Parshas Noach
Unity and Conformity
The main theme of this parsha is that unity in the cause of evil is a
terrible vice. The generation of the flood found only one dissenting voice
to its program of licentiousness, robbery and oppression. That voice,
Noach, was weak and ineffective in turning the people away from conforming
to the will of the majority in creating a totally evil society. Unanimity
usually is a result of conformity and conformity for the sake of
conformity is hardly a virtue. Eastern Europe is just emerging from the
grey pallor of conformity that was the hallmark of Communist rule. 99.5%
majorities won elections and everyone hailed the Leader, the Party, and
the Brave New World, which bore no resemblance to the actuality of life
under tyrannical rule. As much as we desire and treasure unity of purpose
and people, a unity which demands conformity is a negative feature in
human society. The conformity of the generation of the flood led to its
annihilation.
The second example of uniformity as a negative in society that the parsha
describes is the uniformity of the generation of the Tower of Babel.
Everyone spoke the same language and everyone had the same thoughts. A
society that was brainwashed into conformity had "few things to say." It
was as though the whole world of that time was the North Korea of today.
This time the Lord chose not to destroy that generation but rather to
force it to divest its rigid conformity. A different language, a different
culture, different ideas, different strokes for different folks, all of
this was part of God's plan for humanity. The Talmud teaches
us "dispersion of an evil society is a boon for that society and for the
world generally." An Abraham could not have arisen and been successful in
introducing the then radical idea of monotheism to the world if there was
only one language, one ruler, and one conformist society. The Heavenly
Father is hard-pressed to be appreciated in a society of Big Brother. And
thus the dispersion of the people of the generation of the Tower of Babel
is to be seen as a most positive development in the evolution of human
civilization.
The rabbis in the Talmud stated, "Just as no two human beings are ever
exactly alike physically, so too no two human beings ever share exactly
the same opinions and thoughts [about life and events.]" The rabbis were
not complaining about this state of affairs. They were merely pointing out
the reality of the human condition. Thus they saw unity of purpose for
good causes - those advocated by the Torah and Jewish tradition - as a
positive goal to be achieved. But they warned us not to confuse unity of
purpose with conformity of thought and style. Conformity is an outer
feature of life - everyone dressed the same and apparently behaving in
like fashion - while unity is more a matter of the heart and soul, of the
inner self of the Jew. We should never forget the role of our father
Abraham - the prophet called him, "one, unique" - in rejecting conformity
and advancing the true unity of God and man, of society and the Jewish
people, in the pursuit of goodness, justice and kindness towards all. The
parsha of Noach should obviously be seen as the introduction to the story
of Abraham and of the unique nation in the world that he founded - Israel.
Rabbi Berel Wein
Text Copyright © 2004 by Rabbi Berel Wein and Torah.org
Visit www.rabbiwein.com for a complete selection of Rabbi Wein's books and tapes.
