Rabbi Howard Morrison

Parshat Noach, in addition to the famous flood story, also contains the story of the Tower of Babel. In the narrative, the builders and leaders of the tower sought to ascend to the heavens by constructing the highest tower known to humanity at the time. So, what went wrong? 

There are many commentaries. In one particular interpretation, it came to be that the builders of the tower cared more about the bricks than they did about people. Thus, if a brick fell off the tower, there was bereavement over the loss of the brick. However, if a person fell off the tower and died, there was no sadness. Because of the insensitivity to the plight of humanity, God "babbled" the speech of the builders. Thus, the project came to a halt.

Today, we are witnessing a contemporary insensitivity to the plight of people. There is a growing trend of polarization in North America and throughout the world. People who disagree on all kinds of matters, be it religion, personal ethics, politics, and more are no longer engaging in conversation or recognition with the other. There was a time when intellectual diversity and respectful debate were welcome. Nowadays, the "right" condemn the "left," and the "left" condemn the "right." Whatever happened to civilized discussion and disagreement?

The lessons of the Tower of Babel continue to have significance for us today.

Rabbi Howard Morrison