Zohar Reading 4: Portion of Noach

Again, members of Z-Kabbalah are encouraged to meditate upon the portion of the Zohar at hand.  Read the short description of what the text concerns (the overall sentiment and meaning, if you will) and then read the English translations of the original Hebrew.  After each segment, scan that original Hebrew as if taking it within yourself.  Meditate, as I have said, on the form and pattern of the script; the over all flow of that ancient text.

“And Hashem said, 'behold, the people is one”

The biblical story of the Tower of Babel holds within it secrets concerning the power of unity. After the great Flood, the people of the world spoke a single language, which was Hebrew. A group of people living in the city of Babylon were using mystical black arts in an attempt to control and dominate the world. These black arts were empowered by spiritual forces transmitted via the Hebrew letters. The Zohar states that even the Creator could not stop these evil magicians as long as they were unified by speaking the same language. The Creator therefore caused a fragmenting of their language, severing their lines of communication, and this shattered their unity. Unified evil will always have the capability to defeat and conquer good if disunity exists among the righteous. The only way to defeat unified evil is through total unity among the good. This portion of the Zohar helps inspire us to seek unity in all our relationships. We begin to recognize that the cause of any disunity is our own ego.

384. Rabbi Chiya then quoted: “And Hashem said, Behold: They are one people, and they have all one language…” Come and behold: What is written? It says, “And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east (also, 'yore')” But what is the meaning of 'yore'? It refers to the First and Foremost of the Universe. SO HE ASKS: WHY DOES IT SAY, “And they found,” WHEN IT SHOULD HAVE SAID, 'And they saw?' What did they find? AND HE ANSWERED: They found part of the secrets of Wisdom of their forefathers, THE GENERATION OF THE FLOOD, which was shaken off at SHINAR (LIT. 'THE PLACE OF SHAKING OFF'). And with the wisdom that they found, they strove to rebel against the Holy One, blessed be He. They uttered OATHS TO BIND THE UPPER MINISTERS and TO BUILD THE CITY AND THE TOWER.

385. Come and Behold: It is written that “they are one people and they have all one language.” Because they are of one heart and one desire to speak the Holy Language, THEREFORE, “now nothing which they have planned to do will be withheld from them.” Nobody could prevent their acts, BUT THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, SAID, 'What shall I do? I shall confound the celestial entities above and their language below, and then their work will be restrained.'

386. And if they, because they were of one heart and one desire, all spoke the Holy Language, it is written: “nothing that they have planned to do, will be withheld from them,” and they will not be subject to the supernal Judgment. For us, and the friends who occupy themselves with the Torah and are of one heart and one desire, this will be all the more true, for NOTHING THAT WE WANT TO DO WILL BE WITHHELD FROM US

387. Rabbi Yosi said that from this we learn that people who are quarrelsome do not survive. As long as people are of one heart and one desire, even though they might rebel against the Holy One, blessed be He, the supernal Judgment is powerless against them. As soon as THE GENERATION OF THE TOWER differed with each other, Hashem “scattered them abroad from there…” SO WE LEARN THAT QUARRELSOME PEOPLE DO NOT SURVIVE LONG.

388. Rabbi Chiya then concluded that everything therefore depends upon the utterings of the mouth. As soon as THEIR LANGUAGE was confounded, “Hashem scattered them abroad…” But what does it say of the future? It says: “For then I will direct the peoples [to use] a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Hashem, to serve him with one consent,” (Tzefanyah 3:9) and, also, “and Hashem shall be King over all the earth; in that day shall Hashem be one, and His name one” (Zecharyah 14:9). Blessed be Hashem forever. Amen and Amen!

Re: Zohar Reading 4: Portion of Noach

In my understanding that story does express the power of unity and the power of “the word” on either side (Balaam is a good example) but one must remember that noting compares to the One Indivisible Unity (Hear O Israel Adonai Elohim Adonai is ONE). So in my understanding because they were going against the One Indivisible Unity in one respect they wanted control but in actuality in their heart they were saying the wanted the world destroyed because they proved that through their actions going against the One that sustains the world and if allow they would have destroyed the world but not the One Indivisible Unity.  Because to Hashem the fact that they would try to build a tower to heaven to get to Him like you can pinpoint Him is laughable but for the world's sake that tower had to be destroyed because if people rally like that again it is like having WW2 x100 this whole planet would be in cinders in the least aspect. Again this is my basic understanding.