The Seventy Languages
# Rabbi Shimon's Teaching on the Tower of Babel
Rabbi Shimon said: When mankind built the tower, HaKadosh Baruch Hu called to the seventy malachim who surround the Kisei HaKavod, and said to them: "Come, let us confound their language into seventy nations and seventy languages." As it is written "Let us go down" - it does not say "I will go down" but rather "Let us go down" [meaning, we will descend together]. They cast lots among themselves, as it is written "When the Most High gave nations their inheritance, when He separated mankind," and HaKadosh Baruch Hu's lot fell upon Avraham and his descendants, as it is written "For Hashem's portion is His people, Yaakov is the lot of His inheritance," etc. (Yalkut Parshat Noach 62 and Yalkut Tehillim 667).
When we contemplate Rabbi Shimon's words, we notice that the number of languages is not coincidental at all. Each one represents one of the seventy nations of the world, each with a malach surrounding the Kisei HaKavod. And so wrote the Ramban in Parshat Behaalotcha (Bamidbar Chapter 11, Verse 16) that the seventy nations of the world have representation in the firmament. Each one has a mazal and sar in shamayim, and he brought scriptural support for # The Spiritual Meaning of Stones and Letters
The analogy of these two types of stones can be understood spiritually regarding letters (osios) which are called "stones," as they too have two aspects. The first aspect is the creation by Heaven (bidei Shamayim) and is called "stones." The second aspect is made by human hands and is called "bricks" (leveinim).
# Torah Letters and Secular Languages
The letters of the Torah are called "stones" because the Torah is from Heaven - "And Hashem spoke to Moshe." This is called Lashon Hakodesh, which flows from the highest level of Kodesh. However, the aspect of "bricks" refers to the letters of the 70 languages of the nations, where each nation speaks in its own tongue.
# The Dispersion and Elevation
It is written, "I have spread you as the four winds of heaven," meaning that the Jewish people are scattered among the 70 nations and also speak the language of each nation where they dwell, using it for business (masa u'matan). Later, when they pray with mesiras nefesh and proper kavana, and learn Torah lishma from their business efforts, they elevate all the letter combinations they spoke to the highest levels, to the root of their neshama, which is the aspect of "pure" - the supreme tehiru that precedes hishtalshelus.
# The Transformation of the Mundane
This is called "chulin that was made with the purity of kodesh." This means that while Lashon Hakodesh flows from the highest level of kodesh, other languages are mundane (chol). However, when they are refined through prayer as mentioned (and also when used to understand Torah, as we find Aramaic words in the Gemara like "hai hashta" and "ee amrat b'shlama"), they become purified with the purity of kodesh, reaching the highest level of kodesh and tehiru ela'ah.
# The Process of Refinement
Just as with the analogy of bricks - although they are simple earth, through human effort they become as hard and strong as stone, until they build a wall with them - "I am a wall, this is Torah." However, it's impossible for these letter combinations of chulin to be transformed and refined to become "holy stones" except through mesiras nefesh in Krias Shema.
# The Fire of Prayer
Just as bricks must first be fired in a kiln to become hard and strong like stones, so too in divine service, the "burning of the bricks" happens through praying with kavana and with the flame of ahava v'yirah, saying "V'ahavta" with all your heart. Through this, the foreign letters from all business dealings are burned and included, along with all the vitality and abundance that comes from them, like food and clothing - all ascend and are included in unity in the service of Hashem when one has mesiras nefesh in "Echad" with enthusiasm
The unique significance of Rosh Chodesh Shevat is explicitly stated in the Written Torah, as the verse clearly states: "In the eleventh month, on the first of the month (Rosh Chodesh Shevat)... Moses began explaining the Torah," which he "explained in seventy languages."
The Deeper Understanding:
Throughout the time the Yidden were in the midbar - their avodah was in a way that transcended worldly matters. Therefore, they did not need to learn Torah in seventy languages, since they had no connection with the seventy nations of the world.
However, when Rosh Chodesh Shevat arrived in the fortieth year, as they were about to enter an inhabited land and begin engaging with worldly matters - that's when "Moses began explaining the Torah in seventy languages." This was done so they would be able to spread Torah concepts when they would reach places where these seventy languages were spoken.