Israel's Unity from Babel

מצוה לזכור מעשה דור הפלגה כמ"ש זכור ימות עולם כו' בהפרידו בנ"א כו' נראה כי מ"ש הן עם א' כו'.

It is a mitzvah to remember the deeds of the Generation of the Dispersion, as it is written “Remember the days of old… when He separated the children of man,” and it appears connected to what is written, “Behold, they are one people.”

The Sefat Emet teaches that the Torah commands us to recall the episode of the Tower of Babel as an example of how unity can be misused, which is why Scripture emphasizes that they were “one people.”

ועתה לא יבצר כו'.

“And now nothing will be withheld from them…”

This describes the dangerous potential of unified human intention when directed toward improper goals.

וקשה כי ודאי השי"ת יכול לבטל מעשיהם אף שהם עם אחד כו'.

But it is difficult, for surely God could nullify their deeds even though they were one people.

The Sefat Emet raises the question: why did God not simply stop them directly, regardless of their unity?

אך נראה כי ע"י שכח בני ישראל הוא זה האחדות מכח לשון הקודש שניתן להם לכן לא רצה השי"ת לבטל כח זה.

But it seems that since the power of Israel is this unity that comes from the Holy Tongue given to them, therefore God did not want to nullify this power.

Unity rooted in the holy language is a spiritual inheritance meant for Israel; therefore God preserved the essential force of unity rather than destroying it.

ופירד אותם שישאר קיים כח האחדות ולשון הקודש לעולם כנ"ל.

And He dispersed them so that the power of unity and the Holy Tongue would remain enduring forever.

By scattering the nations, God ensured that the sacred form of unity would survive, reserved for its proper purpose.

שמעתי ממורי זקני ז"ל עם אחד בנ"י ושפה א' שאומרים שמע ישראל בכל יום כל בנ"י כו' ולא הבנתי הפי'.

I heard from my grandfather, of blessed memory, that Israel is “one people and one language,” for all Israel says Shema Yisrael every day, yet I did not understand the meaning.

He recalls a teaching that the Jewish people express their unity through the daily recitation of the Shema, though its depth was at first unclear to him.

ולפי הנ"ל מובן הדברים כי עי"ז לא חפץ הקב"ה לבטל עצתם רק ע"י שפירד אותם וצריכין בנ"י להכיר טובתו ית' ולזכור זאת.

According to the above, the matter is understood: God did not desire to nullify their plan except by dispersing them, and Israel must recognize His goodness and remember this.

The dispersal was an act of divine kindness preserving true unity for Israel; therefore, we are obligated to recall this divine benevolence.

וז"ש כל כנסי' שהיא לש"ש סופה להתקיים פירוש שיש להאסיפה קיום כי האסיפה שלא לש"ש הקב"ה מבטל אותה כמו שהי' בדור הפלגה כדי שלא יהי' קיום לרצונם כנ"ל.

Thus they said: “Any assembly for the sake of Heaven will endure,” meaning that such a gathering has lasting power, whereas an assembly not for the sake of Heaven God nullifies, as in the Generation of the Dispersion, so that their will should not endure.

Only unity directed toward higher, sacred purposes has permanence; unity for self-serving aims is divinely undone, as shown by the Tower of Babel.

Summary: The Sefat Emet explains that God preserved the spiritual force of unity by dispersing the nations, reserving true unity—rooted in the Holy Tongue—for Israel. The event of the Tower of Babel teaches that only gatherings for the sake of Heaven have enduring power.