Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 1 Cheshvan, 5785

For 5785, I am going to shift a bit and rest on the Sabbath. I am reposting my Torah Thoughts from a year ago to honor this. Enjoy:

Here are my thoughts from last year:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 6 Cheshvan, 5784
Parsha Noah: (Genesis 6:9- 11:32) 
Seventh Portion: Genesis 11:1-11:32

Shabbat Shalom!

Today we have the story of Babel and the birth of Abram.  I wrote a lot previously on these passages. 

Today, as we are on this journey together, let’s look at the Tower of Babel.  I think I have some fresh ideas on why it was such a problem.

As I have been exploring this new cycle, the idea of transformation has been salient.  It seems as if we are building a “recipe” so to speak (and it really can’t be a recipe – because in a sense we’d be creating a new tower of Babel) but at least things to consider on our journey:

• The Path of Ascension begins with curiosity and not judgement
• If someone’s curiosity causes doubt and defensiveness, be curious about our own doubt and defensiveness and NOT their motives for curiosity.
• The tree of life is within us. Choose life within with curiosity and not judgment
• Learn to balance the comfort of stumbling, with the challenge of pushing ourselves towards spiritual growth.
• Let go of a stable life. Freedom is accepting “what is” as a blessing. We can’t control what happens. We can only navigate it with bitterness or flow.

The tower of babel was the people building a monument of stability and consolidation.  They were not living out their purpose of being fruitful – multiplying – taking risks.  They wanted to build a solid and stable life.  A tower. Unification of everyone speaking the same language. 

But Hashem had other plans. He wanted them to risk. To not consolidate.  To grow. Expand. The tower represented the OPPOSITE of their purpose and journey. 

This morning I’ve been reading about family systems.  And the idea and concept at the fulcrum is the idea of “differentiation” – “the ability to think as an individual while staying meaningfully connected to others.” (From the Book “growing Yourself Up: How to Bring Your Best to All of Life’s Relationships” by Jenny Brown, Phd.

This idea of “differentiation” describes the varying capacity each person has to balance their emotions and their intellect, and to balance their need to be attached with their need to be a separate self.

The tower of babel represents stunted growth. It made murky this idea of separate self and a part of community. Hashem knew this was not the path to freedom. Hashem wants us to be balanced – we are both individuals AND meaningfully connected to others.  This requires EXPANSION and not being bound or tied to others.  Freedom.  So let’s add to our learning:

• The Path of Ascension begins with curiosity and not judgement
• If someone’s curiosity causes doubt and defensiveness, be curious about our own doubt and defensiveness and NOT their motives for curiosity.
• The tree of life is within us. Choose life within with curiosity and not judgment
• Learn to balance the comfort of stumbling, with the challenge of pushing ourselves towards spiritual growth.
• Let go of a stable life. Freedom is accepting “what is” as a blessing. We can’t control what happens. We can only navigate it with bitterness or flow.
• Freedom requires balance – emotions vs intellect, humility vs confidence, thinking as an individual while staying meaningfully connected to others.
• Freedom comes from expansion and not contraction – but contraction is important to the process of expansion

The path to slavery is believing there is only one reality, and everyone’s reality must match ours. We have our own reality. AND our reality is interconnected with those around us – but the puzzle looks different.

Now let’s turn to the birth of Abram. 

As I wrote about previously.  The Torah mentions this:

27And these are the generations of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran begot Lot.

28And Haran died during the lifetime of Terah his father in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees.

From the Tower of Babel to Haran’s death – there seemed to be expansion.  But then, Terah seemed to get stuck on Haran’s death which makes sense:

31And Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter in law, the wife of Abram his son, and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan, and they came as far as Haran and settled there.

Life involves risk. And sometimes that means things don’t work out the way we desire. And sometimes that gets us stuck. And we are once again enslaved and imprisoned. 

Because – staying meaningfully connected to others (like Terah was likely connected to Haran) means we run the risk of having our heart broken if something goes wrong beyond our control. 

And yet we are called to risk.

I reflect on our descent to slavery in Egypt. I see the following pattern emerging:

• Adam and Chavah stuck and consolidating after eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
• Cain stuck after murdering Abel.
• Noah stuck on the ark before Hashem tells him to go out.
• The people of Babel stuck focused on reaching Hashem
• Terah stuck because his child passed away

And. So far – we ALSO see expansion:

• Adam and Chavah expanding beyond the garden and physically expanding humanity
• Cain expanding beyond killing his brother and continuing to physically expand humanity
• Noah expanding beyond the ark and expanding humanity both physically and morally
• The people of Babel expanding beyond on the tower and expanding humanity geographically

I wonder what Terah’s role will be in expansion?

What are your thoughts as we conclude today’s portion and Parshah?