Frenzied to build a physical tower, men wept more when clay bricks were broken than when human beings making the bricks died.

 Genesis chapter 11 recounts the time when men with one language and one speech said, “Go to, let us build us a city and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven. ... Therefore is the name of it called Babel.” In this biblical account of the Tower of Babel, we understand God’s displeasure at the human arrogance of men who thought they could build a physical tower to rival heaven. 

A Jewish chief rabbi adds an interpretation from the Midrash, the traditional commentary on the Torah. This reading of the Midrash says, “Frenzied to build a physical tower, men wept more when clay bricks were broken than when human beings making the bricks died.” When men promoted material things like clay bricks and towers above the lives and values of human individuals, it is no wonder the God of heaven grieved.

 Faith, Dignity, and Human Flourishing: Hearing God's Voice in an Age of Artificial Intelligence Elder Gerrit W. Gong June 7, 2026.

Reminded of this teaching: 

Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.