These two events can teach us something to help prevent our projects from being left unfinished.

In the first instance, the Eternal intervened supernaturally and confused their language so they wouldn't be able to speak the original language, old Hebrew. That way, they wouldn't be able to keep building. Their project was considered evil by the Eternal and that's why He made them fail. The main motivation behind their project wasn't only to reach the heavens by their own means or to live in a large city instead of being scattered throughout the world; their main objective was to make a name for themselves, to become famous.

He who wishes for fame becomes unpleasant to the Eternal. He who builds up a ministry in order to become great has a twisted heart. There are many men and women who wish to become famous, to build something to get honour, to be rich for their own sake. But, no matter what good things they achieve through their efforts, they will never be pleasant to the Eternal, because they don't seek the glory of the One that gave them the ability to build but their own.

But when man reaches a certain level of pride, the Eternal intervenes to stop him. This is it! This is as far as you go! I won't allow you to continue with your project because you are not giving Me what belongs to Me - you are robbing me of My glory. Instead of having me in the centre, you want to become the focus of attention. Enough!

In the second case, we see a man who wanted to move from a place to another but never made it. The Torah does not explain to us what the motives behind his plans were. It doesn't mention if there was a supernatural intervention from the Eternal to stop him on his way either. The Eternal can direct man through supernatural interventions or by natural circumstances. In this case it seems to have been the second.

It seems that Avraham's calling had such an influence over his father that he also wanted to go to the land that was destined for his son and his descendants. But for some reason he never got to his intended destination and we don't quite know why. We only see that the Eternal did not allow him to get there.

The truth is that Terach didn't have a divine calling to settle in the land of Kenaan. Only his son had it. It was not his calling. He wanted to enter into something that wasn't his.

This teaches us that we have to be very careful to not try to imitate others' calling. If one sets out to do something just because someone else did it, his motivation is not correct and it is very possible that he ends up halfway, frustrated and even dead. Don't intend to do something with your life just because someone else did it. It is highly possible that you will leave it halfway through.

Shabat shalom,

Ketriel