Read carefully through the story of the confrontation between Cain and Abel. As you will note below, we are going to focus on a single sentence in this story. In this sentence, we will see the midrash focusing on a number of different issues in the verse.
1. The Biblical Story Genesis 4:1-15
Things to Consider
- Read the Torah’s account of the slaying of Abel by Cain. What seems to be the reason that Cain killed Abel, according to the plain sense ( פשט ) of the story? Pay particular attention to verse 8.
- What about this verse serves as the impetus for a midrashic explanation of the reason for the murder?
- You will see three underlined sections of this verse. Try to identify the issue or issues in each which might prompt a commentator to develop an interpretation.
A Midrashic Explanation of the reason for the murder
Just as a reminder from our last lesson, Bereishit Rabbah is a midrash composed in Eretz Yisrael in the Talmudic Period (Amoraic 3-5th century CE) This midrash focuses on answering a particular question in the verse quoted.
(ז) וַיֹּאמֶר קַיִן אֶל הֶבֶל אָחִיו וַיְהִי בִּהְיוֹתָם וגו' (בראשית ד, ח), עַל מָה הָיוּ מִדַּיְּנִים, אָמְרוּ בּוֹאוּ וְנַחֲלֹק אֶת הָעוֹלָם, אֶחָד נָטַל הַקַּרְקָעוֹת וְאֶחָד נָטַל אֶת הַמִּטַּלְטְלִין, דֵּין אָמַר אַרְעָא דְּאַתְּ קָאֵם עֲלָהּ דִּידִי, וְדֵין אָמַר מַה דְּאַתְּ לָבֵישׁ דִּידִי, דֵּין אָמַר חֲלֹץ, וְדֵין אָמַר פְּרַח, מִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ (בראשית ד, ח): וַיָּקָם קַיִן אֶל הֶבֶל אָחִיו וַיַּהַרְגֵּהוּ, רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ דְּסִכְנִין בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר שְׁנֵיהֶם נָטְלוּ אֶת הַקַּרְקָעוֹת, וּשְׁנֵיהֶן נָטְלוּ אֶת הַמִּטַּלְטַלִין, וְעַל מָה הָיוּ מִדַּיְּנִין, אֶלָּא זֶה אוֹמֵר בִּתְחוּמִי בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ נִבְנֶה וְזֶה אוֹמֵר בִּתְחוּמִי בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ נִבְנֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיְהִי בִּהְיוֹתָם בַּשָּׂדֶה, וְאֵין שָׂדֶה אֶלָּא בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, הֵיךְ מַה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר (מיכה ג, יב): צִיּוֹן שָׂדֶה תֵחָרֵשׁ, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ (בראשית ד, ח): וַיָּקָם קַיִן אֶל הֶבֶל אָחִיו וגו'. יְהוּדָה בַּר אָמֵי אָמַר עַל חַוָּה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה הָיוּ מִדַּיְּנִין, אָמַר רַבִּי אַיְבוּ חַוָּה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה חָזְרָה לַעֲפָרָהּ וְעַל מָה הָיוּ מִדַּיְּנִין, אָמַר רַבִּי הוּנָא תְּאוֹמָה יְתֵרָה נוֹלְדָה עִם הֶבֶל, זֶה אוֹמֵר אֲנִי נוֹטְלָהּ שֶׁאֲנִי בְּכוֹר, וְזֶה אוֹמֵר אֲנִי נוֹטְלָהּ שֶׁנּוֹלְדָה עִמִּי, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ וַיָּקָם קַיִן.
(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**, and each claimed her. 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.”
*This reference refers to a midrash which attempts to account for the two different stories found in the Torah where woman was created, name, the story in the first chapter 1 of Genesis and the story of the creation of Eve found in the second chapter. According to this midrash, the first woman was created twice, the first time Adam rejected her because he saw her being created and was repulsed so that in the second account, the Adam and Eve story, God put Adam to sleep so that he would only see the finished product. (See Genesis Rabbah 18:4) Adam took Eve 2 as a wife, leaving Eve 2 open for Cain and Abel.
**The sages learned from the redundant use of the Hebrew word “et” which is normally used as a place server that there were female children born along with Cain and Abel. This helped them explain where the women came from needed to populate the world.
Guide Questions and Notes
- What has the author of this midrash attempted to do?
- This midrash takes account of three possible reasons for Cain’s murder of Adam. What are they? What is the purpose of these different accounts? Do they represent something?
- Read through the midrash. If you have answered the second question on the passage from the Torah successfully, then you are ready for this question. How has this midrash answered that question?
What is the message of this midrash?
A Midrashic Account of the Fight Between the Brothers
(ח) אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן הֶבֶל הָיָה גִּבּוֹר מִקַּיִן, שֶׁאֵין תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וַיָּקָם, אֶלָּא מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהָיָה נָתוּן תַּחְתָּיו, אָמַר לוֹ שְׁנֵינוּ בָּעוֹלָם מָה אַתְּ הוֹלֵךְ וְאוֹמֵר לְאַבָּא, נִתְמַלֵּא עָלָיו רַחֲמִים, מִיַּד עָמַד עָלָיו וַהֲרָגוֹ, מִן תַּמָּן אִינוּן אָמְרִין טַב לְבִישׁ לָא תַעֲבֵד וּבִישׁ לָא יִמְטֵי לָךְ. וַיַּהַרְגֵּהוּ, בַּמֶּה הֲרָגוֹ, רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אָמַר בְּקָנֶה הֲרָגוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ד, כג): וְיֶלֶד לְחַבֻּרָתִי, דָּבָר שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה חַבּוּרָה. וְרַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי בְּאֶבֶן הֲרָגוֹ, שֶׁנֶאֱמַר (בראשית ד, כג): כִּי אִישׁ הָרַגְתִּי לְפִצְעִי, דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה פְּצָעִים. רַבִּי עֲזַרְיָה וְרַבִּי יוֹנָתָן בַּר חַגַּי בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יִצְחָק אָמַר נִתְבּוֹנֵן קַיִן מְהֵיכָן שָׁחַט אָבִיו אוֹתוֹ הַפָּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בּוֹ (תהלים סט, לב): וְתִיטַב לַה' מִשּׁוֹר פָּר, וּמִשָּׁם הֲרָגוֹ, מִמְּקוֹם הַצַּוָּאר מְקוֹם הַסִּימָנִין. וּמִי קְבָרוֹ, אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן פְּדָת עוֹפוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְחַיּוֹת טְהוֹרוֹת קְבָרוּהוּ, וְנָתַן לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שְׂכָרָן שְׁתֵּי בְּרָכוֹת שֶׁמְבָרְכִים עֲלֵיהֶן, אַחַת לִשְׁחִיטָה וְאַחַת לְכִסּוּי הַדָּם.
And Cain rose up against his brother Abel, etc.
R. Johanan said: Abel was stronger than Cain, for the expression rose up can only imply that he [Cain] lay beneath him.
He [Cain] said to him, ‘We two only are in the world: what will you go and tell our father [if you kill me] ?’
At this he was filled with pity for him; straightway he rose against him and slew him.
Out of that incident was born the proverb, ‘Do not do good to an evil man, then evil will not befall you.’
Questions
- What is the textual impetus for this midrash?
- What does this midrash say about the struggle between the two brothers?
- What point does the midrash want to make from this story?
- What purpose does this midrash assign to the story?
במה הרגו,
ר’ שמעון א’ בקנה הרגו וילד לחבורתי (בראשית ד כג) דבר שעושה חבורה,
רבנין אמ’ באבן הרגו כי איש הרגתי לפצעי (שם שם /בראשית ד’/) דבר שעושה פצעים,
ר’ עזריה ור’ יונתן בשם ר’ יצחק נתבונן קין מאיכן שחט אביו את הפר ותיטב לי”י משור פר (תהלים סט לב)
ומשם הרגו [ממקום הצואר] וממקום הסימנין.
With what did he kill him?
R. Simeon said: He killed him with a staff: And a young man for my bruising (Gen. iv, 23) implies a weapon which inflicts a bruise.
The Rabbis said: He killed him with a stone: For I have slain a man for wounding me (ib.) indicates a weapon which inflicts wounds.
R. ‘Azariah and R. Jonathan in R. Isaac’s name said: Cain had closely observed where his father slew the bullock [which he sacrificed, as it is written], And it shall please the Lord better than a bullock (Ps. lxix, 32), and there he killed him: by the throat and its organs.
Questions
- What question do these midrashin come to answer?
- How does each sage answer the question? (What is the method to his madness?)
- Where do the first two sages go for proof texts?
- Is there a message to be found in Rabbi Azariah’s answer?
Lesson 2 Some Conclusions
I thoroughly enjoyed your discussion on the conflict between Cain and Abel, if one can enjoy discussion on this topic. You have captured much of the angst and human tragedy in this event. Obviously, we have only touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the midrashic treatment of this subject. We could spend 10 lessons on it alone. I brought only one of the many serious midrashim on the subject, in part, for the textual problem which provided the impetus for the midrash as much as for the midrash itself.
As many of you ascertained, the first midrash is prompted by an ellipsis or seeming gap in verse 8 where the brothers are having a conversation but then no conversation is recorded and them the verse launches into the tragic confrontation and murder. This ellipsis gives the sages an opportunity to fit in that gap, which they do oh so artfully and meaningfully.
What was the argument about? The sages came up with three possibilities. These three alternatives cover the gamut of why people do violent things: material things, ideology, and intimate relations. It seems to me that the sages wanted to take the story of Cain and Abel, which is a story expressing the etiology of murder and or fratricide and establish a similar etiology for the motives for murder or violence.
What is gained by this, it seems to me, is self awareness. Once people are aware of what prompts them to do these sorts of things, perhaps they will be able to curb their behavior.
Notice as well that the first midrash does not assign blame to a single party but rather sees the causes or motives as the cause of the violence.
The second and third midrashim deal with textual problems: The second why Cain had to stand up and the third what was the weapon used. These sorts of midrash take that which is abstract and try to concretize it by adding details which were not part of the original story. This is very characteristic of the sages.