Haman & Cain: Confronting Evil

(1) And the human knew Eve his woman and she conceived and bore Cain, and she said, "I have got me a man with the Lord."

(2) And she bore as well his brother, Abel, and Abel became a herder of sheep while Cain was a tiller of soul.

(3) And it happened in the course of time that Cain brought from the fruit of the soil an offering to God.

(4) And Abel too had brought from the choice firstlings of his flock, and God regarded Abel and his offering

(5) but He did not regard Cain and his offering, and Cain was very incensed, and his face fell.

(6) And God said to Cain:

Why are you incensed,

and why is your face fallen?

(7) For if you will improve--there is release

if not--sin crouches at your door

and for you is its longing

but you may rule over it.

(8) And Cain said to Abel his brother…and when they were in the field, Cain rose against Abel his brother and killed him.

(8) Haman then said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people, scattered and separate from the peoples in all the provinces of your realm, whose laws are different from those of any other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; and it does not pay for the king to tolerate them. (9) If it please the king, let an edict be written for their destruction, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the court overseers for deposit in the royal treasury.” (10) And the king removed his ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the foe of the Jews.

A wise man is cautious and turns from evil,

But a fool rages confidently.

(21) Rabbi Elazar HaKapor says: Envy, lust and honor drive a man from the world.