C-P075-01 · bereishit 11:4
Main teaching
הם רצו לסלק השכינה מהתחתונים שלא יזכר שם ה'
They wanted to remove the Divine Presence from the lower realms, so that the Name of Hashem would not be mentioned.
"הָבָה נִבְנֶה לָנוּ עִיר וּמִגְדָּל וְגוֹ' וְנַעֲשֶׂה לָנוּ שֵׁם"
"Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, etc., and let us make ourselves a name."
(יא, ד)
(11:4)
כָּל בּוֹנֵי הַמִּגְדָּל הָיוּ כּוֹפְרִים בֶּאֱמוּנַת חִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁמִּשָּׁם הָיוּ כָּל טָעוּתֵיהֶם (אשר גם עתה כל הכופרים הגדולים נקראים על שמם פ"מ כידוע). וְעַל כֵּן אָמְרוּ 'הָבָה נִבְנֶה לָנוּ עִיר וּמִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם', כִּי הֵם הַהֵפֶךְ מִכָּל הַתִּקּוּנִים הַנַּ"ל שֶׁעַל יְדֵי זֶה זוֹכִין לֶאֱמוּנַת חִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם. כִּי הֵם אוֹמְרִים, הָבָה נִבְנֶה לָנוּ עִיר.
All the builders of the tower denied faith in the creation of the world, from which all their errors arose (for even now all the great deniers are called by their name, P.M., as is known). And therefore they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, with its top in the heavens,' for they are the opposite of all the above-mentioned rectifications through which one merits faith in the creation of the world. For they say, Come, let us build ourselves a city.
כִּי אֶת זֶה לְעֻמַּת זֶה שֶׁרוֹצִים לְהִתְקַבֵּץ וְלִבְנוֹת עִיר מִבָּתִּים רָעִים שֶׁלָּהֶם מִבִּנְיְנֵי דֵּעוֹת רָעוֹת, שֶׁלָּהֶם עַד שֶׁרוֹצִים לַעֲשׂוֹת מִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם לִבְנוֹת בִּנְיָן גָּבוֹהַּ מִדֵּעוֹת רָעוֹת שֶׁלָּהֶם עַד שֶׁיַּגִּיעַ רֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם לִמְרֹד נֶגֶד הַמָּקוֹם לַהֲפֹךְ הַקְּעָרָה עַל פִּיהָ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, וְלִכְפֹּר בָּעִקָּר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב שָׁם "וַיְהִי כָּל הָאָרֶץ שָׂפָה אַחַת וּדְבָרִים אֲחָדִים". וּפֵרֵשׁ רש"י, וּדְבָרִים חַדִּים אָמְרוּ וְכוּ', שֶׁכָּל זֶה הוּא בְּחִינַת כְּפִירוֹת בְּחִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם, כַּמּוּבָן לַמַּשְׂכִּיל.
For this is one thing opposed to the other: they want to gather together and build a city out of their evil houses, out of the constructions of their evil views, until they want to make a tower with its top in the heavens—to build a lofty structure from their evil views until its top reaches the heavens, to rebel against the Omnipresent, to overturn the bowl on its mouth, Heaven forbid, and to deny the fundamental principle, as it is written there, "And the whole earth was one language and common words." And Rashi explained: they spoke sharp words, etc.; for all this is an aspect of denials of the creation of the world, as the discerning person understands.
כִּי בְּוַדַּאי לֹא הָיוּ מְשֻׁגָּעִים וְטִפְּשִׁים גְּמוּרִים שֶׁאָמְרוּ שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ מִלְחָמָה עִם הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ, רַק כָּל כַּוָּנָתָם הָיָה שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ מִלְחָמָה בְּדֵעוֹתֵיהֶם הָרָעוֹת, שֶׁיִּבְנוּ שָׁם נֶגֶד הַדֵּעוֹת הָאֲמִתִּיּוֹת שֶׁל אֱמוּנַת חִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֵם מַכְנִיסִים וְקוֹבְעִים בְּלֵב כָּל אֶחָד יְדִיעַת אֱלֹקוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ. וְהֵם רָצוּ לְסַלֵּק שְׁכִינָתוֹ מִן הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים שֶׁלֹּא יִזָּכֵר חַס וְשָׁלוֹם שֵׁם ה' עוֹד, שֶׁזֶּה כָּל פְּנִימִיַּת כַּוָּנָתָם הָרָעָה שֶׁל בּוֹנֵי הַמִּגְדָּל שֶׁהָיָה אָז וְשֶׁל כָּל הַכּוֹפְרִים שֶׁל עַכְשָׁו שֶׁהֵם גַּם כֵּן בִּבְחִינַת בּוֹנֵי הַמִּגְדָּל. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב "הַחוֹשְׁבִים לְהַשְׁכִּיחַ אֶת שְׁמִי וְכוּ'". וְעַל כֵּן אָמְרוּ 'וְנַעֲשֶׂה לָנוּ שֵׁם', כִּי רוֹצִים לְהַמְשִׁיךְ הַשֵּׁם וְהַכָּבוֹד לְעַצְמוֹ, כִּי הֵם פּוֹגְמִים בְּשֵׁם ה', שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת כְּבוֹדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב "יְבֹרַךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹדוֹ לְעוֹלָם" וְכוּ'.
For they certainly were not wholly mad and foolish in saying that they would wage war against the Creator, blessed be He. Rather, their entire intention was to wage war by their evil views, which they would construct there, against the true views of faith in the creation of the world, which introduce and establish in everyone's heart knowledge of His Divinity, blessed be He. And they wanted to remove His Divine Presence from the lower realms so that, Heaven forbid, the Name of Hashem would no longer be mentioned; for this was the entire inner evil intention of the builders of the tower who were then, and of all the deniers of the present time, who likewise are in the aspect of the builders of the tower. And as it is written, "Those who think to cause My Name to be forgotten, etc." And therefore they said, 'And let us make ourselves a name,' for they want to draw the name and the honor to themselves, for they impair the Name of Hashem, which is the aspect of His glory, blessed be He, as it is written, "Blessed be the Name of His glory forever," etc.
(הלכות בית הכנסת הלכה ו' אות ט')
(Likutay Halachos, Laws of the Synagogue, Halacha 6, item 9)
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