AND THE LORD SAID: BEHOLD, THEY ARE ONE PEOPLE, AND THEY HAVE ALL ONE LANGUAGE, i.e. being united they may indeed succeed in their undertaking. Let, therefore, all the grades be dispersed, each in its own direction, and in this way mankind below will also be dispersed. Hence it it written: AND THE LORD SCATTERED THEM ABROAD FROM THENCE.
Why was their language confounded? Because they all spoke the holy tongue, and this was of help to them. For in the utterance of prayer, it is Hebrew words which fully express the purpose of the heart, and thus help to the attainment of the desired goal;
hence their tongue was confounded in order that they might not be able to express their desires in the holy tongue. Since the angels on high do not understand any language save the sacred language, therefore as soon as the language of the rebels was confounded they lost the source of their power.
For whatever men utter below in the holy tongue all the hosts of heaven understand and take heed of, but any other language they do not understand. Hence as soon as the language of the builders was confounded THEY LEFT OFF TO BUILD THE CITY, since their strength was broken and they were unable to achieve their purpose.
We read, “Blessed be the name of God from everlasting even unto everlasting; for wisdom and might are his” (Dan. 2, 20). Truly His: for whenever the Holy One, blessed be He, allowed the deep mysteries of wisdom to be brought down into the world, mankind were corrupted by them and attempted to declare war on God.
He gave supernal wisdom to Adam, but Adam utilised the wisdom disclosed to him to familiarise himself with the lower grades also, until in the end he attached himself to the yetzer-hara (evil tempter), and the fountains of wisdom were closed to him. After he repented before his Master, parts of that wisdom were again revealed to him, in that same book, but through that same knowledge people came later on to provoke God.
He gave wisdom to Noah, who, indeed, worshipped by means of it the Holy One, blessed be He, but afterwards “he drank of the wine and was drunken and uncovered”, as already explained. He gave wisdom to Abraham, who by means of it served the Holy One, blessed be He, but then he gave birth to Ishmael, who provoked the Holy One, blessed be He. The same with Isaac, from whom Esau was born. As for Jacob, he married two sisters.
He gave wisdom to Moses, of whom it is written: “He is trusted in all my house” (Num. 12, 7). There was none like Moses, a faithful servant, who was cognisant of all the grades, but whose heart was not seduced by any one of them from firm faith in the highest.
He gave profound wisdom to Solomon, who called himself I’ithiel, I’ithiel v’ukhal (Prov. 30, 1), as much as to say: “God is with me, and since wisdom is His, v’ukhal, I am able to do my own will.” But afterwards “the Lord raised up an adversary for Solomon” (I Kings 11, 14).
Thus we see that in virtue of the fragments which those people retained from that wisdom of the ancients, they provoked the Holy One, blessed be He, built a tower, and did various kinds of mischief, until they were scattered over the face of the earth, and there was no wisdom left with them for any purpose at all.
But in the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will cause wisdom to be disseminated in the world, and the peoples will worship Him, as it is written: “And I will set my spirit within you ” (Ezek. 36, 27), but-in contrast with the generations of old, who used it for the ruin of the world-“I will cause you”, the verse continues, “to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them” (Ibid.)
As R. Jose and R. Hiya were once walking together, R. Jose said: ‘Let us begin some discourse on the Torah, and evolve some new idea.’ R. Jose thereupon began with the verse: For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy, that he see no unseemly thing in thee, and turn away from thee (Deut. 23, 15). He said: ‘The term for “walketh” is here mithhalekh, as in the passage, “walking (mithhalekh) in the garden towards the cool of the day” (Gen. 3, 8) (in connection with Adam’s eating of the forbidden tree). Mithhalekh is the term for the female, and corresponding to it for the male is the term mehalech.
This is the same power that went in front of Israel whilst they were going through the wilderness, as it is written: “And the Lord went before them by day” (Ex. 13, 21). It is this same power that goes in front of a man when he is on a journey, as it is written: “Righteousness shall go before him, and shall make his footsteps a way” (Ps. 85, 14). It walks in front of a man when he is virtuous in order “to deliver thee and to give up thine enemies before thee”, to wit, to rescue a man when journeying from the power of “the other one”.
Hence it is incumbent on a man to guard himself against sin and to purify himself. How purify himself? In the manner indicated in the words, “therefore shall thy camp be holy”. The word qadosh (holy) here is singular, which shows that by the word “camp” we may understand the members of which the body is composed; these are “thy camp” which is to be “holy”.
By the term “unseemly thing” is indicated indecency, which is a thing most hateful to the Holy One, blessed be He. Further, the term dabar (thing, lit. word) alludes to the obscene word by which sinners besmirch and befoul themselves.
Why all this? Because “He walketh before thee”. If thou be remiss in regard to this, He will immediately “turn away from thee”. Now, since we are walking along before Him in the road, let us occupy ourselves with words of the Torah. For when the Torah forms a crown over a man’s head, the Shekinah does not depart from him.’
R. Hiya then discoursed as follows: ‘It is written: “And the Lord said: Behold they are one people, and they have all one language’” After this we read: “And it came to pass as they journeyed miqedem.” The term miqedem signifies “away from the Ancient One (qadmon) of the world”. “That they found.” We should have expected “saw”; but the word “found” is used to indicate that they found remnants of the secret wisdom that had been left there by the generation of the Flood, and with that they made their attempt to provoke the Holy One, blessed be He. As they said, so they did.
Note what is written, “Behold, they are one people and they have all one language.” Being of one mind, of one will, and speaking one language, “nothing will be withholden from them which they purpose to do”. But, said God, I know what to do; I will confound for them the grades on high and their language below, and thus their work will stop.
Now, seeing that, because they were all of one mind and one will and spoke the holy tongue, it is written of them “nothing will be withholden from them which they purpose to do”, and the supernal judgement was powerless against them, how much more must this apply to us or any other of the companions who are occupied in the study of the Torah!’
R. Jose said: ‘From here we learn that quarrelsome folk soon come to grief. For we see here that as long as the peoples of the world lived in harmony, being of one mind and one will, although they rebelled against the Holy One, blessed be He, the supernal judgement could not touch them; but as soon as they were divided, “the Lord scattered them abroad”.
Of the world to come, however, it is written: “For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent” (Zeph. 3, 9); also: “And the Lord shall be King over all the earth; in that day shall the Lord be one, and his name one” (Zech. 14, 9). Blessed be the Lord for ever. Amen and Amen!’
וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ הֵן עַם אֶחָד וְשָׂפָה אַחַת לְכֻלָּם. בְּגִין דְּכֻלְהוּ כְּחֲדָא, בְּיִיחוּדָא דְּכֻלְהוֹן יַעַבְדוּן וְיִצְלְחוּן בְּעוֹבָדַיְיהוּ. יִתְבַּדְּרוּן דַּרְגִּין כָּל חַד לְסִטְרֵיהּ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ יִתְבַּדְּרוּן כָּל הַנֵּי דִלְתַתָּא. מַה כְּתִיב וַיָּפֶץ יְיָ אוֹתָם מִשָּׁם.
AND THE LORD SAID: BEHOLD, THEY ARE ONE PEOPLE, AND THEY HAVE ALL ONE LANGUAGE, i.e. being united they may indeed succeed in their undertaking. Let, therefore, all the grades be dispersed, each in its own direction, and in this way mankind below will also be dispersed. Hence it it written: AND THE LORD SCATTERED THEM ABROAD FROM THENCE.
וְאִי תֵימָא לִישַׁנְהוֹן אַמַּאי אִתְבַּלְבֵּל (אתבדר ובלבל לון קודשא בריך הוא). אֶלָּא בְּגִין דְּכֻלְהוֹן מְמַלְּלִין בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ. הַהוּא לִישְׁנָא קָא עָבִיד לוֹן סִיּוּעָא. בְּגִין דִּבְעוֹבָדָא וּבְמִלּוּלָא דְפוּמָא תַּלְיָין מִלִּין אִלֵּין לְאַדְבְּקָא כַּוָּנָה דְלִבָּא. וּבְדָא עָבְדֵי סִיּוּעָא לְהַהוּא אֲתַר דְּבָעֵי לְאַקָמָא.
Why was their language confounded? Because they all spoke the holy tongue, and this was of help to them. For in the utterance of prayer, it is Hebrew words which fully express the purpose of the heart, and thus help to the attainment of the desired goal;
וְעַל דָּא אִתְבַּלְבָּל לִישַׁנְהוֹן דְּלָא יָכִילוּ לְאִתְתַּקָּפָא רְעוּתְהוֹן בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ. כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְחַלַּף לִישַׁנְהוֹן לָא אַצְלָחוּ בְּעוֹבָדָא (כט א בס"ת) בְּגִין דְּחֵילָא דִּלְעֵילָא לָא יָדְעֵי וְלָא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעֵי בַּר בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ. וְכַד אִתְבַּלְבָּל לִישְׁנָא דִלְהוֹן אִתְחַלַּשׁ חֵילֵיהוֹן וְאִתְבַּר תּוּקְפָא דִלְהוֹן.
hence their tongue was confounded in order that they might not be able to express their desires in the holy tongue. Since the angels on high do not understand any language save the sacred language, therefore as soon as the language of the rebels was confounded they lost the source of their power.
תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּהָא מִלָּה (דא) דְּאָמְרֵי תַּתָּאֵי בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ, כֻּלְהוּ חֵילֵי שְׁמַיָא יָדְעֵי בֵּיהּ וְאִתְתַּקְפֵי בֵּיהּ. וְלִישַׁן אָחֳרָא לָא יָדְעִין וְלָא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעֵי בֵּיהּ. וְעַל דָּא אִלֵּין כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְבַּלְבָּל לִישָׁנָא דִלְהוֹן, מִיָּד וַיַּחְדְּלוּ לִבְנוֹת הָעִיר. דְּהָא אִתְבַּר חֵילַיְיהוּ וְלָא יָכִילוּ לְמֶעְבַּד מִדֵּי בִּרְעוּתָא דִלְהוֹן.
For whatever men utter below in the holy tongue all the hosts of heaven understand and take heed of, but any other language they do not understand. Hence as soon as the language of the builders was confounded THEY LEFT OFF TO BUILD THE CITY, since their strength was broken and they were unable to achieve their purpose.
(דניאל ב׳:כ׳) לֶהֱוֵי שְׁמֵיהּ (די אלהא) (דקודשא בריך הוא) מְבָרַךְ מִן עָלְמָא וְעַד עָלְמָא, דִי חָכְמְתָא וּגְבוּרָתָא דִי לֵהּהִיא. דְּהָא בְּגִין (דא) דְּאַנְחִית קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא רָזֵי דְּחָכְמְתָא לְעָלְמָא, אִתְקַּלְקָלוּ בֵּיהּ בְּנֵי נָשָׁא וּבָעוּ לְאִתְגָּרָא בֵּיהּ.
We read, “Blessed be the name of God from everlasting even unto everlasting; for wisdom and might are his” (Dan. 2, 20). Truly His: for whenever the Holy One, blessed be He, allowed the deep mysteries of wisdom to be brought down into the world, mankind were corrupted by them and attempted to declare war on God.
יָהַב חָכְמְתָא עִלָּאָה לְאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, וּבְהַהִיא חָכְמָה דְּאִתְגְּלֵי לֵיהּ יָדַע דַּרְגִּין, וְאִתְדְּבַק בְּיֵצֶר הָרָע, עַד דְּאִסְתַּלְּקוּ מִנֵּיהּ מַבּוּעֵי דְחָכְמְתָא. וּלְבָתַר תָּב קַמֵּי מָארֵיהּ, וְאִתְגַּלְּיָין לֵיהּ מִנַּיְיהוּ וְלָא כְּקַדְמִיתָא. לְבָתַר בְּהַהוּא סִפְרָא דִילֵיהּ יָדַע חָכְמָאן. וּלְבָתַר אָתוּ בְּנֵי נָשָׁא וְאַרְגִּיזוּ קַמֵּיהּ.
He gave supernal wisdom to Adam, but Adam utilised the wisdom disclosed to him to familiarise himself with the lower grades also, until in the end he attached himself to the yetzer-hara (evil tempter), and the fountains of wisdom were closed to him. After he repented before his Master, parts of that wisdom were again revealed to him, in that same book, but through that same knowledge people came later on to provoke God.
יָהַב חָכְמְתָא לְנֹחַ וּפְלַח בָּהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, לְבָתַר מַה כְּתִיב וַיֵּשְׁתְּ מִן הַיַּיִּן וַיִּשְׁכָּר וַיִּתְגַּל כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר. יָהַב חָכְמְתָא לְאַבְרָהָם וּפְלַח בָּהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. לְבָתַר נָפַק מִנֵּיהּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל דְּאַרְגִּיז קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. וְכֵן יִצְחָק נָפַק מִנֵּיהּ עֵשָׂו. יַעֲקֹב נְסַב תְּרֵין אֲחָתָן.
He gave wisdom to Noah, who, indeed, worshipped by means of it the Holy One, blessed be He, but afterwards “he drank of the wine and was drunken and uncovered”, as already explained. He gave wisdom to Abraham, who by means of it served the Holy One, blessed be He, but then he gave birth to Ishmael, who provoked the Holy One, blessed be He. The same with Isaac, from whom Esau was born. As for Jacob, he married two sisters.
יָהַב חָכְמְתָא לְמשֶׁה מַה כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ (במדבר י״ב:ז׳) בְּכָל בֵּיתִי נְאֱמָן הוּא. וְלָא הֲוָה כְּמשֶׁה שַׁמָּשׁ מְהֵימָן בְּכֻלְהוּ דַּרְגִּין וְלָא סָטָא לִבֵּיהּ בְּתִיאוּבְתָּא דְּחַד מִנַּיְיהוּ. אֶלָּא קָאִים בִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא עִלָּאָה כְּדְקָא יְאוּת.
He gave wisdom to Moses, of whom it is written: “He is trusted in all my house” (Num. 12, 7). There was none like Moses, a faithful servant, who was cognisant of all the grades, but whose heart was not seduced by any one of them from firm faith in the highest.
יָהַב חָכְמְתָא עִלָּאָה לִשְׁלֹמֹה מַלְכָּא. לְבָתַר מַה כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ (משלי א׳:א׳) מִשְׁלֵי שְׁלֹמֹה (משלי ל׳:א׳) הַמַּשָּׂא נְאֻם הַגֶּבֶר לְאִיתִיאֵל לְאִיתִיאֵל וְאֻכָל. אָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה אִתִּי אֵל וְחָכְמְתָא דִילֵיהּ הוּא. וְאוּכָל וְאֵיכוּל לְמֶעְבַּד רְעוּתִי. לְבָתַר (מלכים א יח) וַיָּקֶם יְיָ שָׂטָן לִשְׁלֹמֹה וְגו'.
He gave profound wisdom to Solomon, who called himself I’ithiel, I’ithiel v’ukhal (Prov. 30, 1), as much as to say: “God is with me, and since wisdom is His, v’ukhal, I am able to do my own will.” But afterwards “the Lord raised up an adversary for Solomon” (I Kings 11, 14).
תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּגִין זְעִירוּ דְּחָכְמְתָא דְּאַשְׁכָּחוּ אִלֵּין מֵהַהוּא חָכְמָה דְּקַדְמָאֵי, אִתְגָּרוּ בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וּבָנוּ מִגְדָּל וְעֲבָדוּ כָּל מַה דְּעֲבָדוּ. עַד דְּאִתְבַּדָּרוּ מֵאַנְפֵּי אַרְעָא וְלָא אִשְׁתָּאַר בְּהוּ חָכְמָה לְמֶעְבַּד מִידֵּי.
Thus we see that in virtue of the fragments which those people retained from that wisdom of the ancients, they provoked the Holy One, blessed be He, built a tower, and did various kinds of mischief, until they were scattered over the face of the earth, and there was no wisdom left with them for any purpose at all.
אֲבָל לְזִמְנָא דְּאָתֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יִתְעַר חָכְמְתָא בְּעָלְמָא וְיִפְלְחוּן לֵיהּ בָּהּ הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (יחזקאל ל״ו:כ״ז) וְאֶת רוּחִי אֶתֵּן בְּקִרְבְּכֶם וְעָשִׂיתִי. לָאו כְּקַדְמָאֵי דְּחֲבִילוּ בֵּיהּ עָלְמָא. אֶלָּא וְעָשִׂיתִי אֶת אֲשֶׁר בְּחֻקַּי תֵּלֵכוּ וְאֶת מִשְׁפָּטַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם.
But in the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will cause wisdom to be disseminated in the world, and the peoples will worship Him, as it is written: “And I will set my spirit within you ” (Ezek. 36, 27), but-in contrast with the generations of old, who used it for the ruin of the world-“I will cause you”, the verse continues, “to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them” (Ibid.)
רַבִּי יוֹסֵי וְרַבִּי חִיָּיא הֲווּ אָזְלֵי בְּאָרְחָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי יוֹסֵי לְרַבִּי חִיָּיא נִפְתַּח בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וְנֵימָא מִלָּה. פָּתַח רַבִּי יוֹסֵי וְאָמַר (דברים כ״ג:ט״ו) כִּי יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנְךָ לְהַצִּילְךָ וְלָתֵת אֹיְבֶיךָ לְפָנֶיךָ וְהָיָה מַחְנְיךָ קָדוֹשׁ וְלֹא יִרְאֶה בְךָ עֶרְוַת דָּבָר וְשָׁב מֵאַחֲרֶיךָ. כִּי יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִתְהַלֵּךְ, מְהַלֵּךְ מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (בראשית ג׳:ח׳) מִתְהַלֵּךְ בַּגָּן לְרוּחַ הַיּוֹם. וְדָא הוּא אִילָנָא דְּאָכַל מִנֵּיהּ אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן. מִתְהַלֵּךְ נוּקְבָא מְהַלֵּךְ דְּכַר.
As R. Jose and R. Hiya were once walking together, R. Jose said: ‘Let us begin some discourse on the Torah, and evolve some new idea.’ R. Jose thereupon began with the verse: For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy, that he see no unseemly thing in thee, and turn away from thee (Deut. 23, 15). He said: ‘The term for “walketh” is here mithhalekh, as in the passage, “walking (mithhalekh) in the garden towards the cool of the day” (Gen. 3, 8) (in connection with Adam’s eating of the forbidden tree). Mithhalekh is the term for the female, and corresponding to it for the male is the term mehalech.
וְדָא הוּא דְּאָזִיל קַמַּיְיהוּ דְיִשְׂרָאֵל כַּד הֲווּ אָזְלֵי בְּמַדְבְּרָא דִּכְתִיב (שמות י״ג:כ״א) וַיְיָ הוֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם יוֹמָם וְגו'. הוּא דְּאָזִיל קַמֵּיהּ דְבַּר נָשׁ כַּד אָזִיל בְּאָרְחָא. דִּכְתִיב, (תהילים פ״ה:י״ד) צֶדֶק לְפָנָיו יְהַלֵּךְ וְיָשֵׂם לְדֶרֶךְ פְּעָמָיו. וְדָא הוּא דְּאָזִיל קַמֵּיהּ דְּבַּר נָשׁ בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִיהוּ זָכֵי. וְלָמָּה. לְהַצִּילְךָ וְלָתֵת אוֹיְבֶיךָ לְפָנֶיךָ. לְאִשְׁתְּזָבָא בַּר נָשׁ בְּאָרְחָא וְלָא יִשְׁלוֹט בֵּיהּ אָחֳרָא.
This is the same power that went in front of Israel whilst they were going through the wilderness, as it is written: “And the Lord went before them by day” (Ex. 13, 21). It is this same power that goes in front of a man when he is on a journey, as it is written: “Righteousness shall go before him, and shall make his footsteps a way” (Ps. 85, 14). It walks in front of a man when he is virtuous in order “to deliver thee and to give up thine enemies before thee”, to wit, to rescue a man when journeying from the power of “the other one”.
וּבְגִין כָּךְ לִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ לְבַּר נָשׁ לְאִסְתַּמְּרָא מֵחוֹבוֹי וּלְדַכָּאָה לְגַרְמֵיהּ. מַאי דַּכְיוּ דָּא. דִּכְתִיב, (דברים כ״ג:ט״ו) וְהָיָה מַחֲנֶיךָ קָדוֹשׁ. מַאי קָדוֹשׁ, קְדוֹשִׁים מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא מַחֲנֶיךָ קָדוֹשׁ אִלֵּין שַׁיְיפֵי גוּפָא דְּגוּפָא אִתְחַבַּר וְאִתְתַּקַּן בְּהוּ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ וְהָיָה מַחֲנְיךָ קָדוֹשׁ. וְלא יִרְאֶה בְךָ עֶרְוַת דָּבָר.
Hence it is incumbent on a man to guard himself against sin and to purify himself. How purify himself? In the manner indicated in the words, “therefore shall thy camp be holy”. The word qadosh (holy) here is singular, which shows that by the word “camp” we may understand the members of which the body is composed; these are “thy camp” which is to be “holy”.
מַאי עֶרְוַת דָּבָר. דָּא מִלְּתָא (ערייתא) דְעֶרְיָין. דְּדָא הוּא מִלָּה דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מָאִיס בָּהּ יַתִּיר מִכֹּלָּא. כֵּיוָן דְּאָמַר וְלא יִרְאֶה בְךָ עֶרְוַת, אַמַּאי דָּבָר. אֶלָּא הַנִּי חַיָּיבֵי עָלְמָא דְּגָעֲלֵי וּמְסָאֲבֵי גַרְמַיְיהוּ בְּמִלָּה דִּלְהוֹן דְּנָפְקֵי מִפּוּמַיְיהוּ וְהָא אִיהוּ עֶרְוַת דָּבָר.
By the term “unseemly thing” is indicated indecency, which is a thing most hateful to the Holy One, blessed be He. Further, the term dabar (thing, lit. word) alludes to the obscene word by which sinners besmirch and befoul themselves.
וְכָל כָּךְ לָמָּה. בְּגִין דְּאִיהוּ אָזִיל קַמָּךְ. וְאִי אַתְּ עָבִיד כְּדֵין, מִיָּד וְשָׁב מֵאַחֲרֶיךָ, דְּלָא יֵזִיל בַּהֲדָךְ וְיֵיתוּב מֵאַחֲרֶיךָ. וְאֲנַן הָא אַזְלִינָן קַמֵּיהּ בְּאָרְחָא נִתְעַסֵּק בְּמִלֵּי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא. דְּהָא אוֹרַיְיתָא אִתְעַטְּרָא עַל רֵישֵׁיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ וּשְׁכִינְתָּא לָא אַעֲדִיאַת מִינֵּיהּ.
Why all this? Because “He walketh before thee”. If thou be remiss in regard to this, He will immediately “turn away from thee”. Now, since we are walking along before Him in the road, let us occupy ourselves with words of the Torah. For when the Torah forms a crown over a man’s head, the Shekinah does not depart from him.’
פָּתַח רַבִּי חִיָּיא וְאָמַר וַיֹּאמֶר ה' הֶן עַם אֶחָד וְשָׂפָה אַחַת לְכֻלָּם וְגו' תָּא חֲזֵי, מַה כְּתִיב וַיְהִי בְּנָסְעָם מִקֶּדֶם. מַאי מִקֶּדֶם. מִקַּדְמוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם. וַיִּמְצְאוּ. וַיִּרְאוּ מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ מַאי וַיִּמְצְאוּ. אֶלָּא מְצִיאָה אַשְׁכָּחוּ תַּמָּן מֵרָזֵי דְחָכְמְתָא מִקַּדְמָאֵי דְּאִתְנְעַר תַּמָּן מִן בְּנֵי טוֹפָנָא, וּבָהּ אִשְׁתַּדְלוּ לְמֶעְבַּד בְּהַהִיא עֲבִידְתָּא דְּעֲבָדוּ לְסַרְבָא בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְהֲווּ אָמְרֵי בְּפוּמָא וְעַבְדֵי עֲבִידְתָּא.
R. Hiya then discoursed as follows: ‘It is written: “And the Lord said: Behold they are one people, and they have all one language’” After this we read: “And it came to pass as they journeyed miqedem.” The term miqedem signifies “away from the Ancient One (qadmon) of the world”. “That they found.” We should have expected “saw”; but the word “found” is used to indicate that they found remnants of the secret wisdom that had been left there by the generation of the Flood, and with that they made their attempt to provoke the Holy One, blessed be He. As they said, so they did.
חָמֵי מַה כְּתִיב הֶן עַם אֶחָד וְשָׂפָה אַחַת לְכֻלָּם. בְּגִין דְּאִנּוּן בְּלִבָּא חַד וּרְעוּתָא חַד וּמְמַלְּלֵי בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ. וְעַתָּה לא יִבָּצֵר מֵהֶם כָּל אֲשֶׁר יָזְמוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת. וְלֵית מַאן דְּיִמְנַע עוֹבָדָא דִלְהוֹן. אֲבָל מַאי אַעֲבִיד, אֲבַלְבֵּל לוֹן דַּרְגִּין דִלְעֵילָא, וְלִישַׁן דִּלְהוֹן לְתַתָּא. וּכְדֵין אִתְמְנַע עוֹבָדָא דִלְהוֹן.
Note what is written, “Behold, they are one people and they have all one language.” Being of one mind, of one will, and speaking one language, “nothing will be withholden from them which they purpose to do”. But, said God, I know what to do; I will confound for them the grades on high and their language below, and thus their work will stop.
וּמַה בְּגִין דְּהֲווּ בִּרְעוּתָא וְלִבָּא חַד וּמְמַלְּלֵי בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ כְּתִיב לֹא יִבָּצֵר מֵהֶם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יָזְמוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת, וְדִינָא דִלְעֵילָא לָא יָכִיל לְשַׁלְטָאָה בְּהוּ. אֲנַן אוֹ חַבְרַיָיא דְּמִתְעַסְּקִין בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאֲנַן בְּלִבָּא חַד וּרְעוּתָא חַד, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה.
Now, seeing that, because they were all of one mind and one will and spoke the holy tongue, it is written of them “nothing will be withholden from them which they purpose to do”, and the supernal judgement was powerless against them, how much more must this apply to us or any other of the companions who are occupied in the study of the Torah!’
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי מִכָּאן לְאִנּוּן מָארֵי דְמַחְלוֹקֶת לֵית לוֹן קִיּוּמָא. דְּהָא כָּל זִמְנָא (דאלין) דִּבְנֵי עָלְמָא אִלֵּין עִם אִלֵּין בִּרְעוּתָא חָדָא וְלִבָּא חָד, אַף עַל גַּב דְּמָרְדֵּי בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, לָא שָׁלְטָא בְּהוּ דִינָא דִּלְעֵילָא. כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְפַּלְּגוּ מִיָּד וַיָּפֶץ יְיָ אוֹתָם מִשָּׁם וְגו'.
R. Jose said: ‘From here we learn that quarrelsome folk soon come to grief. For we see here that as long as the peoples of the world lived in harmony, being of one mind and one will, although they rebelled against the Holy One, blessed be He, the supernal judgement could not touch them; but as soon as they were divided, “the Lord scattered them abroad”.
אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא אִשְׁתְּמַע דְּכֹלָּא בְּמִלָּה דְפוּמָא תַּלְיָיא. דְּהָא כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְבַּלְבֵּל מִיָּד וַיָּפֶץ יְיָ אֹתָם מִשָּׁם. אֲבָל בְּזִמְנָא דְאָתֵי מַה כְּתִיב, (צפניה ג׳:ט׳) כִּי אָז אֶהֱפֹךְ אֶל עַמִּים שָׂפָה בְרוּרָה לִקְרֹא כֻּלָּם בְּשֵׁם יְיָ וּלְעָבְדוֹ שְׁכֶם אֶחָד וּכְתִיב, (זכריה י״ד:ט׳) וְהָיָה יְיָ לְמֶלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יְיָ אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד. בָּרוּךְ יְיָ לְעוֹלָם אָמֵן וְאָמֵן:
Of the world to come, however, it is written: “For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent” (Zeph. 3, 9); also: “And the Lord shall be King over all the earth; in that day shall the Lord be one, and his name one” (Zech. 14, 9). Blessed be the Lord for ever. Amen and Amen!’