Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/109

 The Tozvcr of Babel This people was

Hebrew.

But

Israel.

all

other peoples, and bestow upon

favor and blessing.

was

Israel

Israel

was not

God might

God's chosen people, merely that than

91

to

be

it

love

it

be

to

better

a larger share of

God's

servant

and

messenger unto mankind, charged with the task of teaching all the world about (lod, and His life of peace and brotherly For this reason God taught Israel love and true worship. first the knowledge of Himself, and revealed to it His law. And if Israel, in turn, teaches this knowledge truly to man-

and exemplifies by its life, by the life of every single Jew, the way in which God wants all mankind to live, then at last mankind will learn this knowledge, and come to live kind,

in

accordance with God's

Israel,

world.

the

will.

Then once more, through

peace and happiness and love will reign throughout In

accordance

with

His

promise,

bringing another flood to destroy mankind

when

instead

of

they became

God now prepared to create Israel, to teach men the way to live, and to bring mankind back to the right

wicked, true

and thus save them from the evil consequences of And in time, through Israel the true unity of the human race will be once more restored, the unity which will rest upon a stronger and more enduring basis than considerations of mere common language and dwelling together, the unity of God's spirit in all men, which binds them together as one family, brothers, God's children, created in His image, and fills them with the sincere desire to walk in In the very next lesson we His way and to do His will.

path,

their sin.

shall learn of

God's

call

of Israel for this glorious mission.

Another beautiful thought, too,

The people imagined

is

contained in this story.

by building a high tower they could actually get up to God, and thus make for themselves a name which would never perish. But they failed. Many people still have ambitions like this. They say to themselves, "I will make myself famous, so that my name shall be on every tongue, and people will call me 'Great' ". Others say, that