(א) ויהי הבל רועה צאן שהיתה מלאכת חכמה יותר ממלאכת עבודת אדמה:
(1) ויהי הבל רועה צאן, Abel chose this vocation as it required more intelligence and involved one’s mental activities more that farming.
4:7 Sin Crouches at the Door: Your sin will crouch over your grave on the day of judgment. (Rashi)
4:7 Sin Crouches at the Door: Sin is an impulse of your heart that is always with you. (Ibn Ezra)
4:7 Sin Crouches at the Door: If you do not improve on your offering, then sin also awaits you, for such is the way of the evil inclination.
4:7 Sin crouches at the Door: At the door of your house your sin lurks causing you to stumble in all your endeavors (Ramban)
4:7 Sin Crouches at the Door: Sin sits outside your door, waiting to be invited inside, where it will make itself master of the house. (Midrash Rabbah)
4:8 And Kayin said to Abel: He entered with him into words of quarrel and contention, to find a pretext to kill him. There are aggadic interpretations on this matter, but this is the plain meaning of the verse.(Rashid)
4:8 And Kayin said to Abel: In my opinion, the phrase is joined to the following words, "And it was while they were in the field" for Kayin said to him "Let's go out to the field," and he killed him there secretly. (Ramban)
(ז) ויאמר קין אל הבל אחיו ויהי בהיותם וגו'. על מה היו מדיינים? אמרו: בואו ונחלוק את העולם, אחד נטל הקרקעות ואחד נטל את המטלטלין. דין אמר ארעא, דאת קאים עליה דידי! ודין אמר מה דאת לביש, דידי! דין אמר: חלוץ! ודין אמר: פרח! מתוך כך ויקם קין אל הבל אחיו ויהרגהו. רבי יהושע דסכנין בשם רבי לוי אמר: שניהם נטלו את הקרקעות, ושניהן נטלו את המטלטלין. ועל מה היו מדיינין? אלא, זה אומר: בתחומי בהמ"ק נבנה. וזה אומר: בתחומי בהמ"ק נבנה, שנא' ויהי בהיותם בשדה, ואין שדה אלא בהמ"ק. היך מה דאת אמר (מיכה ג): ציון שדה תחרש. ומתוך כך (בראשית ד): ויקם קין אל הבל אחיו וגו'. יהודה בר אמי אמר: על חוה הראשונה היו מדיינין. אמר רבי איבו: חוה הראשונה חזרה לעפרה. ועל מה היו מדיינין? אמר רבי הונא: תאומה יתירה נולדה עם הבל. זה אומר: אני נוטלה, שאני בכור. וזה אומר: אני נוטלה, שנולדה עמי.
(7) ..."And Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And it came to pass when they were in the field... " (Gen 4:8) What were they fighting about? They said, "Let's divide up the world." One took the earth and one took the moveable objects. One said "That land that you are standing on is mine!" and the other said "What you are wearing is mine!" One said "Take it off!" and the other said "Fly!" Because of this, "Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him. Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi said: they each took earth and each took moveable objects. And what were they fighting about? One said, "The Temple will be built in my territory!" and the other said "The Temple will be built in my territory!" as it is written "when they were in the field"-- and "field" can refer only to the Temple, hence what is written: "Zion shall be threshed as a field" (Micah 3). And because of this, "Cain rose up against Abel his brother." Judah bar Ami said: they were fighting about Primordial Eve. Rabbi Eivo said: Primordial Eve had already died. And what were they fighting about? Rabbi Huna said: A twin girl was born along with Abel. One said, "I will take her, because I am the firstborn." And the other said, "I will take her because she was born with me."
Midrash Tanhuma
What Cain said to Abel was, "Come and let us divide the world between us." Abel replied, "very well." So Cain said, You take the flocks and I will take the land." And it was agreed between them that the division was final and neither could take what belonged to the other..
Nevertheless, when Abel proceeded to graze the flock, Cain replied, "the land you are grazing on is mine!" Abel replied, "the wool you are wearing is mine!" Cain proceeded to chase Abel until the two grappled. Abel overcame Cain, so that Cain fell underneath him. Cain, aware of how badly it was going for him, began to plead aloud: Abel, my brother, there are only two of us in the world...what are you going to tell our father?
Abel, filled with compassion for his brother, let him go. At once Cain rose up against him and slew him. How did he slay him? Cain took a stone and inflicted many contusions and bruises on Abel's arms and legs, for he did not know what part of the body the soul goes out of, until, when he got to Abel's neck, Abel died.
(כה) וַיֵּ֨דַע אָדָ֥ם עוֹד֙ אֶת־אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֔ן וַתִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ שֵׁ֑ת כִּ֣י שָֽׁת־לִ֤י אֱלֹהִים֙ זֶ֣רַע אַחֵ֔ר תַּ֣חַת הֶ֔בֶל כִּ֥י הֲרָג֖וֹ קָֽיִן׃
(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.
Translation: Adapted from JPS
Eve Learns of Abel's Death
Excerpts of a poem by Francis Fisher
https://pigeonpagesnyc.com/eve-learns-of-abels-death
I.
Abel still like slaughtered lamb. He does
not answer when I speak. Next to him,
my eldest, trembles like a leaf. No one
knows what it meant to be the first
mother. To raise a child without
example. There were many horrors of
leaving the garden. Labor pains and the
way my breasts swelled to bursting
until the baby drinks its mother’s pain
beside nourishment. God’s voice comes
to cast Cain out. Broken over the body
of my younger son, I think of him.
Where will he wander? And after the
mark will I still know my son’s face? Yes,
there were many horrors. But none
greater than this: I had no chance to try
on forgiveness. Cain, cast out before I
decided to lose one son or two. Cain,
my first pain and my second.
III.
Abel, you fell like unripefruit, cast downby the wind. No, knockedfrom the tree of lifenot by wind but byyour own brother’shand. My son. Each.Not knowing death,did Cain know whathe had done to you?I like to think not.I should like to eatthis fruit as I didthe last. My teethmeet blood. It spillswarm and thickacross my tonguenothing like the juiceof an apple. God had saidon the day you eatof the fruit you shalldie but I knew notwhat death was thenand now with two sonsgone I might like to…The blood drips downmy chin, congealedjuice gone to soon fromthe fruit of your body.
Published April 30th, 2023