In the latter part of this week’s parsha, we learn about the actions of the generation of dispersion .As the Torah relates, “The whole language was of one language and of unified words… And they said, ‘ Come let us build a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed across the whole earth… And God said, ‘Behold, one people, and there is one language for all of them, and this they begin to do?...And God dispersed them from there over the face of the whole earth and they stopped building the city.” (Bereishis, 11, `1, 4, 6). What were these people doing wrong, that generated such a harsh divine reaction? Rashi mentions three explanations from the midrash, but I would like to focus on only one. On the words, unified words’ (devarim achadim) the midrash says that they spoke ‘devarim chadim,’ or sharp, cutting words. They said that once in 1,656 yrs. - the year after creation during which the flood occurred- the firmament collapses as it did in the days of the flood. Therefore, they said, let us make supports for the heavens to prevent a recurrence of that event. On a simple level, they were attributing the flood to natural causes. However, if this was the entire problem, why did God respond by dispersing them? How did this divine reaction relate to their actions? I believe, therefore, that there is more to this midrash than the initial, simple explanation would indicate.
Rashi in many places cites the comments of the rabbis that the different names of God that are used in the Torah refer to the different ways in which God exercises His providence in this world. Thus, the name Hashem refers to the attribute of mercy, the name Elokim refers to the attribute of justice, and the two names, when used together, refer to a mixture of the two attributes. According to Ramban, the name Elokim can also be explained as referring to God as the One who controls all of the powers in the universe. In this sense, God created the laws of nature, but maintains control over them, constantly renews them, and can, at any moment, suspend them. .Although these different traits appear to be contradictory, they all come form the one, unique God, Creator of the universe. I believe that the mistake of the builders of the tower may have stemmed from a failure to appreciate this fact.
The catastrophic event of the flood, leaving behind it such monumental destruction, must have left a sense of trauma in the collective conscious of the generations that followed in a rebuilt world. This sense of trauma was reflected in the mind-set of the builders of the tower. How, they thought, can we reconcile the notion of a merciful, all powerful God with the occurrence of the flood? To deal with this dilemma, they adopted a mechanistic view of the universe. They acknowledged God as the Creator of the universe, but theorized that He then allowed His creation to run through a series of natural laws .They did not appreciate the fact that God manifests Himself in different ways at different times, and, therefore, they could only relate to Him in one way. This approach to God was reflected in their approach to life in general. The simple meaning of the verse, that they spoke unified words, was that they were all of one mind. The lack of diversity of thought was reflected in their monochromatic approach to God, as well. By dispersing them to different areas, different, varied approaches to life would develop. Man would, then, eventually realize that just as different people can have different approaches to life, God Himself, the Creator of all life, can manifest Himself in different ways at different times, depending on the needs of the moment, and His overall plan for the universe.