Bookbag

. . . a word does not remain its speaker's possession; he to whom it is addressed, he who hears it, or acquires it by chance--they all get a share of it; the word's fate, while in their possession, is more fate-ful than what its original speaker experienced when first uttering it. . . New listeners always imply new demands; thus a teacher himself is changed by what he teaches his students; or, at least he must be prepared to have his words changed, if not himself. FRANZ ROSENZWEIG TO MARTIN BUBER, "THE BUILDERS: CONCERNING THE LAW"

The quote is actually about a book of lectures Buber had put out, but remember that Rosenzweig and Buber worked together on a translation of the Hebrew Bible into German.

The title "The Builders" comes from the Talmud, I think. The quote is, "And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children! (Isaiah 54:13) Do not read 'banayikh,' thy children, but 'bonayikh,' thy builders."