Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/108

 The Book of Genesis

90

the language which even

God and

was Hebrew. our Bible was written in erently the IsJion

it,

Many

this,

and

also because;

they called this language rev"the holy language", or "the

liakkodesli,

language of God".

the angels used, so our

Because of

fathers told,

who are not even know Hebrew. And surely eager to know as much as

people today,

Jews, are happy to study and to

we Jews

ourselves

should be

and holy language of our fathers. mankind increased in numbers, a false ammake a name for themselves, seized them. They build a great city and a tower so high that it would

possible of this beautiful

In time, as bition to

began

to

reach up to heaven, for they thought that thus they might

They labored on ceaselessly, and at last God. was finished, and the tower was rising higher and higher. But the higher the tower rose, so the wise rabbis told, the more the old spirit of love, harmony and peace disappeared. They were so eager to finish their task and

get

up

to

the city

wnn

name, that they ceased to care for each other. from the tower and was killed, no one grieved, for there were plenty more men, and they could not take time to stop. But if, perchance, a brick fell to the ground, then they grieved exceedingly, for some one must climb down to pick up the brick, since it was needed in building, and thus much valuable time was lost. Because of their selfish ambition and desire a brick now seemed to them more If a

their great

man

fell

human

])recious than a

life.

Thus they came

to put a false

value upon things, and to misunderstand the i)urpose of

Small

life.

wonder, therefore, that God was displeased, and de-

to ])ut an end to this state of things. So mankind was scattered over the whole earth, and came to form separate peoples and to speak different languages. But at this very same moment, so the Bible implies, and

termined

so

the

rabbis

God determined who should stand and should speak His own

also

taught,

people as His very own,

than any other,

to

create

nearer to

one

Him

holy language,