BERESHIT 5782

Poor Cain, he always seems to get the short end of the stick. Cain is mostly thought of as the bad guy who killed his brother. Ok, that’s not a good thing, but no one ever died before and just maybe he didn’t know his blow would kill him. Gd seems willing to forgive him for this with the non-lethal punishment of becoming a wanderer.

I don’t want to discuss Cain’s whole life story now. In lieu of a sermon, I’d like to study with you the very 1^st story about Cain in the Torah. After reviewing the parsha before Shabbat, I can’t shake off the serious questions I have with how most of our commentaries have read this story. Here’s the story from the beginning of Chapter 4 of the Torah. Listen carefully and see what you think: Now the man had known his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have acquired a man with Hashem.” And additionally, she bore his brother Abel; Abel became a shepherd and Cain a tiller of the ground. After a period of time, Cain brought an offering to Hashem of the fruit of the ground. And as for Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and from their choicest. Hashem turned to Abel and to his offering. But to Cain and to his offering He did not turn. This annoyed Cain exceedingly, and his countenance fell. And Hashem said to Cain, “Why are you annoyed, and why has your countenance fallen? Surely, if you improve yourself, you will be forgiven. But if you do not improve yourself, sin rests at the door. Its desire is toward you, yet you can conquer it.”  

The question that won’t leave me is, what did Can do that was so wrong? In fact, it seems, at 1^st glance, what he did was meritorious. From the text it seems that this was the 1^st time in the world that anyone even thought of bringing an offering to Gd. It had to come from a ground swelling of gratitude.

Since his parents, Adam and Eve, were escorted out of the Garden of Eden, everyone had to toil with their hands in order to survive and depend on Gd for the rest. From the text, it looks like it was Cain who was the 1^st to recognize and appreciate Gd’s blessing his work. What’s so bad about that? In fact, we might think it’s wonderful. The commentaries learn from Abel’s offering—which, unlike Cain's, was the best of the best Abel had—that perhaps Cain didn’t bring the finest of his fruits, and they denounce him for it. What do you think? … Could it be that he thought, why bring the finest fruits to Gd who couldn’t eat them anyway? At least he brought something. No one else ever thought of bringing anything.

It’s clear that many of the commentaries also had these questions. Let me share some of them:

Some suggest that Adam had the status of a high priest, and so bringing the offerings to him was the equivalent of bringing an offering to Gd. So when Cain brought something inferior, it was insulting.

Another approach is of the Targum Yonatan and Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer who suggest that on the 14^th of Nissan, Adam prophetically told his sons that in the future their descendants were going to offer sacrifices to Gd on this day—the Passover offering—and recommended they do the same. The Midrash (Bereishit Raba 22:4; Zohar Chadash) says it was on Shavuot or Rosh Hashanah.

David Kimchi (d. 1235) maintains that Adam’s sons learned from him what to do. He maintains that Adam had made a special place for prayer and previously brought offerings. He then told his sons to bring an offering of thanks to Gd from what their particular work had produced. Our verse does not say what kind of plant Cain’s offering was, but apparently it was of a lesser grade. Some suggest that it was what was left over from what he himself had eaten—in either case, it was somewhat insulting.

Abarbanel (d. 1508): Cain brought an offering, not in thanks, but due to his rivalry with his brother. So Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the firstlings of his flock. “Let Gd see and judge!”

As Rabbenu Nissim (d. 1376) nicely points out that Abel never thought of bringing an offering until Cain did; then, his only intention was to make his older brother look bad. That is why Cain was “distressed.”

So, my friends, I’ve given you a taste of what the Torah commentaries suggest. What do you think? ...

Again, the 1^st few verses seem to indicate that it was Cain who was the 1^st to recognize and appreciate Gd’s blessings. What’s so bad about that? In fact, we might think it’s wonderful. And yet, the text continues: But to Cain and to his offering He [Gd] did not turn. This annoyed Cain exceedingly, and his countenance fell. And Hashem said to Cain, “Why are you annoyed, and why has your countenance fallen? Surely, if you improve yourself, you will be forgiven.

Obviously, Cain did something here that needed forgiveness. What do you think it is? ... What would say about the merit of a mobster who earns his money cheating and stealing from others and gives $10 million to a children’s hospital? What he did was a good thing, but you can’t bribe Gd!

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (d. 1888) comments: “Everything depends on the spirit in which the sacrifices or prayers are offered…The differences lay not in the offerings as such, but in the disparate personalities of the individuals who made them. Gd did not approve of Cain [and how he lived his life], and therefore he disapproved also of Cain’s offering.” Again, you can’t bribe Gd!

So yes, Cain was the 1^st to even think of bringing an offering to Gd to thank Him for his many blessings. It’s a worthy and wonderful thought. But who you are, what you do with your life is, perhaps, just as important as the offering you bring. So, let’s thank Gd for His many blessings, and as we do, let’s resolve to live our lives to be worthy of His blessings. Amen!