This Lelamed Dvar is also available in your local App Store (iTunes and Android). I hope you enjoy and share this Dvar from Rabbi Zweig... _______________________________________________ In Parshat Noach, the Torah introduces the episode of the building of the Tower of Bavel with a description of the building materials which were used. Rashi comments that since Bavel was a plain, having no mountains and rocks, the inhabitants of the area were forced to manufacture their own bricks. Of what significance is this information to the overall understanding of the entire episode? Rashi comments on the verse "of common purpose" that the inhabitants of Bavel conspired against the notion that G-d is the sole power over the entire universe. It was their perception that the world was theirs, devoid of Divine authority, and they conspired to attack the authority that resided in the heavens. The reason for the emphasis on the brick being used as a building material is succinctly captured by the Ibn Ezra who comments on the verse "and the brick served them as stone", saying that they used bricks instead of stone. Their preference for bricks reflected their perception that they were living in a world which they themselves created (when a person bakes bricks, using them to construct his home, they may have the feeling that their abode is separate from G-d, for they themselves have processed the materials used to construct it). They deluded themselves into believing that G-d no longer exercised His authority over this world. All too often, we ourselves become blinded by mankind's technological advancements. As man progresses in his technological pursuits, he becomes more prone to losing sight of the fact that G-d is the ultimate authority in this world. Shlomo Ressler _______________________________________________ Quotation of the Week (thanks to Goldbond): " A smile is a little curve that can set a lot of things straight. - Rabbi Krohn