Cain the Evil Eye Who Killed to Inherit the World

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Behar 1:1

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

(Leviticus 25:1:) "Then the LORD spoke unto Moses on Mount Sinai, saying." (And ibid. 25:14:) "And if you sell something to your fellow." This is what Scripture says (Proverbs 28:22): "An evil-eyed person hurries after wealth, [and he does not know that want will come upon him]." This verse speaks about many of the children of man: (about Cain, and about Ephron, and about one who lends at interest). [An evil-eyed person hurries after wealth: this was Cain, who killed his brother in order that he himself might inherit the world; thus, "An evil-eyed person hurries after wealth."] The Holy One, blessed be He, said: You hurried to become rich and to inherit the world. By your life, you have a loss in the matter! Thus, "And he does not know that want will come upon him." And what became of him? That he was made to wander through the world, as it is said (Genesis 4:12): "A fugitive and a wanderer shall you be in the earth." Thus, "An evil-eyed person hurries after wealth": this is Cain.

Themes

Cain And AbelEnvyDivine Justice

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Bereshit RabbahThe Precise Nature of Cain's Punishment From GodBereshit Rabbah turns to The Precise Nature of Cain's Punishment From God. The Torah tells us, "Now, you are cursed from the ground that opened its mouth to takThe Midrash of PhiloAbel's OfferingTake the story of Cain and Abel. A foundational story. The familiar version gives us it: the first brothers, the first offering, the first murder. So, why is itThe Midrash of PhiloAbel's Blood Cries Out From the GroundWhat does it symbolize? The Torah is full of these deceptively simple questions that open up to reveal universes of meaning. Take the story of Cain and Abel. A The Midrash of PhiloMisfortune Stings Now but Breeds Fear for the FutureJewish tradition has been confronting this very idea for millennia. The Midrash of Philo, a collection of interpretations and elaborations on the Torah attributThe Midrash of PhiloThe Greatest Misery Is Being Forsaken by GodAs the Midrash of Philo poignantly puts it, "In truth there is not misery greater than to be deserted and despised by God." What could be worse than feeling uttMidrash Tanchuma Buber, Lech LechaCain the First to Draw the Sword in the Days of AmraphelWhen the chapter of war opens with the words "And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel," Rabbi Tanchuma bar Abba reached back to the first verse of violence