At the end of the parsha, the Torah tells us of the incident of the Dor Haflagah. We all know the story — they built a tower that reached into the sky. The Torah describes their dialog (11:3) “They said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and burn them in fire.’ And the brick served them as stone, and the lime served them as mortar.”
Rashi tells us a novel fact — “In Bavel there were no stones...” This is what the Torah is telling us, because there were no rocks, they made bricks.
The next thing we find after they made the bricks is (11:4) “Come, let us build a city and a tower with its top in the heavens...” In other words, the flow of the pasukim is (a) we make bricks; (b) we build a tower and challenge Hashem.
What is the significance of the making of bricks in connection with the rebellion against Hashem? Why does the Torah have to mention this fact? Why is this the crucial introduction to the rebellion?
Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, zt”l, once explained the matter: The Dor Haflagah became enamored with technology. Imagine — bricks in Bavel — it was a revolution that at least rivaled the FAX machine! There were no stones, how could one build? Some guy came up with a brainstorm — one can take mud, bake it, and he has a brick! It was unbelievable. He patented it. He made a fortune. It was a revolution!
Technology! “Ah — what man can’t come up with.” What is the next step after one becomes enamored with technology? A person starts to think, “my strength and the power of my hand made me all this wealth” (Devorim 8:17). A person thinks that the sky is the limit — literally.
That is the message of this parsha. They became so intoxicated with their ingenuity and they were so overwhelmed with their own intelligence — for inventing bricks that they said, “Who needs Hashem anyway? We are in control. Let us build and make for us a name.” (Part of a dvar Torah said over by R’ Frand).
