I’m not quite sure how to explain this show because it proposes an interesting theory of the biblical story of the ‘Tower of Babel’ being put forward by Rabbi Daniel Lapin in regards to global governance.
Well DT, I’ve watched Rabbi Lapin’s explaination…interpretation of the story of the tower of Bavel. It’s laden with problems.
Firstly is his premise that Nimrod had the idea of homogenizing the people with one language and one purpose. The Torah is very explicit that at the time there was only one language…Nimrod spoke it as well. The great commentators of Torah are clear that this language was Hebrew.
His use of the brick vs stone metaphor, though interesting, is a lot of smoke and mirrors. The commentary has a very logical explanation as to why bricks were used instead of stone. The tower was being built in a valley…there were no stones. Babylon and Nineveh were also made with brick.
It is more reasonable to say that the symbolism of brick vs stone is that yes, brick is fashioned by human beings, not G-d, which is what the tower was really all about. It was an act of rebellion against G-d for many. It was the glorifying of human achievement overshadowing the fact that G-d endowed human beings with the intelligence to produce great feats of engineering.
Let’s juxtapose this with the image of the ark. Noach is commanded to build the ark from gopher wood. This is naturally occurring like stone. But it was G-d who designed it, told Noach how to fashion it, and within it was carried the future of humanity and animals. With the tower we have a human driven endeavor with the purpose of humanity laying siege to the purview of the Divine.
This notion of the brick and mortar representing the homogenization and materialism of humanity as the desire of Nimrod is well…serving what Beck is trying to illustrate but is…a bunch of crap. No offense to Rabbi Lapin whose claim to fame includes agreeing to falsify awards for Jack Abramoff so he could improve his chances of getting membership to the exclusive Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C.
It is true that there is a contrasting image between brick and stone in the Torah. Brick is mentioned again only in reference to the Israelites’ enslavement in Egypt where they were forced to make bricks…where they were forced to serve a society that built monuments to themselves and to their false gods.
Lapin mentions the altar for the Mishkan, the tabernacle where the Ark of the Covenant was kept and the sacrifices were made. He says it was made of stone. He fails to mention that it was made of unhewn stone. It is not simply that stone is naturally occurring. The stone for the Temple in Jerusalem was quarried and shaped (the Midrash tells us that the stone for Solomon’s Temple was cut by the shamir worm, a mysterious creature that G-d fashioned before the world was actually made). But again, the imagery is not about individualism vs socialism. It is about the base level, self-serving vs the Divine.
G-d destroyed the world with the flood because of the rampant thievery among people. In the case of the tower, there was a common purpose, though the Talmud tells us that there were varying reasons why people wanted to see the tower built (some contest that Nimrod was even involved).
The imposition of the new languages was not to return people to their sense of individuality as Lapin wrongly contends. It was because they united in the common purpose of attempting to elevate themselves to Divine status, to elevate the work of their hands to what G-d had fashioned, rather than celebrating the fact that their ability to create anything by their own hands came from G-d (it is also explained that there were many who feared that the flood that destroyed the world was a recurring event that could be prevented by building not just one tower, but a series of them, failing to accept the Divine promise that G-d would not destroy the world by flood again).
So, nice spin, but in the end it was just spin. And when I looked at the EU building at the beginning of the broadcast my first thought was that it looked like the coliseum, which is perfect for the EU…mindless entertainment and bloodsport for the masses. Too bad Beck didn’t just go with that. That’s about as cynical and sinister as you can get.
And now you understand why I called you. I personally thought it was quite a stretch and if we are comparing buildings, let’s go with the BIS building in Switzerland.
"Ring of Fire" ejt on November 19, 2010 at 10:13 am
I think after seeing it its like he is taking the viewer for a spin…especially when he said its a happy ending…1. he took the bible story out of context and not relate to the sin of man at that time. 2. A rabby…hmm does he believe in Jesus? He knows him probably…but belive I’m not so sure…not even mentioned… 3. How about the Babel in Revelation 18? He should have mentioned that one instead, OT Genesis as the opening NT Revelation as the closing at least. 4. GB is aired by FOX…not much to believe in…belongs to the banksters too…funny to think of its name FOX, like the animal…what’s its main character? I guess GB did something positive for people to look up in the Bible, I hope they do and repent from their wicked ways…only then will there be a Happy ending! Otherwise there is a judgement day coming…he forgot to mention that. But hey the devil can quote the bible inside out…with the difference he doesn’t obey God’s word. I agree with what the rabby mention on the US current generation is illiterate on the Bible…hence so is GB
Well DT, I’ve watched Rabbi Lapin’s explaination…interpretation of the story of the tower of Bavel. It’s laden with problems.
Firstly is his premise that Nimrod had the idea of homogenizing the people with one language and one purpose. The Torah is very explicit that at the time there was only one language…Nimrod spoke it as well. The great commentators of Torah are clear that this language was Hebrew.
His use of the brick vs stone metaphor, though interesting, is a lot of smoke and mirrors. The commentary has a very logical explanation as to why bricks were used instead of stone. The tower was being built in a valley…there were no stones. Babylon and Nineveh were also made with brick.
It is more reasonable to say that the symbolism of brick vs stone is that yes, brick is fashioned by human beings, not G-d, which is what the tower was really all about. It was an act of rebellion against G-d for many. It was the glorifying of human achievement overshadowing the fact that G-d endowed human beings with the intelligence to produce great feats of engineering.
Let’s juxtapose this with the image of the ark. Noach is commanded to build the ark from gopher wood. This is naturally occurring like stone. But it was G-d who designed it, told Noach how to fashion it, and within it was carried the future of humanity and animals. With the tower we have a human driven endeavor with the purpose of humanity laying siege to the purview of the Divine.
This notion of the brick and mortar representing the homogenization and materialism of humanity as the desire of Nimrod is well…serving what Beck is trying to illustrate but is…a bunch of crap. No offense to Rabbi Lapin whose claim to fame includes agreeing to falsify awards for Jack Abramoff so he could improve his chances of getting membership to the exclusive Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C.
It is true that there is a contrasting image between brick and stone in the Torah. Brick is mentioned again only in reference to the Israelites’ enslavement in Egypt where they were forced to make bricks…where they were forced to serve a society that built monuments to themselves and to their false gods.
Lapin mentions the altar for the Mishkan, the tabernacle where the Ark of the Covenant was kept and the sacrifices were made. He says it was made of stone. He fails to mention that it was made of unhewn stone. It is not simply that stone is naturally occurring. The stone for the Temple in Jerusalem was quarried and shaped (the Midrash tells us that the stone for Solomon’s Temple was cut by the shamir worm, a mysterious creature that G-d fashioned before the world was actually made). But again, the imagery is not about individualism vs socialism. It is about the base level, self-serving vs the Divine.
G-d destroyed the world with the flood because of the rampant thievery among people. In the case of the tower, there was a common purpose, though the Talmud tells us that there were varying reasons why people wanted to see the tower built (some contest that Nimrod was even involved).
The imposition of the new languages was not to return people to their sense of individuality as Lapin wrongly contends. It was because they united in the common purpose of attempting to elevate themselves to Divine status, to elevate the work of their hands to what G-d had fashioned, rather than celebrating the fact that their ability to create anything by their own hands came from G-d (it is also explained that there were many who feared that the flood that destroyed the world was a recurring event that could be prevented by building not just one tower, but a series of them, failing to accept the Divine promise that G-d would not destroy the world by flood again).
So, nice spin, but in the end it was just spin. And when I looked at the EU building at the beginning of the broadcast my first thought was that it looked like the coliseum, which is perfect for the EU…mindless entertainment and bloodsport for the masses. Too bad Beck didn’t just go with that. That’s about as cynical and sinister as you can get.
And now you understand why I called you. I personally thought it was quite a stretch and if we are comparing buildings, let’s go with the BIS building in Switzerland.
I think after seeing it its like he is taking the viewer for a spin…especially when he said its a happy ending…1. he took the bible story out of context and not relate to the sin of man at that time. 2. A rabby…hmm does he believe in Jesus? He knows him probably…but belive I’m not so sure…not even mentioned…
3. How about the Babel in Revelation 18? He should have mentioned that one instead, OT Genesis as the opening NT Revelation as the closing at least. 4. GB is aired by FOX…not much to believe in…belongs to the banksters too…funny to think of its name FOX, like the animal…what’s its main character?
I guess GB did something positive for people to look up in the Bible, I hope they do and repent from their wicked ways…only then will there be a Happy ending! Otherwise there is a judgement day coming…he forgot to mention that. But hey the devil can quote the bible inside out…with the difference he doesn’t obey God’s word.
I agree with what the rabby mention on the US current generation is illiterate on the Bible…hence so is GB
Thanks to be a sound critic http://ohmyvalve.blogspot.com/