Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 4/0

Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 4

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Tension Between Brothers

The story of Kayin’s murder of Hevel is the first of many stories of tension between brothers in Sefer Bereshit, and the first story of fratricide in Tanakh.

Tools

• Makbilot BaMikra lists other stories of fratricide in Tanakh, including Avimelekh and Avshalom's killing of their brothers, the former to ensure his power, the latter ostensibly an act of revenge against the rape of his sister, but perhaps also a play for power. Comparing the various stories gives insight into how sibling rivalry is often a quest for supremacy.

Articles / Lectures

• In קנאת אחים בספר בראשית, R. Shlomo Brin explores the pattern of tensions between brothers in Sefer Bereshit, beginning with the narrative of Kayin and Hevel. He suggests that a comparison of the stories of sibling rivalry highlights that there is a progression towards better relationships as the book moves forward.¹ Thus, though Sefer Bereshit opens with jealousy and fratricide, Sefer Shemot opens with a picture of sibling harmony, as Aharon, Moshe and Miryam work together.²

Adam and Kayin

The first two stories about man are tales of egregious sins of different sorts.

Tools

The Tanakh Lab³ demonstrates that one of the chapters that shares the most linguistic parallels to Bereshit 3 is Bereshit 4, perhaps hinting to the reader to compare the sins of Adam and Kayin. See here to compare the chapters.

Articles

• In Religious Sin, Ethical Sin and the Punishment of Exile, Professor Yonatan Grossman notes the parallels and contrasts between the stories of sin in Bereshit 3 and 4, and the purpose of these parallels in illustrating the different types of sin that warrant exile. 

Kayin and Korach

In each of the stories of Kayin's killing of Hevel and the rebellion of Korach, the "earth opens its mouth", in one case to swallow the blood of Hevel, in the other, to swallow the rebel leaders.

Sources

• Bavli Sanhedrin 37b notes that these are the only two times that the earth opened its mouth, in one case for constructive purposes and in one case for evil.

Articles

• In From Kayin to Korah: The Fellow Founders of Foment, R. Shlomo Zuckier compares the acts of Kayin and Korach.  Kayin seeks to kill his brother and thereby destroy his family, while Korach seeks to destroy the nationhood of Israel.  Both of these represent such a fundamental tearing of the social fabric that the earth itself splits open.⁴

¹ Kayin’s story ends in murder for which Kayin exhibits at best halfhearted remorse.  In the story of Esav and Yaakov, there seems to be fuller reconciliation at the end of the story.  Finally, Yosef is saved by one of his brothers (Reuven) and, at the end of his story, puts his trust in his brothers to bury him in Israel.  This pattern of improving sibling relations continues with Menashe and Ephraim and culminates in the relationship of Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam.

² undefined

³ In the Tanakh Lab, click on the Torah icon for a list of linguistically similar chapters to that being displayed.

⁴ R. Zuckier further notes that Kayin and Korach both demonstrate lack of clarity about how to achieve their aims, with Kayin (in the telling of the Sages) inflicting many wounds on Hevel in a confused attempt to kill him, and Korach bringing together many disparate claims and groups in his rebellion against Moshe. The natural order itself reflects the gravity of these actions.