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Parshas Noach

Communication Problems

This week's parsha features the famous story of the tower of Babel - the people tried to build a tower to reach the Heavens, and G-d responded by dispersing them and dividing up the language so they could not understand each other.  (Note: to my knowledge the English word "babble" comes from the story of Babel)

The mystical texts teach us that G-d desired a dwelling place "in the lower realms" and for that reason He established the world, with all its physicality.  Our role is to take this physical world and elevate it through the use of physical items for positive purposes, as mandated by Torah.  For example, we elevate money by using it for charitable purposes.  We can elevate food by using it to provide ourselves with the energy to carry out our tasks, or to feed others who are needy.  Whatever we may be involved in,  our job is "down here" in the physical world, not up in the Heavens.  The mistake of the people who built the tower was to think that their role involved high, lofty spiritual goals, removed from the "real" world.  The Torah teaches that this is not the case.  Judaism does not advocate asceticism and abstention from the pleasures of this world.  On the contrary, we are commanded to use all permitted means to draw down spirituality and to elevate the mundane and physical.  This is accomplished specifically in the "real" world.

The Tower of Babel project failed, due to the inability to communicate amongst the participants.

On the one hand we live in an age of unprecedented communications. As a friend of mine put it recently, the world is getting smaller...  yet not physically.  We can now stay in much closer contact with family and friends abroad.  We can disseminate information like never before.  We can instantly locate hundreds of references on the World Wide Web.

The flip side is that we can find ourselves in danger of forgetting how to deal with people face to face, the "old-fashioned" way.  We become so caught up in the hype and anonymity of electronic communication, we may forget how to relax, how to be ourselves.

One of the beautiful things about Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, is the enforced social time it provides.  Stripped of our gadgets, we find ourselves compelled to spend a day a week actually talking to other people, inviting them over, in short communicating with our family and friends "the good old way".  It may be the "old way" but it is still valid!  With all that is going on around us it is crucial not to forget to slow down, take a breather and celebrate the precious opportunities to spend time with our families and friends.

The builders of the Tower of Babel were misguided, but we can still learn a lot about teamwork from their failures.  If we are able to understand each other and, more importantly, listen to each other, we will reach our goals a lot quicker.

In our parsha, it also describes how G-d "descended to see the city and tower which the sons of man had built".  Rashi, the famous commentator, points out that obviously, G-d did not need to "come down" to see what they were doing.  Yet he did so, in order to teach future judges not to pass judgement on a defendant until one actually sees and appreciates things from their point of view.

As the Ethics of the Fathers tell us, "do not judge your fellow, unless you are in his place."

Finally, in these difficult times for Israel, our thoughts and prayers are with all our brethren in all four corners of the world.  It is my fervent hope and prayer that we be able to take strength from that which unites us as Jews, and to work together to make the world a better place and one of true peace for everybody.