“There was throughout the earth but one language with the same words.”
— Genesis 11:1
These words begin the brief tale of the Tower of Babel, the preeminent construction project undertaken by the residents of Shinar to build a name for themselves, lest they be, “scattered across the face of the earth.” Appalled by the rapid progress made by the denizens of Shinar, God intervenes to frustrate their scheme. Introducing different dialects into the population quickly leads to a work stoppage, and ultimately, the citizens scatter across the earth.
But why does God intervene? According to the midrash of Rabbi Eliezer, the people became so enamored with their project that they began to neglect one another. If a builder fell to their death, no one paid notice, but if a brick dropped, the people wept.
By privileging the tower at the expense of one another, the citizens of Shinar had already lost the empathy that bound them together, commencing their descent into unfamiliarity. Introducing different dialects, then, was simply acknowledging a fait accompli. These people no longer recognized one another’s value, and hence, effectively spoke different languages.
Through this cautionary tale, our tradition suggests that success cannot come at the expense of our humanity. Though some shared goals require sacrifice, indeed sometimes the ultimate sacrifice, no achievement, no matter how grand, should require us to ignore one another’s needs.
— Rabbi Josh Knobel