Lemekh's Monologue/2/en

Lemekh's Oration

Exegetical Approaches

Response to Killing

Lemekh shares with his wives his feeling about killing others.  Commentators disagree whether he is expressing regret or boasting.

Regret

Lemekh either shares with his wives his regret over having killed, or defends himself by pointing out that it was an accident.

Sources:TanchumaBereshit 11About the Tanchuma, R. Saadia GaonCommentary Bereshit 4:16-25Tafsir Bereshit 4:23-24About R. Saadia Gaon, Rashi #1Bereshit 4:15Bereshit 4:19Bereshit 4:23-24About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, AbarbanelBereshit 4:18Bereshit 4:13-14Bereshit 4:23-24About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, SefornoBereshit 4:15,23-24About R. Ovadyah Seforno, HaKetav VeHaKabbalahBereshit 4:23About R. Yaakov Mecklenburg, NetzivBereshit 4:23-24About R. Naftali Z"Y Berlin, R. D"Z HoffmannBereshit 4:19-22Bereshit 4:23-24About R. David Zvi Hoffmann

Why is Lemekh telling his wives?

• Lemekh is expressing his sadness to his wives that he killed two people – R. Saadia Gaon, Seforno, HaKetav VeHaKabbalah.
• Lemekh is defending his action to his wives, claiming it was an accident or that only he will suffer not them – Tanchuma, Rashi, Abarbanel, R. D"Z Hoffmann.
• Lemekh is asking his wives to calm him down, because he didn't intend to kill a man and child – Netziv.

Lemekh's tone

• Lemekh said to his wives sadly but sincerely that he killed a man and a young boy, and he regrets these actions – R. Saadia Gaon,¹ Abarbanel, Seforno, HaKetav VeHaKabbalah, Netziv, R. D"Z Hoffmann.²
• Lemekh is asking rhetorically, sure of himself that he did nothing wrong, "did I kill a man and a child that I deserve a punishment?", obviously not, these were killed accidentally – Tanchuma, Rashi.

Who did Lemekh kill ("אִישׁ" and "יֶלֶד")? According to R. Saadia Gaon, Netziv, and R. D"Z Hoffmann, Lemekh didn't kill any specific people,³ just mistakenly a man and a child.⁴  But according to the rest of these commentators following Tanchuma, Lemekh killed Kayin and his son, Tuval Kayin, thinking Kayin was an animal, and Tuval Kayin as he clapped his hand.⁵

What is "לְפִצְעִי" and "לְחַבֻּרָתִי"?

• The wound was the cause of death of the man and child – Tanchuma followed by a few commentators.  Lemekh is defending himself that he just intended to wound the people not to kill them.
• The wound is Lemekh's wound – Abarbanel, Seforno.  Abarbanel says Lemekh is telling his wives that he will suffer the punishment for killing the people not them, but Seforno says that by killing his ancestor and son he wounded himself.
• HaKetav VeHaKabbalah

Comparison to Kayin

"לָכֵן כָּל הֹרֵג קַיִן שִׁבְעָתַיִם יֻקָּם"

Purpose of the story

Boasting

Lemekh is proud of his ability to kill.

Sources:R. Yosef ibn KaspiTirat Kesef 1Bereshit 4:23-24About R. Yosef ibn Kaspi, opinion cited in the BiurBereshit 4:23About Netivot HaShalom and ShadalBereshit 4:15Bereshit 4:23-24About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto, U. CassutoBereshit 4:23,24About Umberto Cassuto, Y"M ImmanueliBereshit Hesberim VeHaarot pp.101-102

Why is Lemekh telling his wives? Most of these commentators simply say Lemekh was boasting to his wives about his capabilities, but the opinion cited in Biur elaborates bringing the background to this statement.  He says that during Lemekh's time there was a lot of violence going on, and people needed to build walls and make swords to protect them, their wives, and property from being stolen.  Therefore Lemekh was proud that now he is not afraid of anybody because he could kill them easily using a sword.

Lemekh's tone – According to this approach Lemekh is not covering up the fact he killed a man and a child rather he is proud that he can kill a man and a child.

Who did Lemekh kill ("אִישׁ" and "יֶלֶד")? Ibn Kaspi and Cassuto say Lemekh had killed somebody in the past and that is what he is showing off about.  Though the opinion cited in the Biur and Shadal and Immanueli say Lemekh is showing off that he can kill people using the swords he taught his son how to create, but not that Lemekh had yet killed someone.  Immanueli explains Lemekh is ready to kill any person, and it makes not difference if he is a man or child.

What is "לְפִצְעִי" and "לְחַבֻּרָתִי"?

• Lemekh is boasting that he is ready to kill any person who hurts him even if the person just wounded him – Ibn Kaspi, opinion cited in Biur and Shadal, Immanueli
• Lemekh is boasting that he can kill a person just from wounding him – Cassuto

Comparison to Kayin

"לָכֵן כָּל הֹרֵג קַיִן שִׁבְעָתַיִם יֻקָּם"

Purpose of the story

Calming of Wives' Fear

Lemekh is calming down his wives who fear he will be killed for inventing weapons or being the seventh generation from Kayin.

Potential Death of their Children

Sources:Bereshit Rabbah23:4About Bereshit Rabbah, Rashi #2Bereshit 4:15Bereshit 4:19Bereshit 4:23-24About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, Ibn EzraBereshit 4:15,16,23About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorBereshit 4:15Bereshit 4:23-24About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, RalbagBeiur Divrei HaParashah Bereshit 4:15Beiur Divrei HaParashah Bereshit 4:23-24About R. Levi b. Gershon

Why is Lemekh telling his wives? Lemekh's wives did not want to have children, either because they were worried there will be a flood and their kids will die,⁶ or they feared their kids will be killed for being the seventh generation from Kayin.  Therefore Lemekh is calming them down that he did not kill anybody that he should be wounded and his children killed.

Lemekh's tone – Lemekh is asking rhetorically, did he kill someone that he shall receive a punishment for doing so.

Who did Lemekh kill ("אִישׁ" and "יֶלֶד")? These commentators explain Lemekh did not kill anyone.

Punishment of Lemekh for Inventing Weapons

Sources:RambanBereshit 4:23About R. Moshe Nachmanides

Reaction to Wive's Squabbles

Sources:R. Yosef KaraBereshit 4:23About R. Yosef Kara, RadakBereshit 4:15Bereshit 4:19,23-24About R. David Kimchi, Ma'asei HashemMa'asei Bereshit 21About R. Eliezer Ashkenazi, ShadalBereshit 4:15Bereshit 4:23-24About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto

¹ R. Saadia Gaon brings two possibilities, that Lemekh is talking sincerely or asking a rhetorical question.  He is not clear about what Lemekh is rebutting if he is asking a question, as it could be understood either like Tanchuma, or like the approach below that he is calming down his wives' fear.

² It is a bit unclear how R. D"Z Hoffmann reads the verse, and possibly he reads it like Tanchuma and Rashi (which would fit with his general reading of the verse).

³ R. D"Z Hoffmann says that the killed were in close relationship to Lemekh's wives and therefore he needed to apologize to them for killing, but not necessarily Kayin or Tuval Kayin.

⁴ R. Saadia Gaon explains the specification that one of the killed was a child, because Lemekh regretted more about killing the child who was probably innocent that the person who could have sinned.

⁵ HaKetav VeHaKabbalah explains interestingly that Lemekh is regretting having given his wife to drink a "כוס של עיקרין להיותה עקרה ולא תלד", which by doing that he killed his possible future children, and his wife who is now considered dead because she is barren.

⁶ R. Yosef Bekhor Shor says there were חוזים בכוכבים that said there will be a flood during Lemekh's time, and that is why his wives didn't want to have children.