Come let us descend (Bereshis 11:7)

The language written in this week’s parsha is very strange. Hashem says “Come let us descend,” which is very confusing for two reasons. First, why does Hashem need to descend; isn’t He everywhere? Also, why does it state “us”; isn’t Hashem the only One? Why is it plural?

This verse can very easily be misunderstood by heretics. They can say that G-d is not All-Knowing. They can say there is more than one G-d. Heaven forbid! So, why when Hashem wrote the Torah did He not write this verse a little differently so others wouldn’t interpret it incorrectly?

The reason is because Hashem wanted to teach us a lesson. Not only did He want to teach a lesson, but He wanted to show us that this lesson is so important that He included it even though it could cause others to make heretical statements. The lesson is that before we judge others, we need to make sure to take a close look at the situation and really see if we understand everything. Hashem knows and sees everything and certainly did not need to “descend” for a closer look. But He went out of his way to see what is going on at the Tower of Bavel to teach us that when we see something that we interpret as evil, we need to take a closer look.

The other lesson is that we should not make judgments ourselves. Even with all of the facts, we should not make a conclusion until discussing it with others. Hashem did not want to judge alone (even though He certainly could because He knows all), so He discussed the matter with a group of holy angels and asked them to descend with Him.

Basically, the lesson of this verse is we need to be careful how we judge others.

This past summer was the World Cup and many people heard the story of Luis Suarez. For the third time in his soccer career, he bit another player. Many people spoke of how awful of a person he is and made fun of him. I felt a little differently, though. I read an article that explained how his life was full of depressing moments and how soccer kept him alive. Soccer provided him a new life. Therefore, he is very passionate about soccer and he gets so passionate that he bites other players. I am not saying that this justifies what he does or that he should be allowed to bite others. It is certainly wrong and he needs help to make sure he does not do this again. But, this article gave an insight into his life which makes the story more clear. Instead of thinking of Suarez as an evil person, I feel sorry for him.

Before we want to judge others, make sure you totally understand the situation. Look at it very closely and if possible, discuss it with others. There is a reason why the person is doing what they are doing. Even if the act is evil, there is a different way of behaving when you think the other person is evil or if you feel sorry for him. Neither feeling means that what the person is doing is correct but one will let you judge the person more favorably.

Good Shabbos!
-y.e.s.
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