In Memory of our beloved David Schwartz, who fell in battle sanctifying God’s name, on 27 Tevet, 5784 (8 January 2024).
“Le’David Barchi Nafshi” is a compilation of essays written on the weekly Torah reading by David Schwartz, of blessed memory. First published on the occasion of his marriage to Meital, David’s unique Torah thoughts that delve into the depths of the Torah are shared now to elevate his memory and sanctify his soul.
The parsha of Noah continues the creation story and the history of the generations of man. After the world was created, man was able to live freely and behave according to his complex desires. The evil desire (yetzer hara) of man eventually drove him to a state of moral corruption such that the created world could no longer continue, and the Flood would come to destroy the world. The punishment of the entire world indicates that all of creation was sinful.
God declared I will destroy man “whom I created from upon the face of the earth - from man to animal.” Regarding this, Rashi explains that even the animals were corrupt. The Flood completely destroyed all of life on the earth with the exception of Noah, his family, and the rest of the animals that went with him into the ark as a refuge. Thus, the act of creation would not need to be entirely repeated.
After the Flood’s destruction, God promises that He will not bring another Flood to destroy the world: “I will not continue to curse the ground because of man, since the design of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again continue to smite every living being as I have done. Continuously, all the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease.” (8:21-22)
Following the Flood, a unique change took place in the history of mankind that would lead to the building of the Tower of Babel. The people at that time believed that by building the Tower of Babel they would guarantee their continued cohesive existence on earth. Until their generation, humanity had consisted of one group that spoke a single language, without national or tribal division separating them. However, their initiative failed in the end and caused humanity to be scattered through the whole earth.
If we take a comprehensive examination of the initiative, it does not seem from the literal reading of the verses that their intention was to rebel against the kingdom of God. The people of that generation are not described as acting sinfully. It is necessary to remember that that humanity then was still in an age prior to Abraham our Patriarch, and thus did not see itself under a higher law. In addition, the ancestors of that generation had experienced the greatest disaster in history such that it certainly left a human trauma even many years afterward.
After that terrible disaster. humanity was left with an underlying concern that an additional disaster might strike them. This must have been a factor behind the initiative to build the Tower. As Rashi notes regarding “one language and unified words”: “This means they said once in 1656 years the firmament collapses, as it did in the days of the Flood. Come and let us make a support for it.” (Gen. Rabbah. 38:6)
In my humble opinion, an additional proof that their initiative lacked a negative motive can be discerned in the language of God’s name in the verses here. As is known, when the Torah uses the four letter name of God, YHVH, it hints at God’s attribute of love in that context. In contrast, when it uses the name of God as “Elohim” the description of God indicates that His attribute of Judgment is at work. The basic formulation of this idea can be seen in Rashi’s commentary on the first verse in the Torah that begins, “God created” (i.e., Elohim created). Similarly, the Malbim in his commentary writes at length about this topic.
The Torah in our story (chapter 11) repeats the language of the four letter name of God, YHVH, which is reserved for the attribute of Kindness. And God (YHVH) descended to see the city (11:5) … And God (YHVH) said “Behold, one people, and there is one language for all of them” (11:6) … And God (YHVH) dispersed them from there over the face of the whole earth (11:8) … That is why it was called Babel, because it was there that God (YHVH) confused the language of the whole earth (11:9).
This emphasis on the attribute of God’s love would seemingly indicate that their initiative truly sprang from a natural, and not a negative motive. In light of this, it is necessary to understand in what way they sinned with the result that humanity was dispersed through the earth. It seems to me that the issue may be closely connected to what may be seen as a moral offense of that generation.
Rav Yehuda Amital zts"l in his "Jewish Values in a Changing World” (Heb. Ve’haaretz Natan Le’bnei Adam) writes at length about the importance of upholding the values of natural morality in the world. He writes that “God created man in the “image of God” and graced man with a moral and conscientious sensitivity … This sensitivity characterizes man from the time of the creation of the world, even when it does not arise directly from a Divine command.”
Rav Amital basically explains that man has a universal moral obligation that is independent of the Torah or any other religion. Rav Amital bases his words at first on the distinction of the moral sin of the nations of Moab and Ammon, who did not welcome the people of Israel with bread and water (Deut. 23:4). These nations had only been explicitly commanded to fulfill the seven Noahide laws, and those commandments certainly do not include a request to greet Israel or anyone else with bread and water. Nevertheless, our harsh relationship with these nations stems from their lack of moral sensitivity, in which all of humanity is obligated to uphold on its own.
This teaching was first outlined clearly by Rav Nissim Gaon (990-1062) in his introduction to the Talmud: “All are obligated to perform the commandments that depend on logic and understanding of the heart from the day that God created man on earth, so it is incumbent upon all humanity through the generations.” Even after the transmission of the Torah, there was a special standing for traditional, natural morals that are considered to lead people in all their ways.
In any case, Rav Amital writes, a sin that includes a moral failure should be seen as more severe, as it bears witness to moral wrongdoing and a lack of natural sensitivity. The dictates of natural morality obligate humanity in its own right apart from the religious context. As that generation preceded the religious faith that was brought forward at the time of Abraham, it is necessary to say that the sin stemmed from a failure in universal morality.
In my humble opinion, the outstanding moral failing that characterized that generation was the sin of separatism. As was stated, their initiative to build the Tower came about because of their concern that they would be scattered through the land. The reaction of God to this initiative prominently shows how seriously we should view the matter of their separatist actions. We were brought into this world in order to civilize, create, and develop new ideas. At the outset, the people of that generation intentionally refrained from undertaking these matters. From the very act of building the Tower, the people were refraining from even the possibility of advancing those goals.
The people of the generation of the Flood thought that by closing themselves off from society they would ward off their dispersal though the earth, but indeed this is exactly what brought that dispersal to take place. Their mistaken line of reasoning led them to believe that separate society or isolationism would protect from external influences. In reality, this way of life does not defend one but rather just delays those wider influences. At its base, the act of isolating oneself from society corrupts man’s sense of responsibility in the world, even if the intention to separate oneself does not spring from an explicitly negative motive.
There are many sectors of society in our day who are heading in this same direction, similar to that generation of the past. Today, they build and surround themselves with walls of a type that prevents outside influences from entering into their culture. The great lesson from the reaction of God that is so important for us to realize is that we essentially were brought into this world in order to develop, create, and start up new projects, specifically by making connections with others in the real world in which we live.
We can not fulfill our purpose and mission in the world if we isolate ourselves and withdraw from society at large. This is a very complicated challenge, but this is the great mission for all of us to complete. Indeed, it would be good for us to realize the power of this argument today.