Mishnah
Mishnah

Reference for Megillah 1:8

אֵין בֵּין סְפָרִים לִתְפִלִּין וּמְזוּזוֹת אֶלָּא שֶׁהַסְּפָרִים נִכְתָּבִין בְּכָל לָשׁוֹן, וּתְפִלִּין וּמְזוּזוֹת אֵינָן נִכְתָּבוֹת אֶלָּא אַשּׁוּרִית. רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, אַף בַּסְּפָרִים לֹא הִתִּירוּ שֶׁיִּכָּתְבוּ אֶלָּא יְוָנִית:

There is no difference between scrolls (of Scripture) and tefillin and mezuzoth, but that scrolls may be written in all languages [i.e., in the script and tongue of all languages], but tefillin and mezuzoth must be written only ashurith (the holy script and tongue). R. Shimon b. Gamliel says: Even with scrolls, they permitted them to be written (aside from ashurith) only in Greek. [The reason for permitting Greek above all other languages is (Genesis 9:27): "G-d will beautify Yefeth and it will dwell in the tents of Shem": The most beautiful of Yefeth; that is, the most beautiful tongue of all the sons of Yefeth, will dwell in the tents of Shem (Israel.) And there is no tongue among all the sons of Yefeth more beautiful than the Greek tongue. And the halachah is in accordance with R. Shimon b. Gamliel. However, that Greek tongue has already been lost and has become corrupted, for which reason, nowadays, we write scrolls only in the holy script and tongue.]

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Jerusalem Talmud Megillah

MISHNAH: The only difference between Torah scrolls and Tefillin263Boxes containing parchment with the verses Ex. 13:2–12,11–16, Deut. 6:4–9,11:13–21, “to be tied to the arms and be a sign between the eyes.” and Mezuzot264A single sheet with the same verses, “to be affixed to the doorposts of your house and your gates.” is that Torah scrolls may be written in any language265In translation for the purpose of study. but Tefillin and Mezuzot may be written only in Hebrew square script. Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel says, also Torah scrolls they only permitted to be written in Greek266In translation, not in phonetic transcription into Greek letters as in Origenes’s Hexapla..
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