Mabul III

An additional possible indication of the "naturalness" of the Mabul is that the generation of Bavel interpreted the Mabul as a cyclical, natural process, not a discreet event (Bereishit Rabba 38:6);

"And of one speech (achadim)" means that they spoke sharp words (chadim) saying, "Once in one thousand six hundred and fifty-six years the Firmament totters; therefore let us go and make supports for it, one in the north, one in the south, one in the west, while this spot will be its eastern support."

Also, if supports are being made to keep the heavens from tottering, why not build them on the most solid, highest elevation (making for that much less work), instead of at the lowest point - in a plain (which was the case with at least the eastern support)? where were the others to be built, and what would this possibly say about the human perception of the extent of the land? Could it be another indicator of what they perceived to be the limits of the impacted region? or maybe this is a little much to expect from "just a Midrash".

R. Navon goes on to indicate the benefits of dispersion as noted by Chazzal; what is "Punishment" - and experienced as punishment on the human side - can obviously have many other consequences than punative. Perhaps with the coalescing of creation before the time of Avraham from less 'subtle' distinctions to a more concrete reality to human and earthly history expresses this multidimensional nature to events; it was natural in the sense that the Mabul happened in the empirical world, but under Divine manipulation...more later. Bozz has stated a 'no blog' policy.