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After sinning and being punished by the human beings trying to meet their maker’s expectations, they wanted to be united and have a name: “And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.  And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another: 'Come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.' And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said: 'Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, with its top in heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:1-4).

Does one language and unity have much power? Even God acknowledged it when he said with concern: “and now nothing will be withheld from them, which they purpose to do”. (ibid 6). When mankind’s strength is being designated for one purpose, they can develop science and carry out initiatives (“Come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.”) and quickly promote technology (“And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar”).
So, if it is so good why is it bad? Why do they have to be punished?

It seems that immediately after creating man, God regrets it. He regrets creating a competitor. Again and again He is amazed of their cheek., their wisdom and their daring, lack of obedience and intelligence of those who were created in His image, and again and again it is difficult for Him to digest it.
In the story of the Garden of Eden God expresses fear that perhaps man’s powers might be equal to His, and in Noah’s generation God is deeply disappointed from the social conduct of the human beings, that each of them sees himself as unique, like his God and He is concerned with the men’s capabilities, that can, God forbid, reach Him, resemble Him too much.
Is it a reason for the severe punishment God imposed on the tower builders?
It may be and maybe also the exact opposite.
Hamlbim – a 19th century  rabbi born In Ukraine (1809-1879) raised an interesting interpretation to our parasha. He interpreted the expression “one language and of one speech.”, not as a combination of two synonymous expressions, but as two expressions which complete and add to each other. He claims that the word “dvarim” things in Hebrew in this verse, means issues, or objects. To his opinion the expression “dvarim achadim” (some things) are used here to explain the correct situation, the situation that was prior to the tower building when people, from the times of Noah until the time when the tower was built, lived a quite family life and did not need much and did not have many properties, and what they have, was equal. Then the new times started when people built themselves big houses instead of their tents and they decided to build a big city and to establish a great kingdom in which they will build a tower that will reach Heaven, and then, they forgot God.

The quick technological development of this generation brought exceptional building abilities and as a consequence brought economical prosperity and new ambitions – to build a big city – to establish a great kingdom’ to leave the poor tent and live in a city surrounded by a wall and full of all the best. To Hamalbim’s opinion this social change is a result of bitterness and grief thoughts. I do not agree with this approach – I think that history proves that social changes, development and even continuing growing of belonging communities (from the basic family to a little village to an world wide internet forum etc..) is acting to my benefit as a woman and even as a Jewish woman. Despite this I agree with Hamalbim that something in the “tower” kingdom is rotten, because as a result of the growing process and development, people have forgotten God.
Why did it happen? Why does the circle of growth – prosperity – great economical ambition block contact with God?

The Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer offers an answer to this question, and tries to explain the tower builders’ sin by telling that the tower had seven stairs in the East side and seven stairs in the West side. Breaks were taken up by the builder from one side and the builders go down from the other side. If a man fell and died nobody noticed, but if a break fell down the builders used to sit down cry and say, woe to us, when will we replace it?
The Midrash claims that the tower builders were so busy in their ambition to get bigger, richer, and higher, that they became blind to each other. The passion for power – that is the twin of passion for money – blinded their eyes and sealed their hearts to other human beings. One language was not used for communication between them, but for a conceptual unity that lead to lack of empathy and to a painful separation between them, because when everybody speaks in the language of power, the language of “higher, faster and stronger”, society disintegrates.
I believe that this process necessarily brings to faith abandonment.
A man who does not see in his fellow man a human being like him, can not see in him the “image of God” and does not have in his heart a place for faith.
Shabbat Shalom