GEN462 In a section devoted to the laws of Tsedakah [refers mainly to a money-offering given primarily to the poor], Maimonides categorizes three of the noblest types of gemilat hasadim [includes all deed of kindness other than monetary]. The first is to lend money to the poor without the taking of any interest; the second is to cheer them with word and deed as well as with the giving of money; and the third is just to evince sympathy with the misfortune of another without wedding it to acts of a practical nature.  The Jew should give readily and joyfully; not “till it hurts to give” [A popular expression which is alien to the spirit of social ethics, in which charity is regarded as a joyous privilege] but till one feels the pleasure of having given generously. The very phrase is a contradiction of the Jewish ethics of giving. Why should a Mitzvah hurt? The Mishnah Bikkurim 3 which glowingly records the joyous procession of those bringing the first-fruits between Shavuot and Sukkot into the Temple where they recited the prayer of gratitude Deuteronomy 26:1-11, stipulates that if the first-fruits were tardily brought after the termination of Sukkot, no such recitation was allowed. Why? One should not wait for the last moment before discharging dues. Man must give according to his means, not according to his meanness.  The classic Biblical example of such meanness in giving is to be found in the story of Cain and Abel. Genesis 4:1-15  There we are told that Cain brought some “fruit of the ground as an offering unto the Lord”, but Abel “brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof” Genesis 4:3-4  We are not surprised that “The Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering, He had not respect” [this verse] Had mankind learnt the moral of this story from the beginning, it would have been spared much suffering. It would seem, however, that though man is gradually making the earth yield its secret weapons of destruction, such as the atomic and the hydroGenesis bomb [published 1976 – AJL], he has not yet learnt the elementary truths of the sanctity of life and the need for kindliness. Mankind has climbed the mountains of scientific discoveries but its soul it has left in the valley below. For it spends most of its energies in acquiring goods but not the good. When will mankind learn that there are no pockets in the shrouds in which we are clothed when our eyes are closed? LEHRMAN 210-11

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GEN464 The story of Cain and Abel contains an even more [than Adam blaming Eve and she the serpent] pointed lesson in human responsibility.  When God “accepts” the offering of Abel, but not the offering of Cain, we are told that “Cain was very angry and his countenance fell.” [this verse] It would appear that Cain found himself assailed by very powerful destabilizing emotions. After all, he and not his brother had taken the initiative in doing what he thought was a proper act of thanksgiving by bringing some of the fruits of his farming efforts as an offering to God. Crestfallen and bewildered, he had watched his brother’s offering being accepted but not his own. A fury of envy and resentment filled his heart, focusing on the handiest target—his brother Abel! But before anything serious happens, God appears to Cain, to engage in a conversation which appears to have an informative as well as a preventive purpose. “And the Lord said unto Cain:” ‘Why are thou angry, and why is thy countenance fallen?’” Genesis 4:6 Of course, God knew the answer to that question. But did Cain? At this very early stage of human history, man did not understand his own emotions. He had no conception of their obscure origins, no comprehension of the tortuous paths they cut through the personality, and no explanation for the explosive nature of their expression. Cain felt himself driven by powerful emotional forces he did not understand. God’s initial advice to Cain was: Don’t simply accept the emotions as given. Try to understand them. Stop to analyze your feelings. Cain, why are you angry? To the extent that you understand the source of your feelings, to that extent will you be able to rationally direct them.” The Lord’s statement continues: “If thou doest well [good], shall it not be lifted up?” That is to say, “Cain, get a grip on yourself! All if not lost. The future is still before you. If you react properly you will be all right. The path to God is still open. Your ‘fallen countenance,’ your injured pride, will be lifted up.” “But if thou doesn’t not well, sin croucheth at the door, and unto thee is its desire…” In other words, “Cain, if you vent your emotions, things will cool down. But if you permit yourself to become obsessed by your feelings, which right now are just so much heat, they will become a means by which sin will penetrate your personality with the possibility of tragic consequences.” “But thou mayest rule over it …” “Remember, Cain, that you can understand and control your emotions. Don’t be overwhelmed by their apparent power. You are in command. Exert your willpower. You can rule over it!” We all know the story’s sad ending. “And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” Genesis 4:8  The rabbis, however, infer from Cain’s subsequent conversation with God that he ultimately accepted responsibility for himself, exercised his freedom, repented, and was forgiven. Genesis Rabbah 22:28 (sic; reference should apparently be Genesis Rabbah 22:13 - AJL) SPERO 237-9

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GEN463 The first homicide in history, the killing of Abel by his brother Cain, was the result of envy.  Both brothers had brought gifts to God, but while Abel offered the Lord his most precious animals, Cain tried to get by with less. God preferred Abel’s gift to that of Cain who, spurred by envy, murdered his brother.  TELVOL 1:301

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GEN465 See [[GEN464]] Genesis 4:5 distressed SPERO 237-9

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GEN466 The nature of Jewish prayer is partly disclosed by the terms employed in Hebrew for prayer. The most general word is Tephillah, from the root palal (Psalm 106:30), to intervene, to interpose, connoting also the idea of arbitration and judgment as well as of intercession in prayer. Goldziher accordingly took the original meaning of Tephillah to be “Invocation of God as judge.” Hastings’ Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, X, p. 191. It is a form of judgment to which a person subjects himself in the presence of God. This meaning may be accounted for by the circumstance that the earliest prayers of Israel were offered in conjunction with the sacrifices, the acceptance of which was deemed to conditional, depending upon the worthiness, purity, and guiltlessness of the worshipper.  Cain’s sacrifice was rejected [this verse].   COHON 317

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GEN467 R. El’azar haKappar said: Envy, inordinate desire, and [the search for] glory remove a man from the world. Pirkei Avot IV:28  … already at the world’s beginning, our text proved tragically true: Cain saw Abel’s offering to Heaven accepted, while his own was rejected. He grew angry and killed his brother Abel. Why the anger? – clearly from deep jealousy.  SINAI2 187

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GEN468 R. Simlai expounded: [When a child is yet in his mother’s womb] “he is taught all of the Torah, and as soon as he enters the world, an angel comes, strikes him on the mouth, and causes him to forget the entire Torah, as it is written: “Sin lies at the door.’” Niddah 30b TEMIMAH-GEN 28

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GEN469 Rav said: “The evil inclination is like a fly that lies between the two doors of the heart, as it is written Ecclesiastes 10:1: ‘The flies of death, etc.’” Shmuel says: “It is like a wheat grain, as it is written: ‘Sin [chatath – similar to chitah (wheat grain)] lies at the door’”  Berachot 61a TEMIMAH-GEN 27

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GEN470 Rebbe [R. Judah Hanasi] said: “This was taught me by Antoninus: ‘The evil inclination reigns in a man from the time he enters the world, as it is written: “Sin lies at the door [of life]’” Sanhedrin 91b  TEMIMAH-GEN 27-8

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GEN471 The Sages versed in the topic of yirah [i.e., fear/awe of Heaven - AJL] wrote an explanation of the following verse: “Surely, if you improve yourself, you will be forgiven. But if you do not improve yourself, sin rests at the door” [this verse].  In this verse, Hashem informs Kayin of the confined power of the evil inclination. He is restricted in that he may not come “within the house” to tempt man to sin. He may only stand at the entrance to the house, like a poor man at the doorway. This is spoken about in the Talmud (Sukkah 52b).  “First he [the yetzer hara] is called a ‘passerby,’ then he is called a ‘guest,’ then he is called a ‘man’” (see the text there, with Rashi’s commentary).  This is the meaning of “sin rests at the door.” When man hearkens a little bit to the voice of the evil inclination, so that he opens the door for him, the yetzer hara overpowers him to become a guest in his house. This is what the satan showed Plimo through parables and riddles. At first, he appeared to him as a poor man. He stood outside the door, and he called out for Plimo to open it, which we now understand. [See Talmud, Kiddushin 81a for story of Plimo, a righteous man who encounters Satan on Yom Kippur and lets him into his home. - AJL]. OHRYIS 586

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