This Week’s Torah Portion: Noach – נֹחַ (Genesis 6:9−11:32)
וַיְהִ֥י כׇל־הָאָ֖רֶץ שָׂפָ֣ה אֶחָ֑ת וּדְבָרִ֖ים אֲחָדִֽים׃
Then, the entire world was of one language, with the same words… (Genesis 11:1)
The Tower of Babel story begins with every human on earth trying to be exactly the same. Because of this, God scatters the peoples and gives them different languages. The sin of the Tower of Babel was hegemony, meaning that God encourages us to be ourselves! If God wants to celebrate our differences, all the more so we should celebrate our differences!
Parsha Noach – נֹחַ Torah Summary:
God decides to cause a flood that will destroy the world, sparing only Noah’s family and the animals that Noah gathers together on the ark. (6:9-8:22)
Life starts over again after the Flood. The Noahide Commandments are listed, and God uses a rainbow to make a symbol of the first covenant. (9:1-17)
People start to build a city and the Tower of Babel. God scatters the people and gives them different languages to speak. (11:1-9)
The ten generations from Noah to Abram are listed. (11:10-29:2)
Noach – נֹחַ וַיְהִ֥י כׇל־הָאָ֖רֶץ שָׂפָ֣ה אֶחָ֑ת וּדְבָרִ֖ים אֲחָדִֽים׃
Then, the entire world was of one language, with the same words… (Genesis 11:1)
The Tower of Babel story begins with every human on earth trying to be exactly the same. Because of this, God scatters the peoples and gives them different languages. The sin of the Tower of Babel was hegemony, meaning that God encourages us to be ourselves! If God wants to celebrate our differences, all the more so we should celebrate our differences!
