Noach for Tweens: Tower of Babble

In the biblical view, creation and history belong together. Creation is the foundation of a covenantal relationship between God and world and, in a specific and important sense, between God and Israel (Plaut, 23).

Parashat Noach begins with a description of God's disappointment in how humans have treated the earth and each other, followed by a description of the building of the ark, the flood, and the first covenant symbolized by a rainbow. The parashah concludes with the story of the Tower of Babel.

Seventh Aliyah (Genesis 11:1-32)

The seventh aliyah describes the gathering of many people in one place, the land of Shinar, in their attempt to build a city with a tower.

And they said, "Come, let us build a city, and a tower with its top in the sky, to make a name for ourselves; else we shall be scattered all over the world." (11:4)

Commentary

In the first stories of the book of Genesis, people begin to learn about the boundaries, benefits, and responsibilities of their relationship with God. Similar to relationships between parents and children, there are scenarios in which people learn their limitations. Adam and Eve eat from a forbidden tree and are therefore punished. Noah fulfills God's will by building an ark, and after the flood promises to re-populate the world. In return, with the sign of the rainbow, God promises not to bring such destruction again. Nevertheless, the descendants of Noah did not learn the lesson of their forebears. Specifically, they behaved in a manner that arrogated power and did not account for God's ultimate transcendence. The text makes it clear that there was a universal language (11:1), which presumably fostered a concentration of society rather than its dispersion, as God commanded. (9:7) In order to extol their fame, the people built a city with a tower in its center, a monument that purported to reach the heavens. God's response to this act of hubris was based on the rationale that the flood had not served its purpose, i.e., corruption remained. However, God had made a promise not to begin Creation all over again, and therefore, the punishment for arrogance was mitigated. Instead of destruction, God confounded human speech, which led to the end of the building process and the beginning of a dispersed population. Ease of communication can be a virtue, but we are learning in our own time that universal, instantaneous communication can also be an enormous burden.

The tower constructed in Shinar became known as the Tower of Babel (babble). Ostensibly, its form resembled the ziggurat (step-like tower) feature of Babylonian temples at the time. Reflective of a mythological holy mountain, the ziggurat was a conduit between heaven and earth. In his commentary, Gunther Plaut says that the desire the people had to reach the sky is a

"self-aggrandizement … that represents the human tendency to attempt to equal if not displace God." "Just as Adam and Eve desired to be like God and in consequence were driven from Eden, so in Babel." (77)

Sforno (16^th century) comments on the desire not to be scattered. He teaches that in resisting God's will for them to spread out, they hoped that everyone would share one language and one purpose, that is, one perspective. Whereas from a human perspective this may seem beneficial, God saw the danger in this attempt. Diversity is a virtue when it helps human beings realize that we are not entirely self-sufficient or independent. The Tower of Babel is a symbolic reminder that human creation is qualitatively inferior to divine Creation, a distinction in kind rather than in degree. God's otherness, or transcendence is one lesson we can derive from the failed attempt to supplant God.

The confounding of languages and cultures lends itself to diverse, even divergent interpretations. We are not God, not any one of us and not all of us together. This story can teach us that where some people may look at the world of diverse peoples, languages and nations and see chaos and no obvious single creator, there is one God and the world is according to God's will.

To Talk About

1. In what ways can you be like God and what are some things God can do that you are unable to do? Have you ever wanted to be the same as someone else?
2. Would you like to live in a world where everybody was the same and had the same ideas? Why or why not?
3. Read Genesis 11:4 again. What's your theory on why God was displeased with the people's effort to build a tower?

For Further Learning

God did not have to physically destroy the tower of Babel and the city that the people were building. The construction came to a halt because the people suddenly could no longer communicate. Even when we speak the same language, communication can break down. What are some ways you have seen this happen? What are some other ways that language can be confused?