Rocket Ship
The Tower of Babel
Here is one of our beloved Rabbi Jonathan Eybenschütz's prophetic, intriguing and interesting thoughts. Rabbi Yehonasan taught that the Torah's Genesis story about the building of the Tower of Babel was not about building a tower at all. Rabbi Eibeschitz claimed they were building a Rocket Ship! Or a Launching Pad! Or a Space Elevator! Emmes. If I was around at the time and was employed as a newspaper reporter when the Rabbi exposed this new and revolutionary idea, this would possibly be my byline:
Extra! Extra! Read All About It.
Acclaimed Rabbi Zucht The Tower Of Babel Was A Rocket Ship!
(The Three Communities)- Chief Rabbi of The Three Communities, Jonathan Eibeschutz, claims that the people of Shinar (Babylonia) under the rule of Nimrod, were actually building a Rocket Ship, not a Tower as was originally reported in the Torah. The Rabbi goes on to say these people were actually defying Hashem by showing their advanced technological capabilities. There plan was to demonstrate their superiority over Hashem.
The Zohar (1:126B), points out that these people of Babylon discovered special magical (technological) powers. It seems they found highly advanced information and possibly artifacts from the Bible's pre-Noah era which survived The Flood. They say that in earlier times the Earth was inhabited by a group of fallen angles called The Nefilim, giants. The Torah says (Genesis 6:2, 4), "The Sons of G-D (fallen angels) had come to the daughters of man and had fathered them. The Nefilim were the mightiest ones who ever existed, men of renown." They were all destroyed in the Flood. But could these mighty "men of renown" left vital magical and technological information that was not destroyed during the Deluge?
Rabbi Yehonosan Aibshitz claims the Babylonians found this treasure trove of information. The Rabbi zucht (says) that in The Torah; Genesis 11:4. "Come, let us build a city, and a tower, with its head in the heavens, and we shall make a name for ourselves", exposes Nimrod's plan to travel to the heavens. He received the technology from the Nefilim.
Rabbi Yehonosan points out in the Midrash it teaches that the desire of the Babylonians to "make a name for ourselves" shows their arrogance and refusal to accept Hashem. In fact, the Rabbi claims Nimrod thought this Rocket will put him on equal or higher standing than Hashem. Nimrod wanted Hashem to be the opening act and that he would get top billing.
Hashem let the Rocket construction continue for some time and then finally put the old kibbash on the entire project. The Torah says at the time all people spoke one single language. Hashem confounded their speech and made them all unintelligible to each other. Think of it like far left Democrats talking to far right Republicans at a cocktail party. They all babbled on and on but no one will understand what anyone else is saying. I report, you decide.
Instead of destroying the whole place like Hashem did in The Flood he decided to pursue another way. Hashem unleashed the first Stuxnet virus in recorded history. No fire and brimstone here. Just confound the communication and scatter the Babelers.
Editors note: This would have definitely been my first Pulitzer for investigative reporting. That article title would read: Babbler wins Pulitzer Prize for Babbling about Babel.
Rabbi Yehonosan teaches us that the Babylonian's were actually building a ship which could fly up into heaven. That was his words, not mine. Some claim that it was more like an elevator to the moon. Rocket Ship. Launch Pad. Elevator smelevator, one thing's for sure, Rabbi Yehonosan sure saw things in unconventional ways.
Rabbi Aibshitz was not just extremely versed in Torah and Kabbalah, he was also acquainted with the current science of the 18th Century. He incorporates the science of his time into his interpretations of The Torah and Talmud. He said that the higher one goes from Earth the air becomes less murkier. He goes on to say Nimrod's engineer's use gunpowder at the bottom of the Rocket to give it enough thrust to get past the murky air of Earth and getting the Rocket Ship above the clouds and into the less murky air higher up where the Rocket can then sail to the moon. Sounds like the vacuum of space to me. On the moon they planned to set up colonies to coordinate an attack on Hashem. He came up with this centuries before Star Trek. Beam me up Scotty.
I know you may be thinking that I am making all of this up or wrote it after drinking four cups of Mogen David vayn on Peseach, but please check the links below to see that this is really a hot topic.
Tower of Babel by Brueghel
Confusion of Tongues...by Gustave Doré (1865)
Der Turmbau zu Babel by Meister der Weltenchronik c. 1370
The above picture is most curious. It depicts a technologically advanced crew working on the rocket ship, ooops, I mean tower, utilizing a pulley system which compares to the use of cranes mounted on top of high rise building construction projects today. Overhead in the sky we see a man's image inside a spaceship. And check out the fire propulsion mechanism at the base of the Rocket Ship.
Here's more information that the Tower of Babel was a Launching Pad (Click Here)
An Analysis of Rav Yonasan Eibeshitz's Space Elevator (Click Here)
Rabbi Eibeschitz's Flying Tower Of Babel (Click Here)
Rabbi Yehonosan's Rocket Ship (Click Here)