מהר"ל – Sanhedrin 109a
It says in Bereishis Rabbah 38:9 regarding the tower that the Dor Haflagah built, one third of it was burned, one third of it sank into the ground, and one third of it remains. The Gemara tells us that there were three groups of people: one group wanted to reside in Heaven, in a quest for honor and or fame and security. One group wanted to worship Avodah Zarah. One group wanted to do battle with Hashem. The three things that happened to the tower correspond to these three groups of people. The part of the tower that sank into oblivion corresponds to those who sought to do battle with Hakodosh Boruch Hu. This is a fate similar to the fate of Korach who “joined against Hashem” – they went against Hashem and they were swallowed up. The part of the tower that was burned and utterly destroyed corresponds to those who wanted to serve Avodah Zara, as the Posuk in Devorim 4:24 says, “כי ד' אלקיך אש אכלה הוא, א-ל קנה ” – “For Hashem your G-d – He is a consuming fire, a jealous G- d.” Thus, when one serves Avodah Zarah, Hakodosh Boruch Hu burns it. The part of the tower whose ruins remain, corresponds to those who wanted to reside in Heaven. They were not destroyed, for they were not seeking to rebel against Hakodosh Boruch Hu, nor were they seeking to worship Avodah Zarah. They were just misguided people, and thus it remained.
