The Tower of Bavel

The L-rd is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows them who take refuge in Him(Nachum 1:7).

One can’t help but be impressed by the magnificent growth that has taken place in Canada and the United States over the last couple of decades. In the ten or so years since we had been to the ‘big city’ of Toronto, buildings literally sprouted forth. Montreal has changed even more drastically since my last visit in the early ‘80s. The skyline has expanded with sparkling glass and metal buildings rising higher and mightier than the one next to it.

Although the purpose of our trip was to attend my father’s unveiling, of blessed memory, my husband and I spent a good part of the week visiting family and friends whom we hadn’t seen in years. This included at least two scenic tours of their cities of residence. Yes, in all their splendid glory, the skyscrapers crowned the horizon with a sense of pride. Ambition, power and achievement were evident in the very existence of these monumental structures. Yet in that same second of admiration, I felt a wave of despair and foreboding for what this all represents.

I couldn’t help be overcome by the parallel between these modern day towers and the biblical Tower of Bavel (Genesis 11:3-9). Today the goal is no loftier than it was in those days.  Even after the colossal flood in the time of Noah and the ark, when people should have known that G-d was not to be challenged, the world once again became too full of vanity and self gratification (sound familiar?). Their haughtiness caused them to try to build a tower to reach up to Heaven.  Some sources (Talmud Sanhedrin 109a) even go as far as to say that they were declaring war on G-d. Sadly, history repeats itself tenfold. In the time it took the men of old to build one massive tower, our cranes and builders can easily erect ten or twenty of these immense buildings. The current landscape is one of materialism and success, measured solely by one’s monetary assets rather than his spiritual bank account.  Instead of devoting time to serve G-d and taking the advice of our learned Rabbis, mankind prefers to worship money and all its accoutrements.  As the buildings ascend higher, the tuma (impurity) sinks deeper.

When Hashem punished humanity for the incident of the Tower of Bavel, He caused havoc amongst them. The name Bavel means confusion which occurred as G-d split them into 70 groups, each with its own language. It seems this confusion still reigns until today. Our only respite from the mayhem can be found in reflecting on the truth…. That is, trust in Hashem and living a life of Torah. All else is sheker – lies and falsehood.

Many people do live holy lives in galut, exile, but evil is rapidly permeating the world and seemingly squeezing out all the good that remains. While it may appear that wickedness is winning, Hashem is, in fact, cleansing the world of impiety. The window of opportunity for our people to “return to their borders”, to be protected under the veil of kedusha, holiness, in the Land of Israel, is still open but for how much longer? After the nations were disbursed from the Tower of Bavel, the tower itself was partially burned and partly swallowed by the earth. Is it so far-fetched that this could not occur today, but much worse? Immorality, licentiousness, thievery, cruelty and murder (the list goes on) are not welcome in the Creator’s vision of life. All these horrific events and their root causes will eventually be eradicated and we will, G-d willing, be left with the beauty of kindness, compassion, holiness, and joy.

How can we help in tilt the scales in the right direction? What actions will allow us, as individuals, to make a difference in the world and bring us closer to Mashiach and Redemption? The punishment portends the cure. Hashem created chaos by causing a disarray of communication so we must use our words wisely to bring order back into the universe.

 “Understand the power of speech. It can save you from destruction.” (Likutei Moharan 1:78)

Rebbe Nachman, may his memory be blessed, taught that one’s speech not only influences oneself but can have a tremendous impact on others and even the entire world!  Imagine then, what we have the ability to do with our prayers. We must attempt to overturn the lusts and arrogance of our generation with our holy thoughts, deeds and fervent supplications. In so doing, all the towers and skyscrapers can be transformed into Divine receptacles worthy of Hashem’s Monarchy.

“May it be Your will, Hashem our G-d and the G-d of our forefathers, that the Holy Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days.” Amen.  (from Shmona Esrei)