninth].

One can only write Tefillin and Mezuza parchments in Ashurit script. And we are permitted to write Torah scrolls in Greek as well. But Ancient Greek has already been forgotten from the world and adulterated, therefore we only write all holy scrolls in Ashurit.

The Gemara relates: Antoninus would attend to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, and similarly the Persian king Adrakan would attend to Rav. When Antoninus died, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said: The bundle is separated.

The bundle is separated - Our love, where we were bound soul to soul.

The Gemara asks a question with regard to this baraita: And is it really prohibited to study Greek wisdom? But isn’t it taught in a baraita: Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said: In Eretz Yisrael, why would one speak the Syriac [Sursi] language? One should speak either the sacred tongue, Hebrew, or the Greek language. And Rabbi Yosei said similarly: In Babylonia, why would one speak the Aramaic language? One should speak either the sacred tongue or the Persian language. At any rate, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s statement indicates that there is nothing wrong with learning and speaking Greek. The Sages say in response: The Greek language is discrete, and Greek wisdom is discrete. In other words, these are two separate issues; only Greek wisdom is prohibited, not the Greek language.

(5) On the other side of the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to expound the Torah. He said:

To expound the Torah. In seventy languages they were translated.

And this is as we learned in a mishna (Shekalim 13b): Petaḥya was responsible for the nests of birds, i.e., the doves or pigeons brought by a zav, a zava, a woman after childbirth, and a leper. These individuals would place the appropriate sum of money into the horn designated for this purpose, and each day Petaḥya oversaw the purchase of birds from that money and their sacrifice in the proper manner. This Sage is Mordekhai; and why was he called Petaḥya, which resembles the word for opening [petaḥ]? The reason is that he would open, i.e., elucidate, difficult topics and interpret them to the people, and because he knew all seventy languages known in that region at the time... Petaḥya was unique as he had the ability to combine various languages and interpret them. This is the meaning of that which is written with regard to Mordekhai: “Bilshan” (Nehemiah 7:7). Bilshan is interpreted as another name for Mordekhai, as he would combine [balil] languages [lashon].

(8) למספר בני ישראל ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL — i.e. because of the number of the children of Israel that were in future to descend from Shem’s sons, and in accordance with the number of seventy souls of the children of Israel who went down to Egypt He firmly established גבלת עמים THE NATIONS ACCORDING TO THEIR BOUNDARIES — i.e. seventy separate nations (cf. Siphre).