The Tower of Babel's Warning: Mankind Is Making the Same Mistake Again - Rabbi Dovid Kaplan

40 day. Remember the whole world. Though, it goes back to what was the what was the whole point of them being in the teva? Was it he and his family have to now behave with self-control and complete and complete uh uh uh a separation. And the 40 days is a reminder to them while they're in the teva. Those 40 days of rain reminds them. Then after the water then the water starts rising up from the ground. The water I think and it could be that just physically that that's what just what happens to the water as it started rising. That's what that's what I understood. But the rain was clearly a the rain was clearly a sign. The rain was clearly a sign. >> That's true because it also says the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven closed. So, there was also water from the deep and >> Right, right. That was it's coming up from both directions. And and the the world was soaked. It was hot water and it was sulfur uh coming up from the depths and you know, the world was soaked and that's why people are wondering uh you know, the when people start finding fossils and dating them back millions of years. Uh you know, and based on various assumptions. One of the things they leave out is the fact that yes, the world was soaked in a sulfur solution for a year. Now, if you take a chicken bone and drop it into a a cup full of Pepsi and leave it there for 24 hours. You can see what happened. That chicken bone looks like it's been a billion years old, you know. So, you you can imagine the water in the earth and what it what was coming up. What that did to the various fossils and everything else. That's why I said, if you are convinced there were dinosaurs which is far from convinced. See, every museum you walk into there's dangling from the ceiling there's a a skeleton of a dinosaur. Except that what they don't tell you is that's just a plastic skeleton. They never found an entire dinosaur skeleton in they found a bone and made a projection based on that bone of what it must have looked like. But the whole thing is very very dodgy, as they say. And And in Monty Python once had a phenomenal phenomenal skit where they uh this they were profound. They let's let's face it. And so they have this skit where the anthropologists they find a shoe a an ancient shoe which is billions of years old. And they realize they project based on the size of this shoe and they show you this absolute monster. Looks like a Tyrannosaurus which must have been wearing this shoe back in the day. And then they break off into a cartoon and show you this is actually a a shoe that came from some creature called something like the Zorch which is about 4 ft high with a massive nose and the shoe went over the nose of this animal. >> [laughter] >> And absolutely profound. Cuz much of what they're doing is based on is projections. You know, the whole thing. That's why I say if you believe So according to some they say, "Well, if you're concerned and you believe there are dinosaurs, we have an explanation for that, too." >> And also most of skeletons can be projected to really weird animals. Like if you see a skeleton of a rabbit that that could be projected into a really a savage dinosaur. >> And that's that's that's right. That's right. So the whole thing is that you know, and anyway, I'm I'm more concerned with living creatures than with the with prehistoric creatures. You know, if I see a cat on the street, I get nervous, you know, that much. So. >> two tigers. >> Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Okay, page 40. Uh page 40. So yesterday we were talking about uh I I just want to go over a couple points. Then we're going to go on to to Noach and the Tower of Babel. Uh yesterday we were talking about >> [clears throat] >> in on page 40 um First of all, it says that that you're you're not allowed to kill. So, uh it says pick it up on puzzle K. The husband came and after second it's about five lines from the bottom. And we had just saying we had all of them. We had each of him and as never shall try where if somebody kills somebody I will take there will be a reckoning. Then it says show faith in the matter of Adam one who spills a person's blood his blood will be spilled also. Keep it sellable came out so as Adam now. Why does the Torah mention murder over here? Why does the Torah break off into human murder? It seems like how do okay, could be that it's going back and addressing Noah you're going to your new role on Earth and don't do the things that they did in time of the flood. What's the connection to what just came before that? And the answer what just came before that this is where Noah has given permission to eat animals. So in case you get confused and you think well, if you can kill animals just remember let's let's let's hold it right there. Let's hold it right there. You can kill animals. You can't kill human beings and that includes abortions. That includes mercy killing. That includes all euthanasia. All of the things that they do now physician-assisted suicide which is generally the physician actually doing it and the fact that he says he didn't mean he didn't. I remember seeing the Mr. Kevorkian. I got it. He looked like the angel of death. He actually looked like the Malcolm of us if you picture picture Kevorkian. You can't all these things you can't do and I shall say and that's the connection. Why it's written over here because we just talked about killing animals. It's the first time you're allowed to go and kill. You're not allowed to kill. What do you >> [clears throat] >> what do you pluck a fruit off a tree, that's not killing. You know, when you're When you kill you kill an animal, they're just keep it under Keep it in check over here. It's Then he says, "The item prove of shirts of arts of war." You have to be fruitful and multiply. Now, what's interesting is that we're going to find that the mitzvah of being fruitful and multiply is a mitzvah for men and not for women. They do not have a command. There are those that say she has a rabbinic command. There are those that say yes, she is a she she she is a Messiah. She is she assists. She assists in the mitzvah of of of prove of but she does not have an out-and-out command. A woman does not now they had command there. That means a man doesn't have an option to not get married. A man must get married and he must have he must have according to the way we pass he has a boy and a girl. Cuz if boy and a girl a man who hold for just a few minutes. A man who has a 11 children and they're all boys, he still has to try to have more children till he fulfills the mitzvah. Okay. If you have 11 children and they're all girls, then he will certainly continue trying to fulfill the mitzvah. But the man has a what do you call he has an obligation to have at least a son and a daughter and even if he has two, he should still make every effort to get married cuz it says he is a bad one. It's not good for man to be alone. Should have a wife. Okay. A woman doesn't have the obligation. If a woman chooses not to get married, she could. A woman has the option to not get married and not have children. Now, the question is why? Why should a woman have that option a man doesn't have that option? So, the measure of my explains that you know, a woman who gives birth goes through a just pregnancy and childbirth. Apparently it's uncomfortable. And uh well, that's what they the women say, it's uncomfortable. I I being gentle here. It hurts. >> They use stronger words. >> Yeah, I tell you. >> [laughter] >> It's very uncomfortable and it's even more uncomfortable for the men. Because cuz there's nothing like like living with a kvetchy woman for 9 months, you know? And they have a rule they have a rule something they go through I'll tell you. I once calculated head to toe head to toe women from They they number one they they there's something they there are serious things that can happen in in in pregnancy women can get something called what's the condition where they get the headaches they get they get headaches they get nauseous and they what they call morning sickness which is not limited to morning. Migraines and then they even more something more something more serious the serious headaches toxemia they get toxemia sometimes baby has to be taken it could be serious. Most of the time just the routine stuff. They get headaches they get headachy they're tired extremely tired they can sleep they can sleep 20 hours out of 24. They get nauseous and they call it morning sickness which is not at all limited to morning. I know two women for sure and I think there was a third one I heard about two women that I know personally who during pregnancy actually had to be hospitalized and put on a drip because they couldn't even keep water down. They couldn't even drink water. That's how bad the nausea nausea is. For most women it goes away after a while. Their teeth the baby draws calcium it's not uncommon for women at least after pregnancy to then have root canal need root canals tooth teeth work. There's a condition where women get an itch they just start itching all over it's a hormonal itch and there's nothing to do with lying in a hot bathtub which you can't do for 9 months. They often sometimes the baby is pressing on the bladder and so they have a sensation that they're all day long they have a sensation of having to go to the bathroom. Sometimes they use a in about the seventh month or I think there's a hormone that kicks in they can't sleep. And I got news for you. When they don't sleep, you don't sleep. All right? Is that So and then at the end of all that there's childbirth. And then at all that there's child. So the whole thing is not it's not a it's not a fun package. So the Mishnah Berurah says, "And even more than that, there is an element of it being life-threatening." Baruch Hashem, nowadays it's extremely extremely rare, but through history, before antibiotics, before they had uh various like uh women it was not uncommon for women to die in childbirth. That's why you often found situations even gedolim who uh a woman a mother might have died in childbirth then he married her sister. Because the next best a woman giving birth had generally got younger children in the house. He's a young woman. Somebody had to who's going to raise the children. And often the best next like best thing was her sister. That's the best substitute for the for the So it wasn't uncommon. A woman and that's why nowadays a woman who gives birth benches gomel. Somebody's been in a life-threatening situation. Say somebody survived a life-threatening situation, you bench gomel, you make a brachah. A woman benches gomel after you're having given birth. Either her husband does it for her. What's that? The husband the husband Well, they No, he Yeah, he survived the 9 months. Yeah. >> [laughter] >> No, the woman the what The woman benches gomel or her husband Whatever it is, it's considered like So the Mishnah Berurah says, "The Torah will not obligate a woman will not obligate her to put herself in that situation." In other words, there's the three main aveiros of what is argued as the shekos damim other worship immorality and murder we're obligated to give up our lives for that. They're all obligated. Everybody's obligated. But the Torah won't I'll I'll I'll get you later. Just hold for a few minutes. The Torah the Torah will not obligate us to put ourselves into a life-threatening situation. The wife the Torah doesn't obligate her. And therefore, the Torah doesn't she doesn't have an out and out command. What about the fact that we may but we need people in the world? I mean so so what what about women will just opt out of getting married? So that that's why the Torah has given women a natural instinct A to want to be married, B to want to have children. The Gamara says more than a man wants to get married a a woman wants to be married. And number one and number two, women have a natural mothering instinct. There is actually a a professor, I think at Harvard, who got in a lot of trouble because he said that he saw a difference between the genders when it came to the hard sciences. That he said that men were better at the the higher higher science. And he got in a lot of trouble for it. And this whole idea that there might be a difference between men and women. So he he and he claimed what he said was that he he did an experiment with his children. He had like a young son, he had like a 4-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter or something like that. And he bought them each a set of trucks. So his 4-year-old son immediately sat down on the floor and started playing demolition derby, crashing the trucks into each other. And his daughter walks out of the room, he says, "Here's the daddy truck and here's the mommy truck and here's the baby truck." And so there I rest my case. You know, and everybody got all upset, "How dare you?" So on. And so what we know is obvious. It took a Harvard professor to to bring So the Torah says therefore she doesn't have the obligation. So when it says that and prove it wrong, many of the obligation women don't the Torah will not because of derech eretz. Derech eretz is ways are ways of pleasantness and the Torah will not obligate her. But we could rely on the fact that they have this natural mothering instinct, natural desire to get married, that they'll do it anyway. I know of women who they give birth, after going through the whole thing, they give birth, and the first thing they're thinking is when am I going to have another one? They They say they're remarkable crea- remarkable. Remarkable. And that's why I said the Torah is not concerned about that. Okay, what were you going to ask, Lonnie? >> What happens if you get married and she doesn't want to have kids, or you have one >> Doesn't work that way. Doesn't work Doesn't work that way. She gets married, she gets married knowing that that she's going to have to have kids. If she pulls a surprise on you, you know, like, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention." You know, that that doesn't work that way. You know, that doesn't work that way. There has to be understood that that's the purpose. It has to be the purpose they're getting married. It could happen There are situations where a woman gets married. I know of one situation where the doctors medically said that at least for a certain amount of time they can't have children. I know a woman who had a heart condition, and the doctor said she is not allowed to get pregnant and have children. And she had anyway got pregnant, not intentionally, but she got pregnant and that hasn't worked out. But then you could have situations like that. You could have situations where people can't handle that. The When it comes to birth control and that sort of thing, a responsible halachic authority has to be involved on a personal level. Yeah, there are no general rules. There each say case has and it has to be a responsible halachic authority. Okay. Now, let's go back to where we were yesterday on page 42. >> [clears throat] >> So, Noah goes and he plants this vineyard. And then it says he drinks the wine. Now, the Gemara I want to read you a Gemara. This is a Gemara in Sanhedrin. The Gemara in Sanhedrin on daf ayin. Uh on daf ayin. And the Gemara says like this, it quotes the pasuk, "Al tira yayin ki yis adam." Do not visit with wine, which makes things red. Which means that it reddens people's faces. And the Gabara then quotes this this Noah's story and I want to read it where is it over here? Yeah. Now what look at read the possible I want to show you the possible inside. Watch this. It's two lines from the bottom. Count with me. Vav yud vayachel vayikaraim another vav yud combination vayish then he drinks min hayayin vayishkar another vav yud combination vayisgal bisoch ohalo and he's vayar is another vav yud combination Cham b'Chanaan es ervas aviv vayaged he tells it l'shnei achav is another vav yud combination vayikach and he takes Shem v'Yefes as a similar they take the garment cuz Noach is exposed vayasimo they put it al shchem shneihem they put it on their shoulders vayelchu achoranis they go backwards out of respect to their father vayechasu es ervas aviv they cover their father's nakedness u'fnei achoranis ervas aviv lo rau vayiketz Noach miyeyno he wakes up from his wine vayeda es asher vayomer and he said now if you look in this section there are 14 times that it says a vav yud combination How does vav yud get pronounced? vai like we say no no not the vai so here vai so many >> [laughter] >> no not that vai meaning vai like oy yeah I told you the other expresses, "Oy vey." Or like the Torah says, "Lemi oy." The possuk says, "Lemi oy." Who's groaning, "Oy?" "Lemi avoy." When we say "Oy va vey, oy va voy," it's actually based on a possuk, "Oy and avoy." And the possuk says, "Who is always groaning, 'Oy vey, oy?'" People who spend time drinking alcohol. That's what That's what they say cuz you end up with a beaten up you. End up in a fight, you end up getting bruised, you end up with a with a hangover, and all of the all the blessings that come from alcohol. 14 times in the possuk over here it says there there's a "vai" to indicate what happened to Noach over here, that he goes and he drinks the wine. Now, by the way, there's a midrash that says there was a guy who had a This is This is This is I'm going to tell you two midrashim. There's one midrash that says that the there there was a guy who was always drinking, and his son was very embarrassed. His father was always getting drunk, and his son was very embarrassed of his father. So, he managed to keep his father in the house. He just said, "Dad, I'll get you in the house, you know." They They kept kept his father in the house. Okay. One day the son goes goes walking outside. It's a rainy day, and he sees a drunk in the gutter. And the water's falling on him, the gutter water's falling on him, the kids are throwing mud at him, and he's look He just looks like a like a drunk. Like your roommate in college. Forget that either. You know, he just he's There he is. And so, this guy sees what this This guy just looks like an absolute wreck. So, he runs home, and he gets his father. He says, "Dad, come here. I want to show you something." And he calls his father over. He says, "Look at that guy." He says, "That's what you look like all the time." He says, "That's what you look like when you're drunk." And the father goes, "Really?" And he walks up to the guy, and he says, "Where did you get the booze?" So, the midrash says, at that point the sun just gives up he throws up his hands and he gives up that's one magic and there's another there's another magic that wasn't quite the way it was supposed to go like the sun is that's not where I was going with this then there's another magic that there was a man who was drinking and he kept selling off his property to buy to buy alcohol. So his sons didn't know what to do with it they said you know that's we got to do something but he's going to run away he's going to he's going to run down our entire inheritance so they take the father and they go to a cemetery and they put him in a cave. They hide the father in a cave in a cemetery in the meantime there's a group of wine merchants who start come to town and they hear noise coming from the town it sounds like there's some sort of army might have come in and they might have taken over the town so they get really nervous so they go to the cemetery and they'll say let's unload the wine over here we'll unload the wine over here until until things clear up so we find out you know then we'll go to town in the meantime they unload the wine and one of the one of the this guy wakes up he's in the cave he wakes up and sure enough there's a the the the pouch what's that pouch called where you put in wine? A flask there's a flask and and the opening is right there and there he is in the cave he's lying on his back and he's got wine in the cave now he's just he's just drinking the wine happy as a lark. After 3 days his sons decide you know let's go check on dad I mean we dropped him in a cave let's go see what they come to the they come to the cemetery and they see hey you know his his his his he's got he's got a whole supplies as I we see this is out of our hands they bring him home and they keep supplying him with the booze because they realize it's out of their hands this is the magic says but the wine is the wine is the wine is destructive so Noah gets involved now we we said yesterday he's an Isha Adama. Noach is an Isha Adama. Now, what happens to what happens over here? Pay attention carefully. Va'yar Cham, bottom line. Va'yar Cham Av Kenaan. Cham, [snorts] whose name means what? >> Hot. It means there's something like uh you know, he he he's he's impulsive. He's almost what we would call immature. Va'yar Cham Av Kenaan is ervas Aviv. He sees his father is lying naked. Like this is BIG NEWS. WOW, YEAH. HE GETS all yeah like a little kid. Va'yaged lishne achav bachutz. He tells his two brothers outside. He runs outside to report the news. Va'yikach Shem va'Yefes es ha'simlah. Shem and Yefes take the garment. Va'yasimu al shchem shneihem. Va'yelchu achorannis. They go backwards. Va'yechasu es ervas Aviv. They cover up their father's nakedness. U'fneihem achorannis ervas Aviv lo ra'u. They don't see They manage to do it in a discreet way. What was the reward for Shem as a result of covering up his father with his garment? That his >> He had from him come the Jewish people. >> And what are they specifically are the Jewish people going to get? They're going to get the mitzvah of tzitzis. >> How? >> It's a reward. You covered him with the garment, you're going to get the reward is going to be tzitzis. Yefes, 400 years later, he has descendants who die and they get buried. They merit burial because of what Yefes did over here. Shem, his descendants get tzitzis, okay? So, that shows you how an action, every single action, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, what's his reward for covering up his father? His reward is that he's going to be given he's going to his descendants millions and millions of Jews are now going to have the merit of putting on tzitzis because the ancestor did it. And the lesson for us is that a person can never underestimate the effects of one little action. What is going to be the What are the ramifications? Okay. Noach is Noach Vayiketz Noach me ayin o. Noach wakes up from his wine. Vayeida asher asah lo beno hakatan. Vayomer or Kenaan. He curses Kenaan. And the commentators say Kenaan was the instigator over here. Kenaan was the instigator of this entire this entire thing. Eved avadim yihyeh le'echav. He will be a slave to his brothers. Kenaan is going to be a slave to his brothers. Now, if you look at Rashi's commentary, you look at Rashi's commentary, he says this wasn't a curse per se. Noach wasn't cursing him as much as he was saying describing his nature. And he was saying somebody who is Cham, somebody who is that type of person, he needs supervision. He needs somebody to watch over. Left to his own devices, he's going to destroy himself. And therefore, what Noach is projecting human what's going to be in through human history. Vayomer baruch Hashem Elokei Shem ve Kenaan eved lamo. That means that even Shem, when Shem is in exile, they're still going to have servants from Cham from Kenaan. >> [clears throat] >> Vayaft Elohim leYefes. And Hashem will give beauty to Yefes, which is what we call culture, Greece. Veyishkon be'ohalei Shem ve Kenaan eved l'ma. That's the end of the story. And then it says that Noach dies. He lives to 950 years old. That's the end of Noach. From 600 years old he comes out of the teva. We don't know anything. He doesn't tell us anything more. Just that Noach went and there was a certain downgrade by going and getting it. Now, Noach's intention here, according to the commentaries, he had all the good intention. Then Noach felt that this is the renewal of the world that we spoke about yesterday. But at the end of the day, at the end of the day he's downgraded. Now, the what I skip on ahead. Yeah, somebody had a question. Go ahead. >> What other prophets and events did Noach live through because 950 years is like a lot. >> What else did What was it? What did he >> What prophets and events did Noach live through? Like the Tower >> We don't Oh, oh, oh, oh, no, no, no, no. That's That's That's coming up now. That's coming up now. Okay? That That come good. That's coming up right now. Yeah, go ahead. >> So, Cham means heat, does the name Kenaan mean anything? >> Yes, the name Kenaan the the Eretz Yisrael is called the land of Kenaan. It comes from the Hebrew word hachna'ah. Hachna'ah means submission. In which Kenaan is going to be the one who's supposed to submit. Not only that, the land of Israel is the land of submission. That means in Israel we mentioned this before that in Israel, if you go to the old city in any in about a square The radius of a square mile in the old city, you've basically got all my You've got how many world religions represented over there? You've got the Greek Orthodox, the Russian Orthodox, the Roman Catholic, and a You got the Muslims and that You got You got everything there. Israel is a land that lends itself to submission. You just got to submit to the right thing. Not only that, that's why in Israel was the land of idol worship. Egypt was the land of immorality. Israel was the land of idol worship because idol worship is also a form of submission. It's just mischanneling the energy of submission. And so it's called Eretz Kenaan. Kenaan comes with the word hakhna, which is the mention, yeah. >> Uh so, in here it talks about what Ham did to >> Yeah. >> his father. >> I I didn't get into that. >> Well >> I I didn't get into that for reasons. I'm not talking about that now. >> Well >> Yeah, right. That's >> No, but >> I I I I didn't talk I didn't I didn't get into that for Page 48. >> Okay. >> Right. Yeah. >> I have a question about the You said that early when they would part of the reason they separated in the ark was for self-control to self-control to the next generation, right? And one of the first things that Noah did when he left the ark was to get drunk, which is kind of opposite >> A lack of self-control. Correct. >> Or well, at least the lack of self-control. >> Unintentional In other words, he had as like many people who drink many people drink with good intention, but the good intention Uh you bring me some The many people drink with good intention, but the good intention awfully, you know, if you overdo it, if you overdo it, you end up with with with with with some sort of misbehavior. He had good intention. According to some, he want he was drinking in order to stimulate himself in order to be able to fulfill the mitzvah of pru ur'vu. So, you could That's why the word says wine is a very very delicate thing. It could go Remember he said yesterday, it could be you could be the the You could be the exactly. >> Exactly. >> And that's why And Noah, he's he's trying to do And by the way, he is criticized for it. What are you getting involved in that for? You should have been planting something else. Why are you involved in that? But that's why it's even the people with the greatest self-control in the world sometimes lose control, you know, that that that's that's the idea. Okay. Okay. Let's go. >> Why did Noah curse Ham's son and not Ham? >> Good. So, according to what the question was, why did he curse Canaan's son and not Ham's son and not Ham himself? According to what opinion, Canaan was the instigator of the whole thing, which is why the Torah mentioned him when it first says that Noah has three sons. When it says that he had he had three sons, they came out of it says on page 44, it he says um Where is it? It says on on page 42, it says, "These were the sons of Noah who came out of the table, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham is the father of Canaan." It's out of place over there. Why are you telling me that? That's an introduction to the according to some, that's an introduction that that that that Canaan is the instigator of it. Canaan eggs his father on. That's one approach, and therefore Canaan is the one that gets cursed. There's another opinion that that um There's another opinion that because they were blessed, Hashem blessed them that they should be fruitful and multiply, they were subject to a blessing. Therefore, he doesn't want to put the curse on them. I'll put the curse on your son, not you. Cuz Ham was already under the influence of the blessing. That's one of the one of one of the explanations given. And that's why we find later on when Abraham has a son, the first shidduch in history. When Isaac needs to get married, so it says that Eliezer had a daughter. And Eliezer wanted that shidduch for his daughter. And Abraham When Abraham says, "I want you to go to go to my relatives and find a girl for my for my Isaac." And Eliezer is like >> [clears throat and cough] >> I I you know, you know, what about Zelda? You know, and and and and Abraham says, "Sorry." Abraham says, "Sorry, my son is blessed. Your son is cursed." Cuz Eliezer is a son of Canaan. He's a descendant of Canaan. Blessing and curse doesn't go together. Blessing and curse doesn't go together. And therefore, that's what the before she say over here. Okay? Yeah, yeah, go ahead. >> Um when it says that Canaan will be a slave of slaves to his brothers, does that also mean he will be a slave to the other sons of Ham? Or >> There it doesn't say. There it doesn't say. It says that he's a that that that he's going to be that's his Now again, that is a curse, but he needs supervision. That's what That's what the verse says. And I recommend everybody should read there. Okay? I want to get to this because this I think applies to us. Um uh you know, slavery hasn't been around for a while. It doesn't apply as much until till you get married. Um the uh You'll have ha ha ha. My wife asked for money yet again this morning. Oh, by the way, I need some money. And yesterday she needed money. And the day before she needed money. So at least I got away with cash and not giving her the credit card. Well, that's bad. When I When I give it you tell on the day she has the credit card, you'll be able to read it on me. Okay. Passek Yud Aleph, perek Yud Aleph, page 48. Okay, this is also fascinating. The Tower of Babel is very very intriguing. I want to ask a question. I just want to ask one question. They sent up a space shuttle. Remember Challenger? They sent up the Challenger exploded. Right? That was after after about a minute and they they That's the Challenger exploded. Okay. The first one was called, I think, Discovery. Then it was called Voyager. Then the third was called Challenger. And somebody once pointed out that it's very interesting, you know, discovery. You want You want discover? Okay. Go discover. You want a voyage? All right, go voyage. You want a challenge? Who are you challenging up there? Okay, I'll see your challenge try and raise you one explosion. You know, you're challenging? Who are you challenging exactly? So, it's just an interesting side point. If you had were the head of NASA, you're the head of NASA or let's project about the head of NASA. And you're watching this thing as a vent takes place and this thing explodes. You're the head of NASA. You're the director. What are you upset about if I could get you alone and get put you on a lie detector and you're going to be tell me the truth. Are you upset about what? >> Money. >> Money is certainly an option. >> Time and investments. >> Time and investments or the loss of human life. Which one are you the what he comes out on the camera what does he say to you what does he say on TV? Talks about the loss of human life. What are you really upset about? If I had a if I had a bet about what's going on in his heart of hearts, I'm sure he's upset about the loss of human life. But what he's really upset about and then money is certainly a factor is the setback to the entire space program. You've just had a major setback on the entire space program. Your life, your investment, your time, your money, everything else. Sure he's going to talk about the loss of human life. But at the end of the day what's he really upset about? I'm only projecting. I'm only I didn't say for sure. I'm just guessing. Okay. Now take a look. The entire world is one language and they got one goal. So, they go off to the plains or a valley. And they said to each other, "Let's make bricks and fire up the They say to each other, "Let's make bricks and fire up the furnace." Let's make bricks. And we'll fire up the furnace. The bricks became their stones and they used this putty or this uh uh mortar, whatever it was. You know, in the grand scheme of things, what difference does that make? Where they got the bricks from? The Torah takes two verses over here to tell us how they You know, in the grand scheme of things, what difference does that make? Where they got the bricks from? The Torah takes two verses over here to tell us how how they got building materials. I mean, honestly, this two verses, you know, in the First World War, which we're going to see what Abraham fights the kings, the four kings versus the five kings and Abraham gets involved and he fights the kings. You know how many verses that takes up when Abraham gets involved? Two verses. Two verses for a world war, two verses for bricks. I mean, really? Okay. Let's build a city, a tower with its head up in the heavens. And we'll make a name for ourselves and we'll make a name for ourselves whether we get scattered over the earth. Now, you know, first of all, Rashi says why did they want to build this tower? Well, they said every 1,565 years there's a flood. 1,565 or 1,656, I forgot which one it was. Whichever it is, there's every 1,500 years or so there's a flood. And what we need to do is we need to make a tower that's going to hold up so things don't collapse up there. Honestly, you idiots. Number one, number two, your statistical background your statistics are not great here either. There has only been one flood. It's not a great basis for statistics. Statistics are an interesting thing. It's like this 99-year-old guy goes into the shoe store. He goes to the shoemaker. And the shoemaker he says, "I need a pair of shoes." And he starts telling him, "No, but you use I want to use this leather, that leather, this leather, that leather." So, the shoemaker says, "Listen, you're 99 years old. I mean, really, honestly, how how long do you think these shoes need to last for?" He says, "Statistically, very few people die after the age of 99." So, statistics statistics can lie. Uh statistics are the are not often uh are not the most reliable. That's your statistic. Well, every once in a while, what's going on here? That's number And number two, what's going on with the What's with the bricks? What's with the bricks? The answer is, not only that, there's a medrish. And there's a medrish you heard when you were a little kid. When they were building this tower, if a if if a human being fell and died, nobody cared. But when a brick fell and it broke, then everybody was upset. Really? I mean, humans can make more bricks. They're building a tower into the sky. What's that the the real tall one in uh the tallest one in the world? >> Burj Khalifa. >> What's it called? >> Burj Khalifa. >> Burj Khalifa? Yeah, what's it about What is it about 800 about a half a mile tall? It's about a half a mile tall. So, imagine these guys trudging up all the way up, you know, uh you know, and he drops THE BRICK. OH, NO! LOOK OUT BELOW! >> [laughter] >> A GUY falls off. No, this guy fell off, right? But what what what what are they what are they children over here? They're bunch of idiots. They're not idiots. They're we're not idiots. Well, what it sound like a child's story. What's going on? The answer is that mankind has a very strong desire to push God out of the picture. I don't need God. I'm in control. And not only I'm in control, I don't need stone. I don't need stones. I can make my own bricks. And the Torah describes what's the entire goal here. The entire goal here is independence. I don't need to rely on God. I'll use human resources and I'll advance technologically, which the world has done, right? But what does advancing mean? It just means confronting new problems instead of old problems. Not everything that's been developed has been beneficial. And even if it is beneficial, it brings as many drawbacks as benefits. So, they never used to have telephones. Before telephones, what did people do? So, were telephones a good thing? Are telephones a good thing? The fact that they invented a telephone, is that a good thing? Well, for certain things it's a good thing. On the other hand, it allows mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law to talk more often than they really should. That's not such a great thing. It allows more loshon hora in the world. It allows people to waste more time. Is it But there are a lot of good things. You could call an ambulance faster. Sure, cuz you need one now for the daughter-in-law cuz they were talking on the phone. >> [laughter] >> Or Or you need Or you You know, there are a lot of things that can happen now. You Sure, there are a lot of good things. You could call your stock broker. You could invest. You could do a lot. But there are just as many draw Are cars a good thing? There were a lot few people lot less accidents when they used horses and buggies. So, are cars a good thing? People could get to work. Yeah, people also get drink. Yeah, people get run over. You understand? Everything has got a positive and a negative. Do you know that Reb Chaim Kanievsky said so? Never had a telephone in in home. I'll get to you in a second. He never had a telephone in his home, ever, any kind of telephone whatsoever. Even landlines. They never had a landline. He did seem to have done okay. >> It's cuz everyone was in his home. >> Exactly. Well, yeah, well, that's because everyone was in his home because he didn't have a telephone. He got to the point where he got to cuz he didn't have the telephone. So, every I have I I don't have a cell phone. I've never had a cell phone. I've never had any sort of port I've never had any sort of cell of what do you call it a mobile phone at all. Not smartphones. Everybody thinks I have a smartphone. I've never had any phone any sort I never bought a cell phone. People you know people say to every time I tell people that the most common reaction I've gotten is I I don't have a cell phone. What do you do? That's what people say. That's what people said to me. What do you do? I didn't say I have an oxygen shortage. I said I don't have a cell phone. And people what if somebody needs to get a hold of you? What's the problem? So, we'll do what we've always done. They call up the house and I'll leave a message. And if they want to give me money I call them back. If they want my money, I don't call them back. I don't know what's not what's not clear or what's so complicated. What if your wife needs to get a hold of you? I don't have a phone. >> [laughter] >> He said with a smile. >> [laughter] >> But no, what if it's an emergency? Yeah, we had an emergency. I've had an emergency. Yeah, my wife has to got it. She calls the secretary twice in 7 years of learning in Kolo my wife needed to get a hold of me. What did she do? She called the secretary here. And both times it was an emergency. There was a mouse in the house. Anytime both times. Both times. And anytime same mouse. And anytime and anytime if she needs to get So, she calls the office. They come and give me a message. I well well yeah yeah I but there are benefits. Yeah, there are benefits. There're drawbacks and benefits. We want to develop technologically. We want really to take control and that's every one of us, gentlemen. Every one of us feels, every human being feels, we want to be a successful human being. I want to be in control. And the Torah is teaching you, sometimes you're not going to get control. There's nothing we can do about taking total control of ourselves. We will always be relying on God. And the according to the measures they wanted to build this tower was going to have wings that was going to block off any any any sort of negative forces and so on. There are all sorts of strange measures over here. At the end of the day, at the end of the day, it's all about technological advance. That's the whole It's been a man's desire since the time of creation. I want to be in control. I want to be away I don't want God imposing on my life. And that's the two people in the world. There are those who are willing to acknowledge there is a creator and I'm going to serve the creator. And there are those that say, I don't want him I don't need Just stay out of Just stay out. I don't don't bother me and I won't bother you. Bless you. Go ahead. >> How How old was the Tower of Babel and what was it looking like? >> It doesn't We don't have any There are various in the measures. We don't have a clear a clear picture, you know, you're not not what you're You're you're very rarely going to find in Torah when they when they get descriptions of like what happened in the war exactly, who did You know, there's going to be a little bit that's not going to tell you all the all the details we're curious about that they don't tell you. And that they leave to your to your imagination. >> Where was it? >> Huh? >> Where was it like >> Babel. In in >> Where was it? >> Where Babel is Iraq. Today is Babel is Iraq. Babylon is Babel is Iraq. Exactly what the Iraq what the what the empire covered that we don't know. What we do know is what happened to the people. >> Okay. It says that a third of them died, a third of them turned into monkeys, and a third of them were scattered around. Reverse the exo- the only source that the Torah that even that could that that that even mentions man and monkeys, and it's the exact opposite of what evolution said. Yeah, there were men that turned into monkeys. There were no monkeys turned into men. There were men that turned into monkeys. That's what it That's what it says about the about the Tower of Babel. So, Hakadosh Baruchu scatters them. What was their goal? To be united. The United Nations, that wonderful body. The United Nations, we're going to be united over here. What did Hakadosh Baruchu do? He scatters the whole bunch of them. Because the idea of nations nations being together the idea of nations being together, it doesn't work. It doesn't work. There's no such thing as what what do you call it? Europe, where they have the European Union. We're all We're all No, you're not. No, you're not. You're You're different. And they said, "No, they they they The famous Midrash says that Hakadosh Baruchu scattered He scattered He He changed the languages. They're accommodated He didn't change the languages. They all knew all 70 languages. Then Hakadosh Baruchu had each one forget 69 of them. And they scattered around and developed their 70 called 70 primary 70 primary 70 primary languages, 70 primary nations, and Hakadosh Baruchu scatters them around. Okay. The uh If If you go towards the end of the parsha, there's one more point I want to show you. Um it's um it's pasuk Where is it? Here, 1 second. Where is it? Um One second, this one is a very important point here. Where is it? Skip some words. One second, one second. Take a look. It's Where's Where is uh I can't find it. Okay. I I can't There was one There was uh Nimrod and I can't find him. Okay, now look at the other part of this introduction to next week's parashah. It's all the main about on page 50. Okay. Uh there's a man named Terah. And then it says on page 50, page 50, Vayehi Terah shiv'im shanah. Page 50, five lines, six lines from the bottom. Vayehi Terah shiv'im shanah vayyoled et Abram et Nahor ve'et Haran. So, Terah has three sons, Abram, Abram, Nahor and Haran. V'elleh toldot Terah, Terah yalid et Abram, et Nahor, ve'et Haran, v'Haran yalid et Lot. Haran is the father of Lot. And then it says, Vayyamot Haran al pnei Terah b'Ur Kasdim. Haran dies. How did Haran die, gentlemen? There was a fire, a furnace, and it was the same furnace that was used to make those bricks. That's why the Torah emphasizes the furnace. And Nimrod is the king. And Nimrod Terah comes and he snitches on Nimrod. Terah tells the Nimrod, Terah was an idol seller. And Avram Avinu smashed up his idols. Remember the story? Terah says to Avram Avinu to watch the shop. So Avram Avinu smashes up all the idols, puts a stick in the hand of the biggest idol. And then Terah comes and he says, "What happened?" He says, "Oh, it was terrible. Oh, it was terrible. You I I I can't believe this. They got They got They got They you know They got out of hand. There was a big fight over here and that big smashed idol, he smashed them all up." Terah says, "You know he can't cuz the little idol, he can't move." He says, "So what do you worship him for? What do you worship big him for?" So Terah takes Avram Avinu to Nimrod and snitches on him. Nimrod says, "Okay, is it bow to the idol or into the furnace?" And Avram says, "The furnace." Puts them in the furnace and Avram survives it. Then Terah turns to Haran and he says to Haran, "Furnace or idols?" And Haran says, "Well, let's see what happens to Avram. Then I'll tell you." And then Avram survives and says, "I'm definitely a furnace man." And he goes into the furnace and he dies. He's a He Haran got But then there's But it's the father of Lot. And what comes from Lot? >> A dominatrix. >> Mashiach Mashiach comes from Lot. That's very interesting. Not only Mashiach come Everything comes from Haran. Not only he Not only Mashiach. Rifka, Rachel, Leah, they all come from They're all descendants of This Haran couldn't have been so bad. Something about >> [snorts] >> So, if you had a choice, if you had a choice of the furnace or the idol, regardless of what happened to the guy ahead of you, what would you choose? If you want to stay alive. Yeah, Avram was in the furnace and he stayed alive. Yeah, and now they're asking you your choice. What would you do if you had a choice? Which would you choose? I would choose the idols if I wanted to stay alive. That's certainly it's still a better bet than the furnace. And he chooses the furnace. Why? That means at some level Harun was a believer. Harun was a believer himself. He was willing to chance it. He was willing to risk it. He wasn't just some clown. He was willing to Oh, this is a guy in a higher level. He's just not quite on the same level as Avraham Avinu. But he's at a high enough level to have Lot and have Mashiach. He has a tremendous merit that he's willing to be mekadesh. He makes a kiddush Hashem, too. He goes into the furnace. The one question that we have to ask, we can't have time for it now, is if Avraham Avinu went into the furnace, why isn't that mentioned as the one of the first the first test of Avraham Avinu? Huh? >> It was a no-brainer. >> It was a no-brainer. Uh-huh. And since it's a no-brainer, so no big deal. Just go right into the furnace. As you know, the old the old furnace no-brainer. Yeah, I know. The answer is you're you're to a certain extent you're right, but we'll see next week if we have time. Call it the tower of power. >> Can I ask you a question about Lamech? >> Yes. Let