Noah: The True Unity of Bnei Noah
The sin of the Generation of the Dispersion (Dor HaFlagah), which occurred a few hundreds years after the Generation of the Flood, presents a distorted human attempt to create unity among all people and to speak a single language. On the surface, this sounds like a beneficial attempt to create a better society. If so, the question arises: why was the Generation of the Dispersion punished, and why did the Creator scatter them across the entire earth?
The Generation of the Dispersion carried out an act of rebellion against the Creator. They built a tower whose top is in the heavens for this purpose. Their unity wasn't true, it was only for rebelling against G-d. The purpose of Creation and the settlement of the world is expressed in the verse in Isaiah (45:18), which states: "He did not create it to be a waste; He formed it to be inhabited." The Creator did not create the world to remain desolate, but rather so that human beings would develop it, populate it, and establish justice, morality, and civil order within it. G-d establishes an everlasting covenant with humanity, promising never again to destroy the world through a flood. Yet, just a few verses before this covenant (Genesis 9:1–7), two commands are conveyed: the prohibition against eating flesh taken from a living animal (Ever Min HaChai), the strict prohibition against murder - "Whoever sheds human blood by man, shall his blood be shed"—from which the Sages, derive the prohibition of abortion for Noahides.
The Generation of the Dispersion took a wonderful idea of unity and cooperation, but intertwined it with explicit rebellion against Hashem. The attempt to concentrate humanity in one place: the people of the Generation of the Dispersion wanted to remain gathered in a single compound and prevent the expansion of humanity. Unity without fulfilling the Creator's will is an illusion: they attempted to create a "human unity" based on their own ego ("let us make a name for ourselves").
Throughout human history, many political and ideological movements and systems have arisen that attempted to create artificial "world unity". The result was a forced unity which in many cases, turned into tyranny. When people from all nations and cultures accept upon themselves the 7 Noahide Commandments, the result is authentic unity when souls reconnect with their Divine source.
G-d promises in this Torah portion that humanity will never be wiped out due to sin. The rainbow covenant guarantees the world's existence, however, good deeds are crucial as they tip the balance. Bnei Noah act to transform the physical world into a dwelling place in the lower realms. A Ben Noach who observes the Seven Noahide Commandments, builds a family, engages in the settlement of the world, establishes justice in their surroundings, and acknowledges the Creator is far more than a good citizen, but an active partner in fulfilling the purpose of Creation.
Sources and References:
The Purpose of Creation and Settling the World: Isaiah 45:18 ("He did not create it to be a waste; He formed it to be inhabited"); Genesis 1:28; Genesis 9:1.
The Sin of the Generation of the Dispersion and the Scattering: Genesis Chapter 11, verses 1–9; Commentary of Sforno ad loc.
Discourse of the Lubavitcher Rebbe: Torat Menachem – Farbrengens, Shabbat Parshat Lech Lecha, 5746 (Part 1, pp. 515 ff.).
A Dwelling Place in the Lower Realms and the Seven Noahide Laws: Midrash Tanchuma, Parshat Nasso, Section 16; Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings, Chapter 8, Law 11.
Murder of a fetus: Sanhedrin 57b.
Rabbi Moshe Bernstein is the author of the books:
Light Onto the Nation: A Guide to the Seven Noahide Laws
Light Onto the Torah Portions: Insights on the Torah Portions for Noahides 2 volumes.
Stories of Faith for Noahides: Inspiring Stories for Noahides from the Righteous of all Generations.
Questions and Answers for Noahides: Q&A about the Seven Noahide Laws