Bereishit Rabba 38:7 onwards Core texts Supplementary Materials - https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/329977?lang=bi

And it came to pass, as they journeyed fromtheeas t — m ikk e dem (xi, 2). 4 They travelled from further east to nearer east.

R. Leazar b. R. Simeon interpreted: They betook themselves away from the Ancient (kadmon) of the world, saying, 'We refuse to accept either Him or His Divinity.' That they found a plain. R. Judah said: All the nations of the world assembled to discover which plain would hold them all, and eventually they found it. R. Nehemiah observed :Theyfound: thus it is written, If it concerneth the scorners, He permits them to scorn (Job ni» 34). 6

And they dwelt there. R. Isaac said: Wherever you find dwelling mentioned, Satan becomes active. 1 R. Helbo said : Wherever you find contentment, Satan brings accusations. 2 R. Levi said: Wherever you find eating and drinking, the arch-robber [Satan] cuts his capers [is up to mischief]

And they said one to another (xi, 3). Who said to whom? Said R. Berekiah: Mizraim said to Cush. 4 Come, let us make bricks, and burn them (we-nisrefah) thoroughly: This is written we- nissorfah 5 (and we will be burnt): this people 6 is destined to be burnt out of the world.

And they had brick for stone, etc. R. Huna said : Their work prospered : a man came to lay one [stone] and he laid two ; he came to piaster one [row] and plastered tw T o. 7 And they said: Come, let us build us a city, and a tower (xi, 4). R. Judan said: The tower they built, but they did not build the city. An objection is raised : But it is written, And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower {ib. 5)? Read what follows, he replied: And they left off to build the city {ib. 8), the tower, however, not being mentioned. R. Hiyya b. Abba said: A third of this tower which they built sank [into the earth], a third was burnt, while a third is still standing. And should you think that it [the remaining third] is small — R. Huna said in R. IdTs name: When one ascends to the top, he sees the palm trees below him like grasshoppers. And let us make a name (shem).

The School of R. Ishmael taught: Shem (a name) means nought else but an idol. 8

Lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. R. Simeon b. Halputha [rlalafta] quoted: A fool's mouth is his ruin (Prov. xviii, 7). 1

And the Lord came down to see, etc. R. Simeon b. Yohai said: This is one of the ten descents mentioned in the Torah. 2 Which the children of men (Adam) builded. R. Berekiah said : Would we then have thought that asses or camels built it ? It means, however, the children of the first man [Adam] 3 : Just as Adam, after all the good which I bestowed upon him, said, The woman whom Thou gavest to he with me, etc. (Gen. hi, i2), 4 so though the generation of the Flood [preceded that] of the Separation [by but two years, as it is said], ' Two years after the flood* (ib. xi, io), 5 yet, And the whole earth was of one LANGUAGE, etc. And the Lord said: Behold, they are one people, etc. (xi, 6). R. Judah interpreted it: Since, Behold, they are one people and they have all one language, 6 if they repent I will accept them. R. Nehemiah explained it: What caused them to rebel against Me ? Was it not because, Behold, they are one people and of one language? And now. R. Abba b. Kahana said: This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them an opportunity to repent, for And now indicates repentance, as it says, And now, Israel, What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, etc. (Deut. x, 12). But they said, 'No!' — Then let all which they purpose to do be withholden from them (xi, 6), 7 decreed the Lord. When a vineyard does not yield fruit, what does its owner do to it ? He uproots it !

10. Come, let us go down (xi, 7). This is one of the things which they 1 altered for King Ptolemy [changing it to] 'Come, I will go down, and there confound their language. 32 R. Abba interpreted it: Through their own lips will I destroy them. 3 Thus one said to his fellow- worker, ' Bring me water/ whereupon he would give him earth, at which he struck him and split his skull; 'Bring me an axe/ but he brought him a spade, at which he struck him and split his skull. Thus it is written, Through their own lips I will destroy them. 4

So the Lord scattered them abroad — wayyafez (xi, 8). R. Judan said: The Tyrians went to Sidon and the Sidonites to Tyre, while Mizraim [Egypt] retains his land. 5 R. Nehemiah said: All the countries assembled within the angular points and each absorbed its own inhabitants. 6

The Rabbis said : Wayyafez (scattered) is to be read wayyazef (swept away): the sea came up and swept away thirty families. 7

R. Phinehas said in R. Levi's name : No misfortune comes to a man which does not profit somebody. Whence were those thirty families replaced? From Abraham, sixteen from the sons of Keturah and twelve from Ishmael, 8 and as for the remaining two — And the Lord said unto her : Two nations are in thy womb (Gen. xxv, 23).

11. Therefore was the name of it called Babel (xi, 9). A disciple of R. Johanan was sitting before him and could not grasp his teaching. 'What is the cause of this ? ' he demanded. ' It is because I am exiled from my home/ replied he. 'Whence do you come?' inquired he. 'From Borsif/ he answered. 'Not that is its name/ he rejoined, 'but Balsif, in accordance with the text, Because there the Lord did confound (balal) the language (sefath) of all the earth.' 1

12. Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begot Abram, etc. (xi, 27). R. Abba b. Kahana said: Whoever has his name thus repeated has a portion in this world and in the World to Come. They raised an objection to him: But it is written, Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begot Abram, etc.? That too does not disprove it, replied he, for what is the meaning of, But thou [Abraham] shalt go to thy fathers in peace (ib. XV, 15)? He [God] informed him that his father had a portion in the World to Come; Thou shalt be buried in a good old age (ib.): He informed him that Ishmael would repent in his own days.

(13) [Genesis 11:28 says,] “And Haran died in the presence of his father Terach.” Rabbi Hiyya said: Terach was a manufacturer of idols. He once went away somewhere and left Abraham to sell them in his place. A man came in and wished to buy one."How old are you?" Abraham asked the man. "Fifty years old," he said. "Woe to such a man, who is fifty years old and would worship a day old object!" Avraham said.

On another occasion a woman came in with a plateful of flour and requested him, "Take this and offer it to them." So he took a stick and broke them, and put the stick in the hand of the largest.

\

When his father returned he demanded, "What have you done to them?" "I cannot conceal it from you. A woman came with a plateful of fine meal and requested me to offer it to them. One claimed, 'I must eat first,' while another claimed, 'I must eat first.' Thereupon, the largest arose, took the stick and broke them." "Why do you make sport of me? Have they any knowledge?" Terach said. "Should not your ears hear what your mouth has said?" Avraham said. Thereupon Terach seized him and delivered him to Nimrod. "Let us worship fire," Nimrod said. "Let us rather worship water which quenches fire," Avraham said. "Let us worship water," Nimrod said. "Let us rather worship the clouds which bear the water," Avraham said. "Let us then worship the clouds," Nimros said. "Let us worship the wind which disperses the clouds," Avraham said. "Let us worship the wind," Nimrod said. "Let us worship human beings which can stand up to the wind," Avraham said. "You are just bandying words, and we will worship nothing but the fire. Behold, I will cast you into it, and let your God whom you adore come and save you from it!" Nimrod said. Now Haran was standing there undecided. "If Avraham is victorious, I will say that I am of Avraham’s belief, while if Nimrod is victorious, I will say that I am on Nimrod’s side," he thought. When Avraham descended into the fiery furnace and was saved, Nimrod asked him, "Of whose belief are you?" "Of Abraham’s," he replied. Thereupon he seized him and cast him into the fire; his innards were scorched and he died in the presence of his father. Hence it is written, "And Haran died in the presence of his father Terach."

And Abram and Nahor took them wives, etc. (xi, 29 f.). Abram was a year older than Nahor and Nahor was a year older than Haran; [hence Abram was] two years older [than Haran]; [now deduct] the year of pregnancy with Milcah and the year of pregnancy with Iscah, and you find that Haran begot children at six years of age, yet you say that Abram could not beget a child! [The reason, however, was] : And Sarai was barren; she had no child (ib. 30). 1

R. Levi said : Wherever ' she had not ' is found, it means that eventually she did have. Thus : And Sarai was barren; she had no child: eventually she did have, as it is written, And the Lord remembered Sarah (Gen. xxi, 1). And Peninah had children, but Hannah had no children (1 Sam. I, 2): eventually she did have, as it is written, And she bore three sons, etc. (ib. 11, 21). Again, She is Zion, there is none that careth for her (Jer. xxx, 17). Yet eventually she will have [one to care for her, as it is written], And a redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression, etc. (Isa. lix, 20).