Bereishit Rabba 38 Core Texts - To Use with https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/329977

(1) And all of the land was one language (Genesis 11:1)": Elazar son of Yose bar Zimra began: "Do not kill them lest my people be unmindful: with your power make wanderers of them: (Psalm 59:12)". The rabbis interpret this verse as referring to Doeg and Ahitophel. David said: "Do not kill" Doeg and Ahitophel, "my people be unmindful"--lest the generations that follow forget. "With your power make wanderers of them" -- carry them away. "And bring them down"--bring them down from their greatness. And what will He do for us? "O our shield, the Lord." "Because of their sinful mouths, the words on their lips (Psalm 59:13)": this one allowed illicit sex and bloodshed and that one allowed illicit sex and bloodshed. This one allowed illicit sex and bloodshed, as it is said: "Have intercourse with your father’s concubines (2 Samuel 16:21)". "I will come upon him when he is weary and disheartened, and I will throw him into a panic (2 Samuel 17:2)". And this one allowed illicit sex and the spilling of blood. Nachman son of Samuel said: "He removed the citizenship from him [David] and made him a persona non grata and he was like a dead person, so his blood was allowed and his wife was allowed". Rabbi Eleazar in the name of Rabbi Jose son of Zimra began with the generation of the dispersion. Israel said: "Do not kill" the generation of the dispersion, "lest my people be unmindful"--lest the generations that follow forget. "With your power make wanderers of them" -- carry them away. "And bring them down"--bring them down from their greatness. And what will He do for us? "O our shield, the Lord." "Because of their sinful mouths": because of the sin which they sent forth from their mouths. They said: "One time for every 1,656 years the firmament totters, so rather let us go and let us make pillars, one from the north, and one from the south, and one from the west, and this will serve as the support from the east". "The words on their lips": "And all of the land was one language

2. R, Abba b. Kahana began thus; Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle among groats, etc. (Prov. xxvii, 22). Said R. x\bba b. Kahana: Like a man who pounds barley in a frame; so he [who chastises the fool] thinks to improve him, 2 yet even as it [the pestle] rises and falls, 3 Yet will his foolishness not depart from him (ib.). Thus the generation of the Flood was removed from the generation of Separation, but [two years, as it is written, Shem begot Arpachshad] two years after the flood (Gen. xi, 10), 4 yet, And the whole earth was of one LANGUAGE, etc. 5

. Johanan began thus : Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house (ib. xvn, 13). Said R. Johanan: If your neighbour [first] entertained you with lentils and you [subsequently] entertained him with meat, you are still indebted to him; why? Because he showed hospitality to you first. R. Simeon b. Abba said: Not only ' Whoso rewardeth evil for good \ but even he who rewardeth evil for evil, 6 'Evil shall not depart from his house J R. Alexandri commented on the verse 'Whoso rewardeth evil for good' 1 now the Torah said: If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under its burden, thou shalt forbear to pass by him; thou shalt surely release it with him (Ex. xxiii, 5) : of such Scripture saith, * Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart,' etc. 7 R. Berekiah related the

verse to these generations. 1 Now the generation of the Flood was removed from the generation of Separation but [two years, as it is written, ' Shem begot Arpachshad] two years after the flood 3 (Gen. xi, 10), yet, And the WHOLE EARTH WAS OF ONE LANGUAGE, etc

4. R. Judah b. Rabbi commenced: They know not, neither do they understand ; for their eyes are bedaubed, that they cannot see, and their hearts, that they cannot under- stand (Isa. xliv, 18). Thus it is written, The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, etc. (Gen. vi, 4). R. Judah b. Rabbi commented: The later generations would not learn from the earlier ones; viz. the generation of the Flood from that of Enosh, and the generation of the Separation from that of the Flood [from which it was but two years removed, as it is written, 'Shem begot Arpachshad] two years after the flood,' yet, And the whole earth WAS OF ONE LANGUAGE, etc.

5. R. 'Azariah commenced: We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed (Jer. li, 9) : ' We would have healed Babylon' — in the generation of Enosh; 'But she was not healed' — in the generation of the Flood. Forsake her > and let us go every one into his own country (ib.) — as it is written, And the whole earth was of one LANGUAGE, etc. 2

And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech (ahadim). R. Leazar said: That means, of veiled deeds, 3 for the deeds of the generation of the Flood are explicitly stated, whereas those of the generation of Separation are not explicitly stated. And of one speech (ahadim): that means that they spoke against two who were unique [lit. 'one'],

viz. against Abraham who was one (Ezek. xxxin, 24) and against The Lord our God, the Lord is One (Deut. vi, 4). Said they: 'This Abraham is a barren mule 1 and cannot produce offspring/ Against ' The Lord our God, the Lord is One': 'He has no right to choose the celestial spheres for Himself and assign us the terrestrial world ! But come, let us build a tower at the top of which we will set an idol holding a sword in its hand, which will thus appear to wage war against Him.' Another interpretation: And one speech (ahadim) means united in possessions, 2 what one possessed being at the other's disposal. The Rabbis said: Of one language (safah) may be illustrated by the case of a man who had a wine cellar. He opened one barrel and found it sour, another and found it sour, and a third and found it sour. ' This satisfies (mashpo) me that all the barrels are unfit/ he remarked. 3 R. Leazar said: Who is worse — the one who says to the king, * Either you or I will dwell in the palace,' or the one who says, 'Neither you nor I will dwell in the palace ' ? Surely the one who says, * Either you or I.' 4 Similarly, the generation of the Flood said, What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? (Job xxi, 15), whereas the generation of Separation said: 'It does not rest with Him to choose the celestial spheres for Himself and assign the terrestrial world to us. Come, rather, and let us build a tower at the top of which we will set an idol holding a sword, that it may appear to wage war with Him.' 5 Yet of the former not a remnant was left, whereas of the latter a remnant was left! But because the generation of the Flood was steeped in robbery, as it is written, They remove the landmarks, they violently take away flocks and feed them (tb. xxiv, 2), therefore not a remnant of them was left. And since the latter, on the other hand, loved each other,

as it is written, And the whole earth was of one language, 1 therefore a remnant of them was left. 2

Rabbi said: Great is peace, for even if Israel practise idolatry but maintain peace amongst themselves, the Holy One, blessed be He, says, as it were, ' I have no dominion over them ' ; for it is said, Ephraim is united in idol-worship z ; let him alone (Hos. iv, 17). But when their hearts are divided, what is written ? Their heart is divided; now shall they bear their guilt (ib. x, 2). Another interpretation : And of one speech (ahadim) means that they spoke sharp words (hadim), saying, 'Once in one thousand six hundred and fifty-six years the Firmament totters ; therefore let us go and make supports for it, one in the north, one in the south, one in the west, while this spot will be its eastern support.' Thus it is written, And all the earth was one language of sharp words.