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Genesis 4:1-2 - Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain. And she said, “I have given birth to [acquired or purchased] a man with the help of [through] Yahweh”. 2 Then she bore [and she continued to bear] his brother Abel. And Abel became a shepherd of sheep, and Cain was a tiller of the ground.  Lexham English Bible (LEB)

The story begins with the birth of Cain and Abel. You can read these verses without much attention, but this is really a peak moment, the pinnacle of creation. Cain's birth is the first birth in human history. Man creates man. This can be seen as the realization of man's destiny, to procreate and multiply and fill the earth. 

Pay attention to Cain's name. Actually, pay attention to all the nuances and all the seemingly missing information in this story. "She conceived and bore Cain". Usually in the Bible, first a child is born and then he is named; But Cain was born Cain. He was born with his name, with his essence. 

His essence is folded neatly into his name - Cain ‘קין’ from the root ‘קנה’, meaning ‘to buy’, ‘to acquire’, ‘to purchase’. I also see a possibility for the root ‘קנן’, meaning ‘to nest’ and a relationship to the word ‘קינה’ meaning ‘lamentation’. But I’ll circle back to it later.

Cain’s name defines his view of the world: the world is property, it belongs to him. Cain is the realization of Adam and Eve's life course, and from this he sees himself as the center of the world and the whole world is his property. The whole world is his. He has no room for others - no room for a brother and no room for the Creator. He is the world. 

Cain's view is contrary to the basic trend we saw in the previous chapters - man should see his existence in the world as a grace, and make an effort to be worthy of his existence. Cain ignores the grace that brought him into the world, and his existence is seen in his eyes as a self-evident right. In our modern day and age, we would refer to it as ‘a sense of entitlement’.

Therefore, for him, there is no need for any moral effort. He doesn't have to buy his soul. He who sees himself as bought, sins with the sin of pride.

Abel's birth, on the other hand, is worded differently - “and she continued (added) to bear”. The word used here is “added” as if to tell us that there was already one son in the world, and in fact there was no need for another son. Cain is the main thing, and Abel is the addition. He came into the world as Cain's brother. Abel is called “his brother” even before his first name is mentioned. 

Abel is then less central, secondary, unnecessary. His name ‘הבל’ literally means foolishness, nonsense, absurdity, vanity.  Sixty-six times this word appears in the Tanakh and each time it refers to nonsense and vanity. Solomon devotes the better part of Ecclesiastes to describing this concept and mentions it in name no less than thirty times! “Vanity of vanities!” says the Teacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!”

Abel’s name can also mean ‘steam’ or ‘vapor’; a faintly visible, gaseous state of a substance.

What a way to name your second child. Not only he is merely an ‘addition’, he hardly even takes up space. 

The questions that are begged to be asked here are - Why was he born? What is missing in the world without him? What is his right to exist? Compared to Cain who was born into a world waiting only for him, Abel was born into a world that already has someone in it.

So, Abel comes to a world where there is another and he has to deal with him. When there is already a person in the world, morality is required. The resulting situation is not symmetrical: in front of each of the brothers is another brother, but the existence of one brother is clear to both him and his brother, while a question hovers around the existence of the other brother, both in his brother's consciousness and in his own.

The difference between the two is expressed in their professions - a tiller of the land versus a shepherd of sheep. 

The language of the verse tells all: “And Cain was” compared to “And Abel became” - solid stability versus movement. 

Cain is a man of stability, a man of assets, a man of the physical realm. Abel, on the other hand, is a man of fluidity, a man of the non-physical realm. 

Cain has land; he has a place. Abel has no hold on the land; he is fluid like the wind, he does not have one place, he wanders with his sheep. Abel's basic condition is the one that Cain would later consider an unbearable punishment - roaming and wandering. 

Genesis 4:3-5 - 3 And in the course of time Cain brought an offering from the fruit of the ground to Yahweh, 4 And Abel also brought an offering from the choicest firstlings of his flock. And Yahweh looked with favor to Abel and to his offering, 5 but to Cain and to his offering He did not look with favor. And Cain became very angry, and his face fell.  Lexham English Bible (LEB)

The question at hand is whether Abel is merely an unnecessary addition, and if so, is he in constant danger of life, or does the owner of this world, namely Cain, understand the special, unique role of Abel in Cain's world? 

This question is the question that has been asked since then in every generation: Is there a place for others in the world of those who see themselves as the owners of this world? In Jewish Thought, this question reaches its climax in the relationship between the nations of the world, who see themselves as the owners of this world, and Israel. 

Cain and Abel have a choice. They have free will. Abel can be ‘vain’ and ‘foolish’ or he can be an inspiring presence; Cain can be selfish, controlling, and jealous or provide a ‘nest’, a stable protection and stability to those around him. It is in their hands to choose what meaning to give to their identity. 

Will Cain remain in the consciousness of materialism and property or choose to provide a stable nest for his brothers, and will Abel remain as a spirit without a real place, a spirit that is moved by the currents of the world or choose to develop into the spirit that moves the world instead?

Cain and Abel bring sacrifices, Cain from the fruit of his land and Abel from the firstfruits of his sheep. The contrast between them is not immediately noticeable in the text; They both brought offerings, right? And Cain took the initiative first, did he not?

However, the language of the verses should be observed more closely… First, Cain is the initiator of the sacrifice, while Abel joins in later and “also” brings a sacrifice. A closer look at the words “in the course of time” reveals something interesting. In Hebrew, the verse says ‘at the end of days”. This casual description of time describes a period of a whole year. 

So, Cain takes his grain for himself, and only at the end of days - that is, at the end of the year - does he brings an offering to Yah from what is left. And, Abel brings an offering to Yah, the firstfruits of his sheep. 

This is not just a description time but also a description of quality - Cain brings from the leftovers left at the end, and Abel brings from the first produce. 

Each sacrifice reflects the consciousness of the one who brings it: Cain perceives himself first and the other - in this case Yah - last; and Abel considers the other first and himself last. 

Sacrifices of the type of Cain's offering were later in history common among pagans: for them the sacrifice was a means to an end, so they did not give their gods the best. Abel’s offering was an end in itself.

Genesis 4:6-7 - And Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your face fallen? 7 If you do well will I not accept you? But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. And its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”  Lexham English Bible (LEB)

Yah speaks to Cain, but this did not have to happen. There was also another possibility: that Cain and Abel would talk to each other. This was the obvious possibility, because it finally turns out that Abel has something that Cain does not have. Until now, Cain has seen Abel as an unnecessary addition to his world. But, now it’s clear that his brother is noticed and acknowledged. By Yah. Cain should talk to Abel and understand what is unique about his offering that caused it to be accepted, and Abel should also take advantage of this opportunity and share his thoughts with Cain. 

But both are silent, and Yah has to speak with Cain who is feeling a complete failure. 

The Almighty makes it clear to Cain: Your fate is not decided, at any stage you can correct it, history is not a rolling snowball but a series of exit stations. You have the power to change the course of your life by doing the right thing - being obedient and controlling his innate inclination to sin.

Between Yah's speech and the murder, there is a verse that all the commentators have struggled with: “And Cain said to Abel his brother”. Many commentaries try to explain what Cain said to Abel. It’s clear a dialogue began. Cain speaks, he makes an effort on his part, and Abel has the opportunity to answer him - but he doesn’t answer. He remains silent, and again misses the opportunity to be present and project onto Cain. 

Since the dialogue did not materialize, Abel becomes ‘vapor’, Cain becomes the first recorded murderer, and humanity has missed the opportunity to live together and serve Yah in harmony.

This blog was inspired by contemplations of Rav Yehuda Leon Ashkenazi.