Noach - 7th Portion

Join me as we learn together for the seventh Torah reading of Noah chapter 11 verse one. After we now have discussed the families of the Torah tells us what happened next. And at that point the whole population of the world was united. They spoke one language and that but there was one language and they were united in common cause as well. What does this mean? Which was the one language? Rashi tells us the holy tongue. What does it mean? They had something in common. They had one thing that they were working on. They came with one idea and they said, "Let us ascend. It is not right. He has no right to select the heavens only for himself referring to God. Let us go up to heaven and have a war with him." Another opinion of what it means. United words. They were talking about the unity, the one entity of the world, the unique one of the world. Or another opinion is what does it mean? Sharp words they used against God. They said once every 1656 years the skies collapse because if you look that was the period between the creation of the world and the flood happens. So based on their scientific data every 1656 years the world will collapse the heaven will come down just like God did in the time of the flood. You so therefore come let us make a big support to the heaven will big big towers big beams will hold up the heaven so the heaven will not come falling down in us that's what bracious rabb comes to explain the Torah then continues in verse two and when they migrated from the mountains of the east they found a valley in the land of they were looking for a place that would be big enough for their purposes that they were looking to do and they settled there explains they were settled in that area like we explained earlier that they were settled in the eastern of the part of the mountain and they traveled from there to in search for a place a place that will be able to hold and accommodate all of them where that they find a place that would accommodate all the people They found a man said to his friend, "Come, let us mold bricks and we'll fire them. We'll put the bricks into a mold and put them into a fire." And the bricks became as hard as stone oven. And the clay became for them as mortar to be able to plaster the walls. Rashi explains what does it mean verse three one nation to the other for example who are the nations Egypt and so on what does the word mean prepare yourselves every time we find the terminology means to prepare they were preparing themselves and gathering to be able to do work for an advice or to be able to carry something to lift something together. The word hava comes from the word prepare in in old Frenchim. What are these bricks? Why did they have to make bricks? Why couldn't they use stones? There were no stones in Babylonia because it's a valley and in the valley there are no stones. It's a plane there. and we will make and we'll fire them up. This is the way you make bricks in order to mold the bricks. So, you make it into a mold. Then you take the cement and you put it into a kil and that's what makes it uh heats it into a be a solid brick for mortar. What do they need mortar for? To be able to plaster the walls. That's what they need the mortar for. Verse four. And they said, "What are they going to do with these bricks? What are they going to do with this mortar? Let us build for ourselves a cityd tower. The top of the tower will be in the heaven. Make for ourselves a name so that we should not be scattered all over the face of the earth." tells us that he should not bring upon us. If we're all united in this one big tower, we're not going to be spread out all over the world. Verse 5 and God descended to see the city and the tower that the humans have built that the descendants of Adam have bu have built. Verse five, and God descended. God didn't have to descend. Didn't he see what was going on from above? Why does it have to tell us that God descended? And he says as follows. Really above it's coming to teach us something to teach judges. They should not make somebody guilty until they see and understand exactly what happened. And this is the way the maj explains the descendants of Adam. Why is he telling us this? Why does he have to explain? Who do you think built it? It was the children of donkeys and the camels. Hello. The verse is coming to tell me and and to stress something very unique. They were the children of Adam. meaning they were just like Adam that they were they did not appreciate the good that was done to them. Just like when Adam God came to him and said why did he eat from the tree of knowledge and he said it was the woman that you gave me and instead of appreciating that God gave him somebody that he shouldn't be lonely he blamed her for his sin. So to these they neglected to recognize the good that happened to them to rebel against those that is helping them and giving them good and save them from the flood. Instead of thanking God for being safe from the flood and now they can repopulate they go and try to build a tower against God. Thereby God responds and says they are one nation language for all of them and this is what they began to do now. So too I should not be preventing them whatever else they plan to be. Who knows what else they're going to plan on doing. Rashi explains verse six the only good that they have that they're one nation and they have one language for all of them is to began to do what is the word so this is a shortened language like said they do and the meaning of it means This is what they began to do. And they what else are they going to stop at doing? This is like in a question mode like should I allow them to do this? What else are they going to not stop? What else will they do? Comes from the word should I not withhold from them like says to hold them back. There's a similar verse that uses the same terminology in the Psalms to hold back from the egotism of the great people in charge. So therefore God says as follows text number seven let us descend will mix up their language will confuse their speech. They will not hear one what the other one is talking about. Verse seven, Rashi says, "Who is God talking to?" He spoke to the heavenly court. He consulted from his ultimate humility, an extreme humility. Why? The same terminology as that people use to be able to take bricks. Mid measure for measure. Hey, now let us go build a tower. God responds. Therefore, God responds and says, "Let us go down and confuse them." The word comes from the word will confuse them. When you have the nun in the beginning gives you the plural form and not the passive one that the he should give. The hey at the end makes it also as a passive form, not in the feminine form. Usually the he at the end of a lang of a word makes it feminine, but because he has the the before and indicates that we're making it in the passive form. They will not hear. What does it mean? They're not going to hear. They're going to speak different languages. This guy's going to ask for a brick and he going to bring him instead. and he's gonna bring him cement and he's going to stand at him said what do you got me the wrong thing for knocks him on the head and therefore smashes out his brains and says what do you need this for and it's never going to work and God therefore scattered them from there all over the world all over the earth which stopped them from building the city explains this world when they said oh Let us be concerned. Maybe you'll spread this all over. It actually happened. What they were concerned about says from what the wicked person fears, that's exactly what comes upon him. Their greatest fear, that's exactly what they planned about themselves. That's exactly what happened. Therefore, the name of the place was called Babylonium until today because that's where the place where God mixed up from the word the entire world and from there God spread them throughout the entire universe. Rashi verse 9 this comes to teach us the reason when the Torah tells us if you already said that God spread them all over the place. Why does God why does the Torah have to say again and from there he spread them out to tell us that teaching us that they don't have a portion in the world to come. Now, if you look at the two people in this week's Torah reading, the two events, the generation of the flood and the generation of the that was spread out throughout the universe, which one did worse? The generation of the flood or generation of the flag of the dispersion? These did not those of the generation of the flood did not raise their hands against God. And however, these were standing up to rebel against God, to wage war, so to speak, against God. Still in all, the ones that did not rebel against God were washed off the face of the earth. These that tried to rebel against God were not washed off the face of the earth. Why? The generation of the flood, they were thieves. They were casually fighting with one another. Therefore, they were destroyed because they even didn't get along with one another. They were destroying all of humanity. These were speaking with love and friendship with one another. They were committed to unity. As it says, they had one language and with one united mission. We learn from here. How terrible divisiveness is hated. the God alm and how great peace is that when people get along even if it means that now they're going against what God's wishes God did gave them their punishment but didn't completely destroy them continuing back in the verse verse 10 these are the children of was 100 years old gave birth to this happened two years after the flood tells us when he gave birth which was two years after the flood was after he gave birth 500 years old and he fathered sons and daughters. Verse 12 live for 530 years and gave birth to um lived after giving birth to him 403 years abundance and gave birth to sons and daughters. Verse 14 was 30 years old and gave birth to and lived after giving birth 430 years and I gave birth to sons and daughters. Verse 15 16 and a lived for 40 34 years and gave birth to and lived after giving birth to Pellegana 430 years and had sons and daughters birth sons and daughters and lived 30 years and then gave birth to And fell lived after giving birth to him 207 209 years and he gave father to sons and daughters. Verse 20 lived 32 years and gave birth to verse 21 lived after giving birth to 207 years and gave birth to sons and daughters. Verse 22 years and gave birth to 23rd and lived after giving birth to 200 years and gave birth to sons and daughters. Verse 24 years and gave birth to lived after giving birth to 19 years. That's a total of 119 years and gave birth to sons and daughters and lived 70 years a gave birth to a three sons and verse 27. These are the children of gave birth to and gave birth to late. Verse 28 and Har died while his father was still alive in the city of his birth in the land of his birth which was kazim in the land of Kazim. What does it mean? Literally means on the face of his father. Rashi tells us in verse 28 in the life of his father while his father was still alive. The medish explains as follows. There are those that say that what does it mean on the face of his father of his because of his father he died. What happened was Shakov because complained about his son named Nimr in front of the king at the time who was Nimrod al- Shiklov that he chopped down that he broke all his idols. The famous story that we know that Aram was told to watch his father's idol shop. Aram then knocked down all the idols. Terak sent his officers. Terak told Nimro that this is what his son Aram did. Because of that was thrown. He was thrown into the fiery furnace. Who was a younger brother was watching on the sidelines was saying on the sidelines. He wasn't sure. He was a he was looking to see which bandwagon he should jump on. And he says one second. If Abram's the victorious one I'm on his and if is right is victorious then I'll follow Nimrod when Ara was saved from the fiery furnace and it didn't harm him they turned to Har and say who are YOU WHO DO YOU BELONG to do you belong to Ara or do you belong to Adimar said Araman I go with a because look he was saved I'll be all right They threw him into the fiery furnace and he burnt. That's why the verse says where was this comes from the fire of Kazim the commentator the great grammatist whom always Rashi refers to as his grammatic teacher explains the word comes from the word a valley that [snorts] in the valleys they glorify God also we find the words the den of a viper oh Every hole that's deep in a valley they call as well. The Torah now continues with verse 29. And a took wives got married and the names of their wives was a wife of a sorry and the wife of Nar was Milka. Who was Milka? Milka was Basar the daughter of Hari Milka the father of Milka. Navi Iska. Sahara and had two daughters, Milka and Yiska. Milka married Nar who was her uncle. Verse 29, Rashi. Who are these people? Yiza and Mila. So Rashi tells us Yizka is actually the same person as S. Why was she called? Because she can see the future with divine inspiration. Or another explanation is because everyone looked at her beauty. The another word for the like princeless princess that Sah was a concept of rulership. S is a terminology of rulership. Yiska is in the terminology of like a prince. But sur was barren. She did not have a child in love. She did not have any children. Verse 31 son and liked his grandson who was the child of his daughter-in-law as a who was the wife of a ben their son his son and they left and they left where' they leave me from where were they heading toan to go to the land of cananan to settle there byan They came as far as which is in and stayed there tells us who them that went that left a together with light and verse 32 and the days of was 205 years and died on the way in the Torah tells us as we see in verse 32, Rashi explains to us about what happened here after left and came to the land of was there more than 60 years. How do we know that? As it says in next week's reading, was 75 years old when he left and was 70 years old when a was born. So when left was at the time still had a good life to live because he only died when he was 205. So why then so why then does the verse tell us about passing before telling us about leaving which is the next week's reading? Because It should not be publicized for everybody. They will say did not respect his parents. He left an old father and he walked out on him and he didn't take care of him. Therefore, the Torah calls him dead because the evil even when they're alive are considered dead. However, the righteous even after they pass on are considered alive as it says the son of yod was a man that was alive eternal life. What does it mean that he died? The word is inverted to tell you in this case to tell you that until there was the anger of the world was against it. Once a came along a brought about a light into the world. As we know the rebu tells us the Torah reading of Noah is a calam para is a sad it has a a sad part to it. We know the first part is about u Noah about the flood about destruction. At the end they get happy about a being born. But next week's Torah reading as we'll learn parl is all a happy para as it's all aboutl about a this concludes the seventh Torah reading of Noah.