Difference between revisions of "Kayin's Sacrifice Rejected/2/en"
(Original Author: Rabbi Hillel Novetsky) |
(Original Author: Rabbi Hillel Novetsky) |
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<multilink><aht source="RHirschBereshit4-2">R. S"R Hirsch</aht><aht source="RHirschBereshit4-2">Bereshit 4:2</aht><aht parshan="R. S"R Hirsch" /></multilink> | <multilink><aht source="RHirschBereshit4-2">R. S"R Hirsch</aht><aht source="RHirschBereshit4-2">Bereshit 4:2</aht><aht parshan="R. S"R Hirsch" /></multilink> | ||
</mekorot> | </mekorot> | ||
− | <point><b>"וַיְהִי הֶבֶל רֹעֵה צֹאן וְקַיִן הָיָה עֹבֵד אֲדָמָה"</b> – The precedence given to Hevel (despite his being younger) and his occupation teaches that the shepherding profession was more noble. <multilink><aht source="PhiloYosef2">Philo</aht><aht source="PhiloYosef2">On Joseph 2</aht><aht source="PhiloMoshe1-60">On the Life of Moshe I:XI (60-62)</aht><aht parshan="Philo" /></multilink> also notes that being a shepherd is good preparation for being a king, and both he and <multilink><aht source="TanchumaBuberShemot10">Tanchuma (Buber)</aht><aht source="TanchumaBuberShemot10">Shemot 10</aht><aht parshan="Tanchuma (Buber) | + | <point><b>"וַיְהִי הֶבֶל רֹעֵה צֹאן וְקַיִן הָיָה עֹבֵד אֲדָמָה"</b> – The precedence given to Hevel (despite his being younger) and his occupation teaches that the shepherding profession was more noble. <multilink><aht source="PhiloYosef2">Philo</aht><aht source="PhiloYosef2">On Joseph 2</aht><aht source="PhiloMoshe1-60">On the Life of Moshe I:XI (60-62)</aht><aht parshan="Philo" /></multilink> also notes that being a shepherd is good preparation for being a king, and both he and <multilink><aht source="TanchumaBuberShemot10">Tanchuma (Buber)</aht><aht source="TanchumaBuberShemot10">Shemot 10</aht><aht parshan="Tanchuma">About Tanchuma (Buber)</aht></multilink> provide examples of righteous characters being tested by how they tended to their flocks.<fn>Many of the later commentators also point to the Patriarchs, Moshe, and David as examples of righteous shepherds.</fn> On the flip side of the coin, <multilink><aht source="LekachTovBereshit4-3">Lekach Tov</aht><aht source="LekachTovBereshit4-3">Bereshit 4:3</aht><aht parshan="Lekach Tov">About R. Toviah b. Eliezer</aht></multilink> points to additional cases of tillers of the land who sinned.</point> |
<point><b>A culture clash</b> – R. Hirsch notes that the contrast between Kayin and Hevel is representative of the divide between the Egyptian agrarian civilization and the Hebrew nomadic shepherding culture. The former's self-reliance leads to an oppressive, enslaving society, while the latter paves the way for belief in and dependence on Hashem. This clash is manifest in the Egyptian attitude of "כִּי תוֹעֲבַת מִצְרַיִם כָּל רֹעֵה צֹאן"‎.<fn>See also Malbim.</fn> Similarly, in Mesopotamian myths<fn>See Context of Scripture Vol. I (Leiden and Boston, 2003): 584-588.</fn> which have some points of contact with our story, it is the farmer, rather than the shepherd, who is supreme. Thus, our story may contain an underlying polemic against the neighboring cultures with which the Children of Israel were familiar.</point> | <point><b>A culture clash</b> – R. Hirsch notes that the contrast between Kayin and Hevel is representative of the divide between the Egyptian agrarian civilization and the Hebrew nomadic shepherding culture. The former's self-reliance leads to an oppressive, enslaving society, while the latter paves the way for belief in and dependence on Hashem. This clash is manifest in the Egyptian attitude of "כִּי תוֹעֲבַת מִצְרַיִם כָּל רֹעֵה צֹאן"‎.<fn>See also Malbim.</fn> Similarly, in Mesopotamian myths<fn>See Context of Scripture Vol. I (Leiden and Boston, 2003): 584-588.</fn> which have some points of contact with our story, it is the farmer, rather than the shepherd, who is supreme. Thus, our story may contain an underlying polemic against the neighboring cultures with which the Children of Israel were familiar.</point> | ||
<point><b>"וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ יָמִים"</b> – This phrase does not signify a delay in the sacrifice, but rather simply the time it took to work the land until its produce was ready to be offered.<fn>See <multilink><aht source="IbnEzraBereshit4-3">Ibn Ezra</aht><aht source="IbnEzraBereshit4-3">Bereshit 4:3</aht><aht parshan="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" /></multilink>. See also <multilink><aht source="RanBereshit4-3">Ran</aht><aht source="RanBereshit4-3">Bereshit 4:3</aht><aht parshan="Ran">About R. Nissim Gerondi</aht></multilink> and <multilink><aht source="TzerorBereshit4">Tzeror HaMor</aht><aht source="TzerorBereshit4">Bereshit 4</aht><aht parshan="R. Avraham Saba" /></multilink> who note that Kayin offered his sacrifice before Hevel, and Hevel only copied his brother's actions.</fn></point> | <point><b>"וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ יָמִים"</b> – This phrase does not signify a delay in the sacrifice, but rather simply the time it took to work the land until its produce was ready to be offered.<fn>See <multilink><aht source="IbnEzraBereshit4-3">Ibn Ezra</aht><aht source="IbnEzraBereshit4-3">Bereshit 4:3</aht><aht parshan="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" /></multilink>. See also <multilink><aht source="RanBereshit4-3">Ran</aht><aht source="RanBereshit4-3">Bereshit 4:3</aht><aht parshan="Ran">About R. Nissim Gerondi</aht></multilink> and <multilink><aht source="TzerorBereshit4">Tzeror HaMor</aht><aht source="TzerorBereshit4">Bereshit 4</aht><aht parshan="R. Avraham Saba" /></multilink> who note that Kayin offered his sacrifice before Hevel, and Hevel only copied his brother's actions.</fn></point> |
Version as of 14:59, 13 July 2014
Kayin's Sacrifice Rejected
Exegetical Approaches
Overview
In attempting to discover what motivated Hashem to favor Hevel's offering and reject Kayin's, commentators have scant data with which to work. The more direct approach attempts to correlate Hashem's responses with the properties of the two sacrifices. Others, though, attribute the difference in Hashem's reactions to Kayin and Hevel's diverging occupations, i.e. the only other information we possess about them. Finally, a third approach maintains that there was not necessarily anything particularly blameworthy about either Kayin's original actions or his sacrifice.
Inferior Sacrifice
Although the narrative does not explicitly criticize the quality of Kayin's offering, some commentators look for subtle textual clues that this was indeed the cause of Hashem's displeasure.
Problematic Behavior
These commentators assert that Kayin's sacrifice was not accepted due to his generally wicked behavior, rather than because of the quality of the sacrifice itself. According to them, the difference in character between Kayin and Hevel was reflected in their occupational choices. Kayin's choice to be a farmer symbolized his pursuit of material gain, while Hevel's opting to be a shepherd provided him with the time and opportunities for spiritual growth.
Natural Course of Events
This option maintains that while Kayin may have perceived the failure of his crops as Hashem actively rejecting his sacrifice, in reality, this merely reflected that farming is a riskier enterprise than shepherding, as crops are more dependent on rainfall.