We know the story of Cain and Abel, of course. But what about the years after Abel's death? It's a fascinating period, shrouded in mystery... and some pretty wild tales.
According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, Adam made a decision after Abel's death: he separated himself from Eve. He thought, "Why should I beget children, if it is but to expose them to death?" A reasonable question, given the circumstances! But life, as they say, finds a way.
The story continues with Lamech's wives who, upon hearing Adam's decision, turned on him, exclaiming, "O physician, heal thine own lameness!" Ouch. Harsh, but perhaps understandable.
Now, here's where things get really interesting. Though Adam avoided intercourse with Eve, he was, um, visited in his sleep by female spirits. The Zohar tells us of the existence of these spirits and, from his union with them, sprang shades and demons of various kinds, endowed with peculiar gifts. It's a rather… unconventional family tree, to say the least. These beings are sometimes referred to as the descendants of LILITH, Adam's mythical first wife.
And that brings us to the tale of Rabbi Hanina. This story, preserved in Legends of the Jews, tells of a very rich and pious man in Palestine who loved the Torah. On his deathbed, he instructs his son, Rabbi Hanina, to study Torah day and night, fulfill the commandments, and be a friend to the poor. He also predicts that he and his wife will die on the same day, and that the seven days of mourning will end on Passover eve. And he gives his son one very specific, very strange instruction: On Passover eve, go to the market and buy the first thing offered to you, no matter how expensive.
Everything happens as foretold. Rabbi Hanina goes to the market and finds an old man selling a silver dish for an exorbitant price. Obedient to his father’s wishes, he buys it. At the Seder table, he opens the dish to find another dish inside, and inside that dish? A live frog, hopping around!
He feeds the frog, cares for it, and the frog grows… and grows… and grows. Eventually, Rabbi Hanina has to build a whole chamber for this enormous amphibian. But the frog's appetite is insatiable, and Rabbi Hanina is eventually stripped of all his possessions.
Now, you might be thinking, "What a ridiculous story! What's the point?" But hold on. This is where the magic happens. The frog finally speaks, saying, "My dear Rabbi Hanina, do not worry! Seeing thou didst raise me and care for me, thou mayest ask of me whatever thy heart desireth."
Rabbi Hanina, ever the scholar, asks for nothing more than to learn the whole of the Torah. And the frog agrees! He teaches him the entire Torah, plus seventy languages, and even the language of beasts and birds! His method? Writing words on scraps of paper and having Rabbi Hanina swallow them. Not exactly the Rosetta Stone, but effective, apparently.
But the story doesn't end there. The frog also rewards Rabbi Hanina's wife, taking them both to the woods. There, the frog cries out, summoning all sorts of beasts and birds. He commands them to produce precious stones and herbs, teaching Rabbi Hanina's wife how to use the herbs as remedies. They return home wealthy and wise, enjoying the respect of the king.
Finally, the frog reveals his true origins: "I am the son of Adam, a son whom he begot during the hundred and thirty years of his separation from Eve. God has endowed me with the power of assuming any form or guise I desire." Talk about a plot twist!
So, what are we to make of this strange tale? Is it just a bizarre story about a giant, talking frog? Or is it a symbolic representation of something deeper? Perhaps it's a reminder that even in the darkest of times, even when we feel separated from God, from our loved ones, and from our own sense of purpose, there is still potential for connection, for growth, and for unexpected blessings. And sometimes, those blessings come in the most unusual forms… even a frog.
When the wives of Lamech heard the decision of Adam, that they were to continue to live with their husband, they turned upon him, saying, "O physician, heal thine own lameness!" They were alluding to the fact that he himself had been living apart from his wife since the death of Abel, for he had said, "Why should I beget children, if it is but to expose them to death?" Though he avoided intercourse with Eve, he was visited in his sleep by female spirits, and from his union with them sprang shades and demons of various kinds, and they were endowed with peculiar gifts. Once upon a time there lived in Palestine a very rich and pious man, who had a son named Rabbi Hanina. He knew the whole of the Torah by heart. When he was at the point of death, he sent for his son, Rabbi Hanina, and bade him, as his last request, to study the Torah day and night, fulfil the commands of the law, and be a faithful friend to the poor. He also told him that he and his wife, the mother of Rabbi Hanina, would die on the selfsame day, and the seven days of mourning for the two would end on the eve of the Passover. He enjoined him not to grieve excessively, but to go to market on that day, and buy the first article offered to him, no matter how costly it might be. If it happened to be an edible, he was to prepare it and serve it with much ceremony. His expense and trouble would receive their recompense. All happened as foretold: the man and his wife died upon the same day, and the end of the week of mourning coincided with the eve of the Passover. The son in turn carried out his father's behest: he repaired to market, and there he met an old man who offered a silver dish for sale. Although the price asked was exorbitant, yet he bought it, as his father had bidden. The dish was set upon the Seder table, and when Rabbi Hanina opened it, he found a second dish within, and inside of this a live frog, jumping and hopping around gleefully. He gave the frog food and drink, and by the end of the festival he was grown so big that Rabbi Hanina made a cabinet for him, in which he ate and lived. In the course of time, the cabinet became too small, and the Rabbi built a chamber, put the frog within, and gave him abundant food and drink. All this he did that he might not violate his father's last wish. But the frog waxed and grew; he consumed all his host owned, until, finally, Rabbi Hanina was stripped bare of all his possessions. Then the frog opened his mouth and began to speak. "My dear Rabbi Hanina," he said, "do not worry! Seeing thou didst raise me and care for me, thou mayest ask of me whatever thy heart desireth, and it shall be granted thee." Rabbi Hanina made reply, "I desire naught but that thou shouldst teach me the whole of the Torah." The frog assented, and he did, indeed, teach him the whole of the Torah, and the seventy languages of men besides. His method was to write a few words upon a scrap of paper, which he had his pupil swallow. Thus he acquired not alone the Torah and the seventy tongues, but also the language of beasts and birds. Thereupon the frog spoke to the wife of Rabbi Hanina: "Thou didst tend me well, and I have given thee no recompense. But thy reward will be paid thee before I depart from you, only you must both accompany me to the woods. There you shall see what I shall do for you." Accordingly, they went to the woods with him. Arrived there, the frog began to cry aloud, and at the sound all sorts of beasts and birds assembled. These he commanded to produce precious stones, as many as they could carry. Also they were to bring herbs and roots for the wife of Rabbi Hanina, and he taught her how to use them as remedies for all varieties of disease. All this they were bidden to take home with them. When they were about to return, the frog addressed them thus: "May the Holy One, blessed be He, have mercy upon you, and requite you for all the trouble you took on my account, without so much as inquiring who I am. Now I shall make my origin known to you. I am the son of Adam, a son whom he begot during the hundred and thirty years of his separation from Eve. God has endowed me with the power of assuming any form or guise I desire." Rabbi Hanina and his wife departed for their home, and they became very rich, and enjoyed the respect and confidence of the king.
