Why Didn’t Abel Stop Cain From Killing Him?

Rabbi Gary S. Creditor
October 4th, 2002

 

Introduction

We are all familiar with the Biblical narrative that opens the book of Genesis. From the creation of the world it quickly moves to the creation of Adam and Eve, their sin of disobedience and removal from the Garden of Eden. Within the first eight verses of chapter, Cain and Abel are born and Abel is dead, murdered by his brother. They had both brought offerings to God, Abel's was found acceptable, and Cain's was not. In reaction to Cain's dejection, God warned him that if it was better, it would be acceptable, and to be careful, since evil is always lurking for an opening and it is a powerful attraction, yet you can rule over it. In the next verse in the Torah it says: "And Cain said to Abel, while they were in the field, and Cain arose to Abel his brother and killed him."

I have read and taught this piece of Torah countless times. But this week I discovered a question that never dawned on me. Why didn't Abel stop Cain from killing him?

I.

1. Perhaps like me when you read or heard this passage you assumed that Cain was a big bully and Abel was a meek timid boy and so Abel didn't have a chance.

2. Or maybe you imagined like me, that it was a sneak attack. They were walking in the field, the Torah doesn't record the conversation, and all of a sudden, with no warning, Cain pulls a knife, or maybe begins choking Abel. The Torah does not record how Cain murdered Abel. We are left to make assumptions. It could have been a surprise attack, and therefore, in this scenario, Abel didn't have a chance either.

I remain perplexed and full of questions.

How old were they?

Where were their parents?

What were they talking about?

Didn't Abel have any inkling of what his brother was up to?

I still want to know: Why didn't Abel stop Cain from killing him?

Often the lack of specificity and information is the genius of the Torah's text. Because we don't know their age, we can imagine them at any age and create very different mental images. In our imagination we can create the scene in different ways and learn different lessons. That is why the Rabbis said that we can turn the text over and over and discover everything in it. My question and search for an answer has great import in shaping our opinions over today's current events.

II.

When we have questions about the Torah the two places to which we turn are the collections of the Rabbinic Midrashim and then the commentaries on the text. In the main, no one asks my question. I found this surprising, but maybe they were working along the assumptions that I first indicated. Cain was born first so he was older and stronger. Abel was born second and thus weaker. While not knowing their ages, all sources assume that they were not children. By the use of the word "murder" in the text, it assumes that Cain knew what he was doing. The Midrashim fill in the Rabbis' imagination of the conversation.

A. One part of the conversation referred to Cain's just rejected sacrifice. He said, "good deeds bear no fruit. God rules the world with arbitrary power, else why had He respect unto thy offering and not unto mine also?" Abel rejected this and said that God rewards good deeds. If his sacrifice was accepted it was because his deeds were good and his brother's were not. Contained here is an important geopolitical concept. Goodness has nothing to do with power. Power is arbitrary. Cain adopted that doctrine. There is no intrinsic reason to be good. The goal is to be powerful.Every dictator, tyrant and despot has understood that as the first rule.

B. A second part of the conversation had to do with control. In a different midrash Cain received domain over immovables, land, and Abel received domain over the movables, cattle. Cain controlled land over which Abel's sheep trampled. So Cain was enraged and screamed, "How dare you live on my land and graze your sheep on it?" Abel retorted, "If you give me back the cloths you wear made out of my wool and the food you eat from the flesh of my flocks, I'll vanish into thin air, if I can." This, too, is a piece of real politick. Possession is ten tenths of the law. [I know. I intentionally changed the quote.] Cain understood that possession of the land controlled everything else. Cain knew the rule of history:The companion to power is possession. If we read these two pieces of Rabbinic literature in juxtaposition we see a diabolical plan by Cain towards Abel. He realizes that only one of them will lead after their father dies. And it will be him. Therefore, at the prime opportunity he strikes, and Abel dies. This is the second rule of tyrants.

C. To answer one of my earlier questions, where were their parents Adam and Eve? No where to be found. They were inattentive, preoccupied, attention diverted, poor parenting. They didn't pay attention and involve themselves.

D. From one other source, a much later commentary called Tz'ror HaMor, the author writes: Cain rose up against his brother "without cause, out of pure jealousy." This, too, is a truth in geopolitics. Things happen without apparent logic or common sense. Perpetrators don't reason what is good for their people, what promotes health and happiness. It can be "nothing" more than insane jealousy that provokes their actions. This is the third rule.

So let me sum up. From one reading of the Torah text we first can conclude that Cain did not need a reason to kill Abel. There is no rational or sane logic to the matter. Secondly and thirdly, Cain intuitively understood the arbitrary use of power and that possession of power and the implements of power go hand in hand. Lastly, there was no break upon Cain, nothing to restrain him from murdering Abel. There was no Divine voice before the fact, nor were their parents attentive to what was going on. So in the end, Abel died, and anything and everything afterwards could not bring him back to life.

III.

Let us transpose the lessons of the Torah to the most pressing issue of the day. Saddam Hussein is insane. He doesn't need any logic or reason for what he does. There is no inherent concern for the health and welfare of Iraqis. He is no different from the Hitler's, Haman's and Stalin's of world history. He too has mastered the second and third rules of despots. He understands the arbitrary use of power and thus his thirst for its possession, of implements of nuclear and biological warfare. And the last absolute parallelism, the UN and the world have been entirely absent for year, turning a deaf ear and blind eye.

The question which lies before the United States, Israel and the United Nations is:

Will they learn the lesson of Cain and Abel?

Just slightly altered: This time,

Will Abel stop Cain from killing him?

I grew up among those in the generation who, in reaction to Viet Nam chanted, "Make love, not war." But like you, I watched with horror the Scud missiles raining down upon Israel in the Gulf War. And, we, forever, will be called the generation of September 11th.

Have we not learned a clear enough lesson?

Are not the lessons from the Torah and Midrashim a loud enough alarm?

Conclusion

I conclude by citing one more midrash, which I specifically left for last. In Genesis Rabbah 22:8 Rabbi Yochanan interprets the Torah verse "And Cain rose up against his brother" to imply that when Cain attacked Abel was stronger and Cain wound up beneath him. So Cain appealed to Abel's better nature, and Abel was filled with mercy, so then Cain rose up and killed Abel. The Midrash then says: Out of that incident was born the proverb, 'Do not do good to an evil man, then evil will not befall you.' In the Legends of the Jews, [volume 1, page 109] edited by Dr. Louis Ginsburg, this is recorded slightly differently. 'Do the evil no good, lest evil fall upon thee.'

I pray that President Bush and the Congress will learn the Biblical lesson of the story of Cain and Abel. May all steps be taken so that no evil falls upon our beloved country and beloved homeland.

Amen.