The serpent of Genesis becomes transformed in kabbalah into a principle of evil, the primal serpent who makes its home in the darkness of the Sitra Ahra, the Other Side. It is a serpent by the road, a viper by the path (Gen. 49:17). It comes down from above, swims across bitter waters, and descends in order to deceive, lying in wait to ambush mankind with sins. The Sitra Ahra is the realm of evil. It is said to be ruled by Samael and Lilith. The primal or primordial serpent is an archetype of evil, based upon the serpent in the Garden of Eden. In this realm it functions as a force of evil, an exaggerated version of the Yetzer ha-Ra, the Evil Impulse in every person. Here this impulse is understood to be an underlying principle in the concept of an evil realm. Evil, however, flourishes only in the absence of good. The Zohar describes this serpent as “eternal death, on the left side, that enters into a man’s innermost secret parts” (Zohar 2:52a).
See the closely related myth, “The Seed of Cain,” p. 448. For a Hasidic tale about the primal serpent, see “Reb Shmelke’s Whip” in Gabriel’s Palace, p. 226.
Sources:
Targum Pseudo-Yonathan on Genesis 4:1; B. Shabbat 145b-146a; B. Sota 9b; B. Yevamot 103b;B. Avodah Zarah 22b; Genesis Rabbah 18:6; Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 13, 21, and 22; Zohar 1:28b, 1:36b-137a, 1:54a, 1:55a; 1:243b, 2:52a; Magen Avot 53.
573. THE SEED OF CAIN
Adam was not Cain’s father. Cain was conceived by Samael riding the serpent in the Garden of Eden. The serpent came to Eve at night and had intercourse with her, and Cain was born from this union. Thus Cain was not of Adam’s seed, nor after his likeness, nor after his image. Adam did not have a son in his own image and likeness until Seth was born.
After Cain became a restless wanderer (Gen. 4:14), he settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden (Gen. 4:16). He married and Cain knew his wife, and she conceived (Gen. 4:17). Some say that the offspring of Cain went extinct after seven generations, for God chose to visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children (Exod. 34:7).
Others say that the seed of Cain still walk the earth. For from Seth arose and were descended all the generations of the righteous, and from Cain arose and were descended all the generations of the wicked, who rebelled and sinned against heaven. One and all the seed of Cain are descended from the serpent, and they are the enemies of Israel—Amalek, Edom and Rome.
Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer says of the conception of Cain, “Samael riding on the serpent came to Eve and she conceived.” This creates two lines of people, those descended from the seed of Adam and his son, Seth, and those descended from the seed of Cain. See “How Cain was Conceived,” p. 447.
According to B. Shabbat, Eve had sexual relations with the serpent in the Garden of Eden and the snake deposited a pollution in Eve that entered into her children and her children’s children. However, this explanation does not distinguish between the seed of Seth and the seed of Cain. When Israel accepted the Torah at Mount Sinai, the seed of Seth was purified of the pollution the snake had deposited in Eve and that had entered her children’s children. The same cannot be said of the seed of Cain.
This myth about Cain’s conception and the seed of Cain derives, in part, from Genesis 5:3: When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he begot a son in his likeness after his image, and he named him Seth. This is taken to imply that Cain was not Adam’s son. The Zohar (1:55a) explains that neither Cain nor Abel was born in Adam’s likeness, based on the verse She conceived and bore Cain, saying,” I have gained a male child with the help of Yahweh (Gen. 4:1). The Zohar takes this to mean that both Cain and Abel stemmed chiefly from Eve, rather than Adam. Seth, by contrast, bore Adam’s image.
The tradition that there are two lines of descent, from the seed of Adam and from the seed of Cain, is found in Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer and other sources. Some attribute this tradition to Rabbi Ishmael and other to Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai.
This midrash offers an explanation for the existence of Israel’s enemies, explaining that they were all descended from the seed of Cain. During and after the Holocaust, the Nazis were sometimes identified as the “seed of Cain.”
Sources:
B. Shabbat 146a; Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 21 and Oxford Ms. (e. 76), 22; Midrash Aggadah, Bereshit; Midrash ha-Gadol 117.
574. THE BIRTH OF CAIN
Eve was the first woman ever to give birth. When the time came, neither Adam nor Eve knew what to expect, and they were very afraid. Adam wept and prayed to God on her behalf. All at once two angels and two powers descended from heaven, and stood before Eve. The powers said to her, “Eve, you are blessed. Adam’s prayers are mighty, and through him God’s help has come to you.” Then the angel said, “Prepare yourself. I will be the midwife for you.”
Before long Eve gave birth to Cain. The color of his body was like the color of the stars. No sooner did the newborn child fall into the hands of the angel who served as a midwife than he leaped up and plucked the grass that grew near his mother’s hut. After that nothing would ever grow there, and anyone who passed by that place became infertile.
And the angel said to him, “You shall become a ceaseless wanderer on earth (Gen. 4:12). Your legacy will be one of adultery and bitterness.” And so it came to pass.
This is an origin tale, an account of the first birth, that of Cain, who became a prototype for evil. In the biblical account, Cain slays Abel for no apparent reason, but there are several midrashic explanations, such as a fight over one of their twin sisters, or over their property rights—Cain claimed rights to all the land and Abel to all the air. Cain told Abel to get off of his land. Abel told Cain to stop breathing his air.
This version of the birth of Cain also adds many foreboding elements that suggest that Cain was not a normal child but some kind of supernatural being. “The color of his body was like the color of the stars”—this seems to suggest he was glowing, an abnormal condition. Further, the newborn infant jumps out of the angel’s hands and his first act is a destructive one—he pulls out the grass around his mother’s hut, which never grows back. Here Cain is painted as evil from the very beginning, and this is confirmed by the angel who prophesies Cain’s fate.
Sources:
Penitence of Adam 20:3-21:3a.
575. THE WIVES OF CAIN AND ABEL
Where did the wives of Cain and Abel come from? On the day that Adam and Eve were created, on that very day they coupled, and on that very day they produced offspring. It is said that two entered the bed and seven left it, for Cain was born with a twin sister, and Abel was born with two sisters.
Cain married Abel’s twin, and Abel married Cain’s. But they could not agree on the fate of Abel’s second twin. Indeed, it is said that she was the subject of the dispute between the two brothers, out of which Cain slew his brother Abel, and the voices of the blood of the families who were destined to issue forth from Abel cried out before God.
Since Genesis does not explain what it was that Cain and Abel fought over, there are many myths that speculate about it. One of the most common explanations is that they were fighting over a woman. In this version, she is identified as Abel’s second twin. In other versions, such as Genesis Rabbah 22:7, the woman they fought over is identified as the first Eve. See “The First Eve,” p. 140. This midrash makes the assumption that Cain and Abel were themselves twins, although the biblical text does not state this, and seems to imply that they were not.
Sefer Zikhronot gives the name of the Cain’s wife as Kalmana, and of Abel’s wife as Deborah. This text also identifies these wives as their twins, contrary to the version in which Cain and Abel do not marry their own twins, but each one marries the other’s twin.
Sources:
Genesis Rabbah 22:2-3, 22:7; Targum Onkelos on Genesis 4:9; Sefer ha-Zikhronot 23:26.
576. EVE’S NIGHT VISION
One night, when Cain and Abel were both young men, Eve had a terrible dream. When she awoke she told the dream to Adam: “While I was sleeping, I saw in a night vision that the blood of our son Abel was entering the mouth of our so
n Cain. Cain drank his blood without mercy. Abel beseeched him to leave a little, but he drank his blood completely.”
Hearing this, Adam said, “Surely this means that Cain must intend to kill Abel. Come, let us keep them apart. Let each of them live in a separate place.” So Adam said to them, “My sons, let each of you go to your own place.” And they did.
After this, God sent the angel Michael to Adam. God said, “Adam understands that Cain intends to kill Abel. Go to him and tell him not to reveal this mystery to Cain, for Cain is a son of wrath who will kill Abel, his brother. So too should you tell Adam not to grieve because I will give him another son, Seth. Seth will bear my image, and through him many mysteries will be revealed.”
And the angel came to Adam and spoke to him, and Adam revealed what the angel told him only to Eve, and they both grieved to learn the fate of Abel.
Dreams and visions are often understood to be prophetic. Here Eve has a prophetic dream or vision—she calls it a “night vision”—in which Cain behaves like a beast or a vampire and drinks all of Abel’s blood. When Eve tells this dream to Adam, he understands its meaning at once—that Cain will murder Abel. He hopes to prevent this by separating them, but God sends the angel Michael to reveal the inevitability of this fate, as well as promising them the birth of another son, Seth, who is clearly intended to take Abel’s place.
The prophecy of the birth of Seth, and the description of his powers makes it seem likely that this myth reflects the veneration of Seth that played a central role in Gnosticism. For Gnostic texts about Seth see Apocalypse of Adam, where Adam communicates a secret Gnostic revelation to Seth.
Eve’s dream portrays Cain’s crime in the stark and primitive terms of drinking a victim’s blood. For an equally primitive myth, see “How Samael Entered the Heart of Man,” p. 454.
Sources:
Penitence of Adam 22:2:1-23:3:2.
Studies:
Apocalypse of Adam in Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, edited by James Charlesworth, vol. 1, pp. 707-719.
577. THE DEATH OF CAIN
How did Cain meet his death? Some say that Cain fulfilled his destiny as a ceaseless wanderer on earth (Gen. 4:12) until the time of the Flood, and that he drowned in the Flood with everyone else, except for Noah and his family.
Others say that Cain, the founder of the first city, was killed when his house, made of stones, fell upon him, stoning him to death. Thus was Cain killed in the same way he had killed his brother, confirming that a man shall be killed with the weapons with which he kills his fellow man.
Still others say that Cain’s final destiny was in being transformed into the Angel of Death, since he was responsible for the first death. For a hundred and thirty years Cain wandered and roamed about, accursed. Thereafter Lamech served as the Angel of Death.
But most agree that Cain met his death at the hands of his own descendants, Lamech and Tubal-Cain. In those days Lamech was old and advanced in years, and his eyes were dim so that he could not see. One day his son, Tubal-Cain, was leading him while they were walking in the field, when Cain, the son of Adam, advanced toward them. And Tubal-Cain told his father to draw his bow, and with the arrows he smote Cain, who was yet far off, and he slew him, for he appeared to them to be an animal. And the arrows entered Cain’s body although he was distant from them, and he fell to the ground and died. And the Lord requited Cain’s evil according to his wickedness, which he had done to his brother Abel, according to the word of the Lord that He had spoken. And it came to pass that when Cain had died, that Lamech and Tubal-Cain went to see the animal they had slain, and they saw, and behold Cain their grandfather was fallen dead upon the earth. And Lamech was very much grieved at having done this, and in clapping his hands together he struck his son and caused his death.
Lamech’s wives, Tsila and Ada, found him later that night, and were furious to learn that he had caused the deaths of Cain and Tubal-Cain. They vowed never to share his bed again. But Lamech took them to Adam, the judge, and Adam ruled that they must obey their husband.
Since the biblical narrative of Cain is unfinished, the rabbis were left to resolve the story in both a moral and a literary sense. Using the tradition of the Oral Law as their justification, and supporting their interpretations with biblical prooftexts, the rabbis embellished the tale of Cain and Abel in many respects. They filled in the sketchy details of the births of the two brothers (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 21), the mystery of the origin of their wives (Genesis Rabbah 22:2), the conflict between the two (Genesis Rabbah 22:7), the murder of Abel by Cain (Genesis Rabbah 22:8), the burial of Abel (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 21), and the punishment and ultimate fate of Cain.
The end of the biblical narrative about Cain describes his punishment by God and concludes by attributing to Cain the founding of the first city (Gen. 4:17). After Cain has been cursed to become a ceaseless wanderer on earth (Gen. 4:12), he protests the severity of the sentence and has it modified (Gen. 4:13-15).
Of particular interest to the rabbis was the nature of the sign by which God had marked Cain, to identify and protect him in his wanderings. One of the earliest midrashim speculating on this sign appears in Genesis Rabbah 22:12: “And the Lord put a mark on Cain (Gen. 4:15). Rabbi Judah said: ‘He caused the orb of the sun to shine on his account.’ Said Rabbi Nehemiah to him: ‘He caused the orb of the sun to shine! Rather, He afflicted him with leprosy.’ Rab said: ‘He gave him a dog.’ Abba Jose said: ‘He made a horn grow out of his forehead.’ Rabbi Levi quotes Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish as saying, ‘He suspended his punishment until the Flood came and swept him away.’”
Of these five versions of the nature of the mark of Cain, the one that entered the folk tradition was that of the horn, said to be located on his forehead. The reason for this should be apparent—the horn signified Cain’s essentially savage nature and thus identified him as a beast. Later this horn was incorporated into the most widely accepted account of the death of Cain, in which he was slain by his descendants Lamech and Tubal-Cain.
While this became the most popular version of Cain’s death, three other versions can be found. In one attributed to Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, Cain was said to have found his death along with the other victims of the Flood. But this punishment was unsatisfying in that it did not single out Cain. The rabbis strongly felt that a decisive punishment for him was called for, to set a precedent for future murderers.
Another version of Cain’s death appears in the apocryphal Book of Jubilees (4:31). Here Cain is said to have been killed when his house fell on him. Just as he had killed Abel with a stone, so was he slain by stones: “Cain was killed when his house fell upon him and he died in the midst of his house, killed by its stones. For with a stone he had killed Abel, and by a stone he was killed in righteous judgment.” Then the Book of Jubilees goes on to link this judgment with the Law: “The instrument with which a man kills his neighbor will be the same with which he shall be killed; after the manner that he wounded him, in a like manner shall they deal with him.” This refers to Exodus 21:24, following the pattern of You shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot (Exod. 21:24. See also Leviticus 24:19 and Deuteronomy 19:21).
A third account of Cain’s death is found in Midrash Tanhuma-Yelammedenu, where it is said that when he died, Cain was transformed into the Angel of Death. This provides an origin myth for the Angel of Death.
The first principle of supporting a midrashic interpretation is to link it to a biblical prooftext. Since there is no description of the death of Cain in the Bible, the rabbis turned to an enigmatic passage about Cain’s descendent, Lamech: And Lamech said to his wives: Ada and Tsila, hear my voice; You wives of Lamech, hearken to my speech. For I have slain a man for wounding me, and a young man for bruising me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold. (Gen. 4:23-24).
This perplexing passage is almost certainly a fragment of a lost myth about Lamech. But it is cleverly interpreted in Midrash Tanhuma-Yelammendenu
to prove that Cain was slain by Lamech, who was accompanied by his son, Tubal-Cain. This account of Cain’s death at the hands of Lamech ingeniously utilizes two existing traditions associated with Cain—the enigmatic passage concerning Lamech and the midrash asserting that Cain’s sign was a horn. The passage about Lamech provides the framework for the narrative of the death of Cain, as well as the conclusion of the tale. The horn is the motif around which the whole tale turns. Together the two fragments provide the necessary link to tradition that gives the midrash its authentic ring. In addition, this version of Cain’s death is satisfying in a number of other respects.
First of all, this midrash brings the tale of Cain to a conclusion. This was of no small importance to the rabbis, who had a strong sense that every tale should have a beginning, a middle, and an ending. In its biblical form, the story of Cain was simply incomplete. At the same time, by extending the story seven generations, the principle was established of carrying the biblical story into the future, and thus extending the history of a character beyond his or her appearance in the biblical text. Such a system made it possible to incorporate not only biblical exegesis, but personal dreams and fantasies as well into the Aggadah.
Next, this midrash provides a unique and appropriate death for Cain, especially fitting in that his slayer is his own relation. This is a kind of poetic (or, perhaps, midrashic) justice, since Cain slew his own brother. Note, however, that neither Lamech nor his son, Tubal-Cain, can be held responsible for Cain’s death, since Lamech was blind and Tubal-Cain only a child who mistook his ancestor for an animal—which, in essence, Cain was. It is a case of perfect justice: Cain receives his due from his own offspring, but they are innocent of any crime, though they have in this way repaid Cain for making them accursed, and in this coincidence can be seen, of course, the
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