My Musing
It is interesting that the midrash choses to teach about an esoteric question of making an eruv chatzeirot, the metaphysical construction that allows households to form a singular combined courtyard in order to carry between then on the Shabbat, I connection with the episode of the Tower of Babel. But Eruv actually means mixed or combined and it denotes a true feeling of sharing. Hence the often cited phrase- Kol Yisrael Areivin zeh bazeh-, All of Israel is intertwined (more often translated as guarantor) for each other. The generation at the Tower of Babel only appeared to be unified. But the midrash teaches, they were not. The reader is left to infer that the confusion of languages only removed the façade of unity that existed.
מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת נח סימן טזIt is interesting that the midrash choses to teach about an esoteric question of making an eruv chatzeirot, the metaphysical construction that allows households to form a singular combined courtyard in order to carry between then on the Shabbat, I connection with the episode of the Tower of Babel. But Eruv actually means mixed or combined and it denotes a true feeling of sharing. Hence the often cited phrase- Kol Yisrael Areivin zeh bazeh-, All of Israel is intertwined (more often translated as guarantor) for each other. The generation at the Tower of Babel only appeared to be unified. But the midrash teaches, they were not. The reader is left to infer that the confusion of languages only removed the façade of unity that existed.
(בראשית יא:א) "וַיְהִי כָל הָאָרֶץ שָׂפָה אֶחָת, וּדְבָרִים, אֲחָדִים "
ילמדנו רבינו: בית שנותנים בו עירוב, מהו שהוא צריך לעירוב?
כך שנו רבותינו: רבי יעקב בר אחא שאל את רבי אבהו, 'בית שנותנין בו עירוב, מהו שיהא צריך עירוב?'
אמר ליה, 'בית שמאי אומר, צריך; ובית הלל אומר אין צריך. והלכה כבית הלל.
אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי, 'לא התקינו עירובי חצרות אלא מפני דרכי שלום. כיצד? אשה משלחת בנה לחברתה, והיא גוחנת עליו ונושקתו; ואמו אומרת, 'הרי אוהבת אותו', והיה בלבה עליה, ונמצאו עושות שלום על ידי העירוב,
אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא, 'אני עושה שלום בעולמי, ורשעים אלו עומדים לתת מחלוקת בעולם?
ומנין שחלקו על הקדוש ברוך הוא? ממה שקראו בענין, "וַיְהִי כָל הָאָרֶץ שָׂפָה אֶחָת וּדְבָרִים אֲחָדִים "
"And the whole earth was of one language and of singular words"
Our master should instruct: A house that has an eruv, is it required to combine?
Thus taught our rabbis: Rabbi Yaakov bar Acha asked Rabbi Abahu, 'a house that has an eruv, what is it that it requires an eruv?
Said he to him, " The house of Shammai says it is required, and the house of Hillel says it is not required and the halacha is according to Hillel.
Said Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, 'they did not establish the eruv(combination) of the courtyards except for the ways, to promote, peace. How? A woman sends her son to her friend, and she fawns over him and kisses him; his mother says, behold she loves him, and in her heart she hated her, and we find them making peace between themselves.
Said the Holy One, blessed be He, 'I make peace in my world, and these evil doers, stand up to enjoin dispute into the world?' And from whence do we know they argued on the Holy One, blessed be He, from what is written in connection with the event, "And the whole earth was of one language and of singular words"
Our master should instruct: A house that has an eruv, is it required to combine?
Thus taught our rabbis: Rabbi Yaakov bar Acha asked Rabbi Abahu, 'a house that has an eruv, what is it that it requires an eruv?
Said he to him, " The house of Shammai says it is required, and the house of Hillel says it is not required and the halacha is according to Hillel.
Said Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, 'they did not establish the eruv(combination) of the courtyards except for the ways, to promote, peace. How? A woman sends her son to her friend, and she fawns over him and kisses him; his mother says, behold she loves him, and in her heart she hated her, and we find them making peace between themselves.
Said the Holy One, blessed be He, 'I make peace in my world, and these evil doers, stand up to enjoin dispute into the world?' And from whence do we know they argued on the Holy One, blessed be He, from what is written in connection with the event, "And the whole earth was of one language and of singular words"
