Power of Midrash ~Aggadic Midrashim II ~ Kayin, Hevel and populating the world

(1) Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gained a male child with the help of the LORD.” (2) She then bore his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the soil. (3) In the course of time, Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the soil; (4) and Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the firstlings of his flock. The LORD paid heed to Abel and his offering, (5) but to Cain and his offering He paid no heed. Cain was much distressed and his face fell. (6) And the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you distressed, And why is your face fallen? (7) Surely, if you do right, There is uplift. But if you do not do right Sin couches at the door; Its urge is toward you, Yet you can be its master.” (8) Cain said to his brother Abel … and when they were in the field, Cain set upon his brother Abel and killed him. (9) The LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (10) Then He said, “What have you done? Hark, your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground! (11) Therefore, you shall be more cursed than the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. (12) If you till the soil, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. You shall become a ceaseless wanderer on earth.” (13) Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is too great to bear! (14) Since You have banished me this day from the soil, and I must avoid Your presence and become a restless wanderer on earth—anyone who meets me may kill me!” (15) The LORD said to him, “I promise, if anyone kills Cain, sevenfold vengeance shall be taken on him.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone who met him should kill him. (16) Cain left the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (17) Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he then founded a city, and named the city after his son Enoch. (18) To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methusael, and Methusael begot Lamech. (19) Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah. (20) Adah bore Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who dwell in tents and amidst herds. (21) And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the pipe. (22) As for Zillah, she bore Tubal-cain, who forged all implements of copper and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. (23) And Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; O wives of Lamech, give ear to my speech. I have slain a man for wounding me, And a lad for bruising me. (24) If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” (25) Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, meaning, “God has provided me with another offspring in place of Abel,” for Cain had killed him. (26) And to Seth, in turn, a son was born, and he named him Enosh. It was then that men began to invoke the LORD by name.

And Adam knew Chava his woman etc. (Gen. 4:1) - "Remember Your mercies, Ad-nai, and Your lovingkindnesses, because they are for ever" (Ps. 25:6): not from being judged, rather, from the outset. Said Rabbi Yehoshua bar Nechemiah with them You dealt with the First Human, since You said this to him: "because in the day that you eat from it, you will certainly die" (Gen. 2:17) - and had You not given him one of Your days, which is a thousand years, how would he have survived and even have descendants?

Now the man knew his woman Chava, etc. Rabbi Huna and Rabbi Yaakov the son of Rabbi Avin, in the name of Rabbi Aba bar Kahana said: Before the man, the creations had never had sexual relations, behold here it is not written "and he knows" rather, and it is written "and he knew", that is, he made known the way of the land to all. Another interpretation: And Adam knew - he knew from what bliss he was expelled; he knew what Chava did to him. Said Rav Acha: Chivyiah [the snake] is your snake, and you are the snake of Adam. 'And she conceived and gave birth to Kayin' - Said Rabbi Eleazar ben Azaryiah three wonders happened on that day:on that day they were created, on that day they had relations, on that day they had children. Said Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha: two went up to the bed and seven descended, Kayin and his female twin, Hevel and his two female twins. 'And she said: I acquired a man with God' - the woman sees herself with a baby and says 'behold the acquiring of my husband [is definitely] in my hand.'

Rabbi Ishmael asked Rabbi Akiva: since you have served Nachum Ish Gam Zu for twenty two years, and [he taught that] every 'ach' and every 'rak' make for exclusion and every 'et' and every 'gam' make for inclusion, in this verse what is 'et' doing here? He [Akiva] answered: if it were written 'I acquired a man of God [w/o the 'et']' that would be a difficult thing, rather it says 'I acquired a man with God'. He said to him: 'Because this is not an empty thing for you' (Devarim 32:47), and if it was empty, it is because of you, because you cannot LIDROSH, rather 'with God' [means] that in the past Adam was created from the adamah and Chavah was created from the adam. From here and onward, “in our image as our likeness”—not man without woman and not woman without man, and not both of them without Shekhinah [God’s presence].

And she then bore his brother, Hevel (Gen. 4:2) - this helps Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha, who said: "Two went up to the bed, and seven came down from it." [It is written] 'she then bore', and not 'and she conceived and bore.' Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the soil - there were three who were excited about the land to no benefit: Kayin, tiller of the soil, Noach [and King Uziahu/Uzziah]. [Noach] Noah, the tiller of the soil [was the first to plant a vineyard.](Gen 9:20); Uziahu: [He built towers in the wilderness and hewed out many cisterns, for he had much cattle,] and farmers in the foothills and on the plain, and vine dressers in the mountains and on the fertile lands, for he loved the soil (II Chron. 26:10).

And after a few days (Gen. 4:3) - Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Eliezer said: the world was created on Tishrei. Rabbi Yehoshua said: In Nisan the world was created. The one who said the world was created on Tishrei [sees] Hevel, Kayin [happen] from the Festival [Sukkot] until Chanukah. The one who says in Nisan the world was created [sees] Hevel, Kayin [happen] from Pesach until Atzeret. Whether one [accepts] these words, whether one [accepts] those words, everyone agrees that Hevel did not stay in the world more than fifty days.

And Kayin brought from the fruit of the land an offering [mincha] to God (Gen. 4:3) - from the leftovers, [similar to] the evil tenant that eats the first fruits and gives to the owner of the field the stunted ones. "And Hevel brought, also he, from the first born of his sheep, and their fat" (Gen. 4:4) - Rabbi Eleazar and Rabbi Yosi bar Chanina. Rabbi Eleazar said: the children of Noach brought peace offerings [shelamim]; and Rabbi Yosi bar Chanina said: they brought burnt-offerings [olot]. Rabbi Eleazar responded to Rabbi Yosi bar Chanina: And behold, it is written "And Hevel brought, also he, from the first born of his sheep, and their fat" - this is something with which its fat is offered! How did Rabbbi Yosi understand [work] that verse? He understood it as shemanim [the fat that drips]...

'And Ad-nai paid heed to Hevel and his offering' (Gen. 4:4) - He was pacified because of him. 'And to Kayin and his offering He did not pay heed' - He was not pacified because of him. 'And Kayin was very angry, and his face fell' (Gen. 4:5) - his face became dark/repulsive/like fire. 'And Ad-nai said to Kayin: why are you so angry, and why is your face fallen? (Gen. 4:7) is it not that, when you do good, you rise up [se'et] ? [this is] blessing, just as you say 'and Aharon lift [vayisa'] up his hands to the people and blessed them' (Lev. 9:22). 'And if you don't do good, lift' [this is] curse, as it is written 'and cause them to carry [lift on shoulders] the iniquity of guilt' (Lev. 22:16). Another interpretation: if you do goof I forgive all your sins, and if not, the sin of that same man is heaped to excess. Rabbi Berachia in the name of Rabbi Shime'on the son of Ami said: Of David, a maskil, happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is pardoned.' (Ps. 22:1) - Happy is the person who is higher/greater from his sin, and whose sin is not higher/greater than him,as it says 'sin crouches at the door'. It is not written here 'she crouches' [chatat is feminine] but 'he crouches' - in the beginning the sin is weak like a lady, and after it strengthens as a male. Said rabbi Akiva: in the beginning it looks like a thread of a spider, and at the end it becomes like the rope of a boat, since it is written: 'Oy to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and as the ropes of a cart, sin' (Isaiah 5:18). Said Rabbi Itzchak: at first it makes itself a guest, and later becomes the master of the house, since it is written: '[And there came a traveler to the rich man] and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man' - here is the guest - 'that had come to him, but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that had come to him. '(II Sam. 12:4) - this is the master of the house. Rabbi Tanchum bar Merion said: there are dogs in Rome that know how to insinuate themselves, [the dog] goes and sits in front of a shop, and he pretends to take a nap, and the shopkeeper takes a nap, and the dog lets a bread roll fall near the ground, and and as onlookers are collecting [the scattered pile] the dog gets a bread roll for himself. Said Rabbi Aba: this impulse is similar to robbers, [such as] a person bent over, who was sitting at crossroads who would say to to everyone who passed 'give me what you have!' A smart one passed and saw that there was nothing he could do to rob him, and began to hit him. So too, the impulse for evil [yetzer hara] destroyed a few generations, the generation of Enosh, and the generation of the tower [dor haplagah] and the generation of the flood, when Avraham Avinu stood up and saw that [the yetzer hara] had nothing, began hitting him, since it is written 'And I will beat to pieces his adversaries before him, and smite them that hate him.' (Ps. 89:24). Said Rabbi Ami: The yetzer hara does not walk by the sides, rather, he walks by the middle of the square, and the moment he sees a man rolling his eyes, fixing his hair, and lifting his heel, he says: 'this one is mine!' What is the reason? 'Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? Sin has hope in him' (Prov. 26:12). Said Rabbi Avin: whoever indulges his yetzer [impulse to evil] in his youth, his end will be to be to managed by him. Rabbi Chanina bar Papa said: if your yetzer came to tempt you [lit. to make you desire] send him away with words of Torah, if you do so I rise you up as if you created peace itself, as it says: 'The yetzer near you, go out in battle of perfect peace [shalom shalom]' (Isaiah 26:3) if you do so I rise you up as if you created peace itself since not only peace is written here, but peace, peace. And if you say that it is not in your power to do so, the text says: 'because in you/You He/he trusts' (Isaiah 26:3). And I already told [lit. honored] you through Torah, 'Its urge is toward you, yet you can be its master.' (Gen. 4:7)

(7) “And Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field…” (Genesis 4:8) What were they arguing about? They said: come let’s divide up the world, one will take the land and one will take the moveable property. This one said: the ground you are standing on is mine. The other one said: what you are wearing is mine. This one said: take it off! The other one said: fly! Because of this “…Cain rose against his brother Abel and killed him.” (ibid.) R’ Yehoshua of Sakhnin said in the name of R’ Levi: they both took the land and the moveable property. What were they arguing about? One said: the Holy Temple will be built in my boundary. The other said: the Holy Temple will be built in my boundary. As it says “…when they were in the field…” (ibid.) and the field only refers to the Holy Temple. This is what it says “…Zion shall be plowed as a field…” (Micah 3:12) Because of this “…Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him.” Yehudah bar Ami said: they were arguing about the first Eve. R’ Ibo said: the first Eve returned to the dust. Then what were they arguing about? R’ Huna said: an extra twin sister was born with Abel. This one said: I will take her because I am the first born. The other one said: I will take her because she was born with me. Because of this “…Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him.”

Said Rabbi Yochanan: Hevel was stronger [lit. a greater hero] than Kayin. The text only says 'he rose', it teaches that he [Kayin] was stuck under [Hevel], he [Kayin] said to him [Hevel]: 'there are only the two of us in the world, what are you going to tell Daddy?' He [Hevel] had pity on him, immediately he [Kayin] rose and killed him. Out of this we say 'Do not do good for an evil person, and evil will not fall on you.' "And killed him" (Gen. 4:8) - with what did he kill him? Rabban Shimeon ben Gamliel says with a staff he killed him, as it says 'and a child for my bruise' (Gen. 4:23) - a thing that makes a bruise. And the rabbis say - he killed him with a stone, as it says 'because I killed a man for my wound' (Gen. 4:23) something that makes wounds. Rabbi Azaria and Rabbi Yonatan bar Chagai in the name of Rabbi Itzchak, say: Kayin observed closely how his father had killed that ox, as it says 'And it shall please Ad-nai better than an ox' (Psalms 69:32) - and from there he killed him, on the place of the neck, on the place of the signs (gullet and windpipe, see Sanhedrin 37b). And who buried him? Said Rabbi Eleazar ben Pedat: the birds of the sky and temple-acceptable animals buried him, and the Holy One of Blessing gave them two blessings as their reward, one for the slaughter and one for the covering of the blood.

Rabbi Yehoshua from Sichnin in the name of Rabbi Levi said: It is written 'The wicked have drawn out the sword [and have bent their bow; to cast down the poor and needy, to slay such as are upright in the way] (Ps. 37:14) - 'The wicked have drawn out the sword and have bent their bow' this is Kayin; 'to cast down the poor and needy, to slay such as are upright in the way' this is Hevel. 'Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. ' (Ps. 37:15). "You shall become a ceaseless wanderer on earth" (Gen. 4:9) "and God said to Kayin, where is Hevel your brother"(Gen. 4:12) - a parable: a governor was walking in the middle of the square, he encountered a murdered body and someone over it, and asked 'who killed him?' And the other responded: 'I ask you the same thing.' And the governor answered: you didn't answer. A parable: one entered in a orchard and collected strawberries and ate, and the owner of the garden run after him, and asked: 'what do you have in your hands?' he answered: 'nothing!', the owner says: 'look at your dirty hands!' So too, Kayin answered the Holy One of Blessing: 'Am I my brother's keeper?' (Gen. 4:9) "The voice of the bloods of your brother scream etc." (Gen. 4:10) - Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Huna and the rabbis [comment]. Rabbi Yudan says: It is not written 'the blood of your brother', but 'the bloods of your brother', [this teaches] his blood and the blood of his descendants. Rabbi Huna said: "Surely I have seen yesterday the bloods of Navot, and the bloods of his sons, says Ad-nai" (II Kings 9:26) - it is not written 'the blood of Navot and the blood of his sons', but the bloods of Navot and the bloods of his sons - his blood and the blood of his descendants. The rabbis say 'and he died..' 'the blood of Yehoyada' is not written, rather, 'the bloods of Yehoyada' (II Chron. 24:25) - his bloods and the bloods of his descendants. Said rabbi Shime'on Bar Yochai: It is hard to say this thing, and the mouth cannot explain it completely, [it is similar] to two athletes that are wrestling before the king, if the king wanted to [he could] separate them, but the king did not want to separate them, one overwhelmed the other and killed him, so 'the voice of the bloods of your brother scream to Me from the land'. She (the voice of Hevel’s blood) could not go up above/lema'lah, for as yet no soul/neshamah had gone up to there; and below/lematah she could not stand, for no human had been buried there yet, and [so] his blood was cast upon the trees and the stones.

"And Kayin said to Ad-nai: My sin/punishment is too great to bear" (Gen. 4:13) - You tolerate the upper ones and the lower ones, but my transgression you don't tolerate?! Another interpretation: My sin is greater than my father's, my father transgressed a light/easy commandment and was expelled from the garden of Eden, this is a heavy/serious transgression, spilling of blood, all the more so my sin is greater. Behold, You have driven me out (Gen. 4:14) - yesterday You drove out my father, and now You drive me out, behold, today You drive me out, is it possible that I hide from Your face and I become a vagrant in the land?!

"And He said to him: 'therefore, whoever kills Kayin" (Gen. 4:15) - Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Nechemiah. Rabbi Yehudah says: the domestic animals, the wild ones and the fowl entered to demand justice for the blood of Hevel. He said to them: therefore I say 'whoever kills Kayin will be killed'. Said Rabbi Levi: the Primordial Snake entered to demand justice for the blood of Hevel.The Holy One of Blessing said to him: therefore I say 'whoever kills Kayin will be killed'. Rabbi Nechemiah says: Kayin's judgment is not like the judgment of the rest of the murderers, Kayin killed and had no one to learn from, from here onwards 'whoever kills Kayin will be killed'. "And Ad-nai put on Kayin a sign" (Gen. 4:15) - Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Nechemiah. Rabbi Yehudah said: He made the Sun shine for him. Said Rabbi Nechemiah: to that evil one the Holy One of Blessing would make the sun shine?! Rather, it teaches that He made tzara'at [a scaly skin condition] shine on him! As you say: 'and if they do not believe you or pay heed to the first sign, [they will believe the second.'] (Exodus 4:8) Rav said: He gave him a dog. Aba Yosi ben Keisari said: He made a horn sprout on him. Rav said: He made him an example for murderers. Rabbi Chanin said: He made him an example for ba'alei teshuvah [penitents, returners, Heb. also shavim]. Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Shime'on ben Lakish said: He suspended his judgment until the Flood came and drowned him, as it is written 'and He blotted out all those standing on the face of the land' (Gen. 7:23), just as you say 'And Kayin stood up/rose' (Gen. 4:8)

'And Kayin went out from the presence of Ad-nai' (Gen. 4:16) - from where did he go?! Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Ayvu said: he threw words behind him and went out, as one who could deceive the Highest Awareness. Rabbi Berachia in the name of Rabbi Eleazar son of Rabbi Shime'on said: he went out as one who shows the cloven hoof [a hypocrite] as one who deceives His Creator. Rabbi Chama in the name of Rabbi Chanina bar Rabbi Yitzchak said: he went out happy, as you read "behold he comes out to greet you [and when he sees you he'll be glad in his heart]" (Ex. 4:14). Adam met him and said: 'how did your judgement go?' and he answered: 'I repented [did teshuvah] and I am reconciled.' Adam began to hide his face [crying] and said: this is the power of teshuvah [repentance] and I did not know. Immediately Adam rose and said: 'A Psalm of Shabbat etc.' (Ps. 92) Said Rabbi Levi: this mizmor was said by the first Adam and it was forgotten in his generation, and came Moshe and renewed it under his name, 'it is a good thing to thank Ad-nai' (Ps. 92:1-2).

(1) "And Cain knew his wife ..." "Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue forever" (Psalms 39:12), Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Pinchas, Rabbi Yudan said: why did the wicked believe that "their houses would continue forever" (ibid.)? "they called their lands after their own names" (ibid.) - Tiberias after the name Tiberius; Alexandira after the name Alexander; Antochia after the name Antiochus. Rabbi Pinchas said: "their inward thought is that their houses shall continue forever," tomorrow their houses will become their graves "their dwelling places for all generations" (ibid.), because their are not living and not judged - and not only that, but they called their lands after their own names. "And he built a city, and he called the name of the city, like the name of his son, Enoch" (Genesis 4:17)

(2) "And Enoch begat Erad..." Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: They all refer to rebellion. Erad - I will drive him out from the world. Mechuya'el - I will erase him from the world. Metusha'el - I will weaken him from the world. Lemech - What do I need with Lemech and his descendents? "And Lemech took for himself two wives, one was named Adah and the second was named Tzilah" (Genesis 4:19). Rabbi Azariah said in the name of Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon: this is what the men of the generation of the Flood would do: each of them would take two wives, one for procreation and one for pleasure. The one who was for procreation would sit as if she was a widow in her own lifetime (in the lifetime of her husband), and the one that was for pleasure would drink a cup for sterility so that she did not bear [children], and would sit by him adorned like a prostitute. As it is written: "He devours the barren that do not conceive, and does not do good to the widow" (Job 24:21). Know that among them the best was Lemech, and he took two wives, as it says "And Lemech took for himself two wives, one was named Adah" - because she became pregnant [adah] "and the second was named Tzilah" - because she sat in his shade [tzel].

(1) And Ad-nai said to him: “Therefore, whosoever slays Kayin, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” and Ad-nai set a sign for Kayin (Gen. 4:15). The Holy One of Blessing, said to him: Four families were destined to descend from Abel, but since you have eliminated them from the face of the earth, the earth will open up and devour four families that will descend from you: these are Enoch, Irad, Mehujael, and Methushael.