From: Yeshivat Har Etzion Office <office@etzion.org.il>
To: yhe-intparsha@etzion.org.il
Subject: INTPARSHA62 -01: Parashat Bereishit
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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INTRODUCTION TO PARASHAT HASHAVUA
PARASHAT BEREISHIT
Kayin and Hevel
by Rabbi Michael Hattin
Introduction
This week, we begin anew the reading of the Torah.
Scarcely have we concluded the closing passages of Devarim
that poignantly describe Moshe's death and burial, when we
immediately return to the Torah's opening passage, the story
of the Cosmogony and of the creation of humanity. The never-
ending cycle of study so celebrated in Jewish tradition thus
unfolds again with reassuring regularity, even as our larger
world sometimes appears to teeter with uncertainty.
With a suddenness that parallels this abrupt turning
from beginnings to ends and ends to beginnings, our Parasha
recounts the disquieting story of man's exalted creation and
ensuing ignominious failure. Alone among all of God's
creatures, Adam and Chava are endowed with moral capacity,
spiritual sensitivity, and a yearning for transcendent
meaning. How hastily and tragically they forfeit their
rightful place in the scheme of things by abrogating His
command, and choosing to partake of the forbidden fruit of
the Tree of Knowledge! Banished from idyllic Eden, these
progenitors of mankind are instead condemned to lives of
toil and grief, and to die the death of mortals. But for
their descendents, they unwittingly initiate the painful
process, still unfolding to this very day, of attempting the
return to Eden.
This week, we shall examine the account of their
children, the first brothers to merit the Torah's attention,
the first human relationship to end in homicide. The story
of Kayin and Hevel, Cain and Abel, is distressingly
succinct, for so many critical details seem to be lacking
from the narrative. We know nothing of their upbringing or
their formative experiences, while the struggle that ends
with the calamity of Hevel's untimely death is described
with scarcely any significant detail. We are thus obliged
to scrutinize the few facts that the Torah does provide, in
an attempt to arrive at a more profound understanding of
this murderous act and its aftermath.
Their Birth and Sacrifice
"Adam loved his wife Chava. She became pregnant and
gave birth to Kayin, for she said 'I have fashioned
(literally 'ACQUIRED') a man with God'. She gave birth
again to his brother, to Hevel. Hevel was a shepherd of
flocks, while Kayin was a worker of the land. After a year,
Kayin presented some of his produce as an offering to God.
Hevel also brought an offering from among his firstborn
sheep and fatlings, and God was attentive to Hevel and to
his offering. But He did not turn to Kayin or to his
offering, and Kayin was very angry and downcast. God said
to Kayin: 'Why are angry and downcast? If you improve your
ways then you will be uplifted, but if you do not improve,
then iniquity crouches at the door. Its desire is towards
you, but you shall rule over it'" (Bereishit 4:1-7).
This brief passage sets the backdrop for the most
dastardly deed to follow, the cold-blooded murder of Hevel
by his brother. The maddening lack of any larger context,
however, hampers our attempts to understand its underlying
causes. Clearly, Kayin is terribly upset about the
rejection of his offering, but we grope in vain for a text-
based rationale as to why God rejects it. Perhaps the brief
introductory profile that the Torah provides can guide us in
our investigation.
The Brothers' Names
We begin by wondering about the significance of Kayin's
name, for already the Parasha has indicated to us that names
carry great significance. Didn't God Himself assign names
to day, night, dry land, and the seas (Bereishit 1:5, 8)?
Didn't Adam also engage in assigning names to all of "the
animals, the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field"
(Bereishit 2:20)? Did he not even designate the name of the
first woman as "Chava, the mother of all (human) life"
(Bereishit 3:20)? Obviously, Chava chooses the name of her
firstborn carefully, for in so doing she intimates that she
has been instrumental in his creation. As Rashi (11th
century, France) explains: "When God created me and my
husband, He alone created us. But with this birth, we have
become His partners" (commentary to 4:1). In other words,
Chava here describes the miraculous nature of birth, for
through this process human parents partake of the grandeur
of creating new life, of 'fashioning a person with God'.
At the same time, the omission of any basis for Hevel's
name is puzzling. Chava does not indicate what prompts her
or her husband to call their second child by this name. It
may be significant that elsewhere in Tanakh, the root HVL
signifies 'futility' or 'emptiness,' such as in the
recurring refrain of the Book of Kohelet/Ecclesiastes that
"all is vanity" ('HaVeL HaVaLim'). In Rabbinic usage, the
root is extended to mean a 'vapor' or 'breath' (see Shabbat
119b concerning the continued existence of the world being
dependent upon 'the breath (HeVeL) of children engaged in
Torah study'), since these quickly dissipate and vanish
without a trace. In hindsight, these various meanings
certainly constitute apt descriptions of Hevel's short and
unrealized life, but we must begin to wonder if there may be
other implications.
Kayin's Produce and Hevel's Sheep
The other introductory piece of information concerns
the brothers' vocations and their particular gifts, and here
we have our most promising piece of information for
unraveling some of the narrative's mystery. Hevel was a
shepherd while Kayin was a farmer, and this detail is needed
to explain the difference in their respective offerings.
Kayin presents God with the proverbial fruits of his labor
while Hevel offers "from among his firstborn sheep and
fatlings." Significantly though, while the Torah seems to
credit Kayin with initiating these acts of sacrifice, it
utilizes no additional adjectives to describe the produce
that he presents. "Some of his produce as an offering"
suggests nothing unique or outstanding, in glaring contrast
to Hevel's gift that consisted of "his firstborn sheep and
fatlings."
The Torah is careful to indicate that Hevel brings his
firstborn and fatling sheep, two characteristics that
suggest a deliberate selection of his best from among the
flocks. Later, in the Book of BeMidbar (18:17), the
firstborn of the flock will be designated as particularly
suitable for the Cohanim, who minister before God at His
sanctuary. The fat of the sheep sacrifice, according to
the sacrificial service spelled out at great length in Sefer
VaYikra, is to be consumed on the altar as one of the
components of the offering that secures God's favor (3:9-
11). Thus, the Torah's emphasis on the particulars of
Hevel's offering not only implies that his was precious and
prized, but also indicates in no uncertain terms that
Kayin's sacrifice was not the best of his harvest
In other words, though Kayin presents sacrifice to God,
it is a perfunctory act that is devoid of any emotional
involvement or desire for communion with the Deity. To
utilize Rashi's (11th century, France) phraseology, Kayin's
sacrifice consisted of the "poorest" of the produce. His
act of 'worship' could be more accurately described as an
act of appeasement, for his presentation does not reflect
man's deepest yearning for connectedness with God, but
rather the superficial fear that to fail to court His favor
will result in misfortune. No wonder that Hevel's sacrifice
finds favor while Kayin's is rejected.
The Aftermath of Rejection
At this point, God intervenes and indicates to Kayin
that his anger and dejection are misplaced, that the favor
in God's eyes that he so seeks is yet attainable. "If you
improve your ways then you will be uplifted, but if you do
not improve, then iniquity crouches at the door. Its desire
is towards you, but you shall rule over it." Kayin's true
battle is not against Hevel, but against his own
inclination, his own failure to cultivate goodness. The
rage that he feels against his brother is, on the most
profound level, anger athis own inadequacy and deficiency.
Remarkably, God does not belittle the challenge that Kayin
faces, for achieving change will indeed be difficult when
confronted by an inclination or nature that resists so
valiantly. The proverbial 'iniquity that crouches at the
door' is an expression that captures the essence of his
struggle, for lurking in his heart are powerful voices that
counsel stasis, stagnation and sluggishness rather than
spiritual growth and moral development. Nevertheless,
Kayin's act of sacrifice can yet find favor if it becomes a
sincere expression of a contrite and transformed spirit.
"Kayin spoke to Hevel his brother, but when they were
in the field, Kayin arose against his brother Hevel and slew
him. God said to Kayin: 'Where is your brother Hevel?'
Kayin responded: 'I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?'
He (God) said: 'What have you done? Hark! Your brother's
blood cries out to Me form the earth!" (Bereishit 4:9-10).
Again, we are left in the dark concerning the conversation
that Kayin initiates between them. Does he endeavor to
implement God's counsel to improve by attempting
reconciliation with Hevel, only to later become overwhelmed
with the uncontrollable rage that had consumed him earlier?
Or does Kayin offer honeyed words as a premeditated attempt
to lower Hevel's guard, so that the latter is taken
completely by surprise by his brother's subsequent attack?
The consequence of the conversation is anywise the same:
murder.
In a marked departure from the example of his parents,
who shifted the blame for their failures but never denied
culpability, Kayin rejects any involvement in Hevel's death.
Countering God's penetrating question with one of his own,
he will not assume responsibility for fratricide. Not for
naught does the Torah utilize the term 'brother' five times
in the course of these two verses, to emphasize the heinous
and fiendish nature of Kayin's crime: blinded by jealousy
and consumed with rage, he has slain his own brother, his
own flesh and blood, his companion and dearest friend. What
a black veil of tragedy descends upon the world with his
nefarious act. Where can solace be sought in its aftermath!
And yet, there is hope. Kayin is cursed, exiled, and
condemned to wander, but God spares his life. In shame and
infamy, Kayin flees God's presence to wander the earth 'east
of Eden,' but God nevertheless marks him with a 'sign,' so
that "none that find him shall kill him" (Bereishit 4:15-
16). Kayin finds a wife and begets a son whom he calls
'Chanoch,' and builds a city in the latter's name. Chanoch
himself has children and grandchildren, descendents over the
course of many generations, but ultimately all of them are
swept away by the torrential waters of the Flood, as
recounted in next week's Parasha.
The Import of the Account
How are we to understand the import of this passage?
What are its primary lessons? Of course, the story of Kayin
and Hevel stresses the fundamental idea of God having
granted humanity unhindered and autonomous moral choice.
Kayin freely decides to kill his brother and though God
looks on with horror, He does not intervene to stay his
hand. At the same time, Kayin's attempts to escape Divine
scrutiny are revealed as futile, thus introducing another
indispensable truth: God is aware of human action and holds
man accountable for his crimes. To commit murder is to be
sentenced to exile, infamy and the threat of imminent death.
Perhaps most importantly, the passage introduces the idea of
Teshuva or return to God, both before as well as even after
the fact. Man can resist even his most potent urges in
order to change for the better, but a man that has succumbed
can yet find his way back to God's presence.
The gravity with which the Torah views Kayin's act, the
burning infamy with which it is sketched out, might lead us
to dismiss his act as an extreme case that can provide us
with little practical guidance. But that would be a
monumental error. The story of Kayin and Hevel is not
simply the story of two brothers who could not embrace, two
individuals whose struggle led to avoidable tragedy.
Rather, the story of Kayin and Hevel, the first two
brothers, is, like the rest of this Parasha's accounts, the
story of humanity, the brotherhood of man. The lives of
Adam and Chava and their immediate descendents are a
microcosm of the trials, challenges, and failures that have
confronted the human race throughout its turbulent history.
The Farmer vs. the Shepherd
Let us again carefully consider the fleeting reference
to their respective vocations in order to unravel the
narrative's most pressing difficulty: what causes a man to
kill his brother? "Adam loved his wife Chava. She became
pregnant and gave birth to Kayin, for she said 'I have
fashioned (literally 'acquired') a man with God'. She gave
birth again to his brother, to Hevel. Hevel was a shepherd
of flocks, while Kayin was a worker of the land." Kayin,
named for 'acquisition,' was a farmer who worked the land,
while Hevel, named for 'futility,' was a shepherd. These
two occupations, landowner and shepherd, inform many a
Biblical passage. The farmer is entrenched and settled. He
wrings produce from the earth and brings forth bread from
its rocky soil. The shepherd is semi-nomadic, roaming the
countryside in search of forage for his flocks.
Often, the Biblical narratives regard these two as
archetypes: the landowner typifies the man who has acquired
success through his hard work, but always stands in danger
of succumbing to self- aggrandizement and its
ruinous corollary - forgetfulness of God. Thus, when Moshe
warns the people of Israel about Canaan's temptations, he
states: "Be careful lest you forget God your Lord, ceasing
to fulfill His commandments, ordinances and decrees that I
enjoin upon you today. Lest you eat and become satiated,
build fine houses and dwell in them. Your cattle and flocks
will multiply, your silver and gold will increase, and all
that is yours will grow. Your heart will become proud, and
you will forget God the Lord who brought you forth from the
land of Egypt and the house of bondage." (Devarim 8:12-14).
The shepherd, in contrast, is a contemplative type,
conditioned by his wandering and travels to regard most of
life's material possessions as transient and of little
ultimate worth. The shepherd is always mindful of God's
providence and can never be deluded into believing that
mortal man can secure eternity through edifices of stone.
It is no wonder that many of the Tanakh's most celebrated
prophets and leaders were either shepherds or else rural and
landless Cohanim, while the objects of their caustic
condemnations were frequently wealthy landowners for whom
the value of material acquisitions often exceeded the value
of human life. Amos, perhaps the Tanakh's most outspoken
champion of 'social justice,' was a herdsman of the hills of
Tekoa and an forthright critic of Samaria's landed
aristocracy: "Because you oppressed the poor and took his
measure of grain from him, you shall not dwell long in the
houses of hewn stone that you have built, nor drink the wine
from your enchanting vineyards. I know how numerous are
your iniquities and how great are your transgressions, O you
enemies of the righteous, takers of bribes, and perverters
of the justice due the poor!" (Amos, 5:11-12).
Kayin vs. Hevel and Man vs. Man
Kayin, therefore, the man whose name means
'acquisition' (from KaNaH), cannot part with the best of his
produce in order to express submission to God. For Kayin,
hard-won materiality is too precious to be squandered on the
Deity, communion with Whom he does not sincerely seek. His
offering is rather a hedge against the downturn, a pathetic
attempt to secure God's guarantees without embracing His
demands. Kayin's painless 'shortcut,' however, is upstaged
by the offering of his brother Hevel, the shepherd and
seeker. For Hevel, possessions are not the gauge of a man's
value and ultimate meaning is not to be found in avaricious
accumulation of goods, influence or power. By declaring the
futility of blinding amassment, Hevel ius to the possibility
of transcendence, of apprehending God not through the
renunciation of materiality and its trappings, but rather
through their elevation. Do with less and you will discover
that you have more - more of what is genuinely important.
Thus, "the first child she called by the name of
'acquisition' and the second 'futility,' because a man's
possessions perish and disappear." (commentary of the
Ramban, 13th century, Spain, to Bereishit 4:1).
No wonder men like Kayin can be so consumed by their
desire for more that they lose sight of the ultimate value
of human life, sometimes treating it as another commodity to
be peddled in the marketplace. No wonder men like Kayin can
become enraged by Hevel and his ilk, by those who proclaim
in word and deed life's spiritual inviolability. No wonder
men like Kayin can contemplate and countenance the
unspeakable.
How telling are the comments of the Ramban (13th
century, Spain), who detects in Kayin's punishment a fitting
conclusion to the entire account. Condemned to wander, to
himself experience the nomadic way that alone holds the key
to his inner transformation, Kayin finds a wife and begets a
child, Chanoch. For this boy, though, Kayin builds a city:
"He built a city and called the city by the name of his son
Chanoch" (Bereishit 4:17). The Ramban perceptively notices
an anomaly in the account of this building, for elsewhere
the Torah utilizes the past tense to describe the process of
construction: "(Nimrod) BUILT the city of Nineveh"
(Bereishit 10:11), "The children of Gad BUILT Divon"
(BeMidbar 32:34). Here, however, the text literally states:
"Kayin loved his wife and she became pregnant and gave birth
to Chanoch. He WAS BUILDING a city, and called its name
'Chanoch' after his son" (Bereishit 4:17). The use of the
present tense indicates that "all the days of his life were
occupied with building that city, for his endeavors were
cursed. He built some of it with great effort and toil but
then was forced to wander, only to eventually return and
commence building again." (commentary to 4:17). In other
words, Kayin could not cease from building that cursed city,
for it consumed him just as its antecedents had possessed
him with the insatiable desire to have more. The
'landowner' has here become completely owned by the land.
The tragic story of Kayin and Hevel must give us all
pause. The forces that the two 'brothers' unleash on the
world continue to animate individual lives, communities and
nations. The blind acquisitiveness of Kayin still holds men
in its throes, and Hevel's protests can yet be faintly
heard. Although in our Parasha Hevel the man perishes, the
ideals of Hevel live on through the third of the brothers,
Shet or Seth: ".Chava gave birth to another child and called
him Shet, for God has placed for me ('ShuT') another child,
in Hevel's stead, for Kayin killed him" (Bereishit 4:25).
In the end, Kayin's descendents all perish in the Flood,
while Shet's children become the progenitors of a post-
diluvial restored humanity. So may it be for us.
Shabbat Shalom
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