Parashat Noach

 

Is the world advancing or is it regressing? Even though it’s difficult to say, we see that G-d is not interested in the advancement of the world. The story of the Tower of Bavel in this week’s parasha states:

“And they said one to another…’Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, with its top in heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’ And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. And the Lord said: ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do; and now nothing will be with held from them, which they purpose to do. Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth; and they left off to build the city.” (Bereishit 11:3-8)

We believe that G-d gave us this world to develop and advance. Rav Soloveitchik in Lonely Man of Faith (p.15) writes that man wants to be human, meaning to live an exalted life. Man originally wasn’t able to fight against diseases, so he fell victim to many natural disasters. He was powerless and had no dignity. Only modern man who builds hospitals and saves lives has honor. Life was very difficult for someone in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, who  wanted to make his way from Boston to New York, but for modern man, this arduous journey becomes a simple feat.

Rav Soloveitchik describes the importance and uniqueness of the development of industry, science and modernity. Modern man knows how to build hospitals, he knows how to save another man’s life, he knows how to fight off diseases, and can fulfill his role of “filling and conquering the land.”

If this is so, then what was the problem with the Tower of Bavel? The problem is with the following words, “And let us makes us a name.” What was their goal exactly? If it was to make a name for themselves, to gather power and strength, then that is the problem. However if their goal was to fulfill G-d’s commandment of “filling and conquering the land”, then that turns their actions into something pure and praiseworthy. When man’s actions are pure, then he is able to fulfill G-d’s commandment.

We have all heard the idea that every generation goes down a level. But can we really say that G-d’s world is deteriorating? Rav Kook completely disagreed with this idea. G-d’s world is advancing and improving with every generation. We have the power to develop and perfect the world. A divine world is a developing one!

 

However, we need to remember a few counter-points.

1.     The rise of this world stems from the Sages of Israel. From their vast greatness, they created the halachik infrastructure that we continue to follow today. In this respect, ”The firsts were like angels; we are mere human beings.”

2.     Even though the world has advanced, it still poses many dangers. Development led to the tower of Bavel, industrial development aided the plans to annihilate us in the Holocaust, and is used for terrorism, etc.

3.     As time progresses, the human race advances and gains more skill and strength to create. However, we must never forget Who is on above us, that G-d gave us these abilities. This was what was so terrible about the sin of Adam. He forgot G-d. This is also true in the case of the Tower of Bavel. We must remember that G-d is the center and the foundation of all our actions in this world.

With the help of G-d may we continue developing and advancing this world with only the best intentions in mind, never forgetting Who gives us the ability to do so.

 

Shabbat Shalom