True unity belongs to Avraham

במדרש החכמה תעוז כו' מעשרה שליטים שהיו בעיר כו'

In the Midrash on "Wisdom (chochmah) gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who were in the city" (Koheles 7:19).

The Midrash applies this pasuk from Koheles to Avraham. "Wisdom" — that is, Avraham's chochmah and emunah — gave him greater strength than the "ten rulers," whom the Sefas Emes will connect to the builders of the Tower of Bavel.

כי הנה בדור הפלגה היו שפה אחת כו' ולאשר לא הי' כוונתם לשמים ניטל מהם כל האחדות.

For behold, in the generation of the Dispersion (dor haflagah) they were "of one language" (Bereishis 11:1), but because their intent was not for the sake of Heaven (l'shem Shomayim), all their unity (achdus) was taken from them.

The builders of the Tower possessed remarkable unity — "one language." But because that unity served a rebellious, self-serving purpose rather than the will of Hashem, it could not endure, and it was stripped from them.

ואחד הי' אברהם והי' גולה ממקום למקום וזכה להאחדות

And there was one — Avraham — who was a wanderer (goleh) from place to place, and yet he merited the [true] unity.

Standing apart from the unified multitude was a single individual, Avraham, who was scattered and exiled, wandering from place to place. Paradoxically, it was this lone wanderer — not the united masses — who attained genuine achdus, the unity rooted in serving Hashem.

וזה רמז שנטל שכר כולן היינו האחדות שניטל מבוני העיר והמגדל וניתן לאברהם אבינו:

And this is the hint that he received the reward of them all — namely, the unity (achdus) that was taken from the builders of the city and the tower, and was given to Avraham Avinu.

"Chochmah gives strength more than ten rulers" hints that Avraham "took the reward of them all": the very achdus that the generation of the Dispersion forfeited was transferred and given to him. True unity belongs not to those who band together for their own ends, but to the one whose heart is wholly devoted to Hashem.

Summary: The builders of the Tower of Bavel had perfect unity — "one language" — but because their purpose was not for the sake of Heaven, that unity was stripped away. Avraham, though a lone wanderer exiled from place to place, merited true achdus precisely because his devotion was to Hashem. So "wisdom gives strength more than ten rulers": the unity forfeited by the generation of the Dispersion was given over to Avraham, teaching that real unity belongs only to those whose intent is l'shem Shomayim.