core verse
(ו) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־קָ֑יִן לָ֚מָּה חָ֣רָה לָ֔ךְ וְלָ֖מָּה נָפְל֥וּ פָנֶֽיךָ׃ (ז) הֲל֤וֹא אִם־תֵּיטִיב֙ שְׂאֵ֔ת וְאִם֙ לֹ֣א תֵיטִ֔יב לַפֶּ֖תַח חַטָּ֣את רֹבֵ֑ץ וְאֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ תְּשׁ֣וּקָת֔וֹ וְאַתָּ֖ה תִּמְשָׁל־בּֽוֹ׃
(6) And the LORD said unto Cain: ‘Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? (7) If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee is its desire, but thou mayest rule over it.’
(ז) הלא אם תיטיב כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ פֵּרוּשׁוֹ:
(7) הלא אם תטיב if you mend — Its meaning is as the Targum(aramaic translation) says it: “if thou will improve your doings, you shall be forgiven”.
(ז) לפתח חטאת רובץ לְפֶתַח קִבְרְךָ חָטְאֲךָ שָׁמוּר:
(7) לפתח חטאת רובץ SIN CROUCHETH AT THE ENTRANCE — Right up to the door of your grave (until your death) your sin will be preserved.
(ז) ואליך תשוקתו שֶׁל חַטָּאת הוּא יֵצֶר הָרָע, תָּמִיד שׁוֹקֵק וּמִתְאַוֶּה לְהַכְשִׁילְךָ:
(7) ואליך תשוקתו AND UNTO YOU IS ITS LONGING — The longing of sin; it refers to the evil inclination. This is continually longing and desiring to make you sin.
(ז) ואת תמשל בו אִם תִּרְצֶה תִּתְגַּבֵּר עָלָיו:
(7) ואתה תמשול בו NEVERTHELESS YOU MAY RULE OVER IT — If you desire to, you can gain the victory over it.
Questions/comments on Rashi:
The disscusion begins with what gets in the way of us doing the desired things listed in the essential question.
Rashi gives the basic idea. If you improve you are forgiven
If you do not improve and continue to sin your sins will be waiting for you until you die.
He then brings in the concept of the Evil inclination and closes with the idea of free will.
(ז) הלא אם תיטיב עצמך ותשתדל להיות גם אתה לרצון:
(7) הלא אם תיטיב, if only you improve yourself, you will be welcome in My eyes.
(ז) שאת רום המעלה וההתנשא רובץ לפניך ומוכן שיהיה לך.
(7) שאת, every lofty level of greatness is lying in wait for you, ready to become yours,
(ז) ואם לא תיטיב לפתח חטאת רובץ. גם כן החטאת מוכן לפניך כי תוסיף על חטאתך פשע שכך דרכו של יצר הרע:
(7) ואם לא תיטיב לפתח חטאת רובץ, however, sin is also lying in wait for you if you will add further intentional sin to the already performed unintentional sin. This is the way of the evil urge, that once you give into it, it will forever be ready to tempt you again.
(ז) ואליך תשוקתו כי תפנה אליו למלאות תאותיו כאמרם ז''ל (סוכה פרק החליל) יצרו של אדם מתגבר עליו בכל יום:
(7) כי אליך תשוקתו, “for it longs for you due to its very nature. It too is anxious to satisfy its desires, its aspirations every day.”
Questions/comments on Sforno:
Sforno understand the verse differently from Rashi. For him the reward for changing our behavior is greatness (which is beyond the forgiveness that Rashi mentioned)
Sforno makes a distinction between intentional and unintentional sins.
He speaks about an aspect of the evil inclination. It is the aspect of habits. When you give into a bad habit you are likely to repeat the action.
He warns us that the evil inclination can take over us.
Take away message: Yetzer hatov and Yetzer haraa.
This verse is an important verse in Judaism. It emphasize that we have both positive constructive inclinations and Evil destructive inclinations. The commentators identify the fact that a good life is a life of good habits.
They both agree that if we change our ways we get either forgiveness or even greatness