How does cain kill abel

Shaitan explained: Habil does not eat, drink, speak, move or breathe. On learning this Eve wails, becoming the first mourner. Is this particular Islamic version more historically accurate than the other versions? These stories have their roots in a pre-Abrahamic Mesopotamian tale. The shepherd Dumuzi and the farmer Enkidu competed for the affection of the goddess Inanna. She chose the shepherd. The farmer-god Emesh and the shepherd-god Enten complain to the chief god Enlil, who also rules in favour of the shepherd.

The preference of the herdsman over the farmer reveals an old animosity of those who herded sheep, goat, cattle and camels towards settled agriculturists whose farms and canals blocked passage of their animals. One can argue that this animosity led to the story of Cain and Abel, Abel embodying the first of herdsmen, the favoured profession in Abrahamic lore. Only politicians use mythological stories literally.

It appeals to the vast majority, the lowest common denominator. Looking at stories as metaphor is tough when dealing with the masses. Metaphors are fluid and contextual. They provoke thoughts, stir imaginations, and help us appreciate ideas that our ancestors wish to share with us.

This theme of sibling rivalry recurs in myths around the world — and continues in almost every kingdom, country and business family. Very rarely do we find brothers like Ram and Bharat who are willing to give each other their throne. Can Mamata go national? Successful coalitions at the Centre have been usually headed by leaders with weak power bases. Is a green Diwali possible? Ultra right and wrong: Women in India face a new threat to their freedom of choice.

Nehru, Iqbal, cricket and the question of Muslim identity. Moreover, nothing explicit in the Torah connects the killing of Abel with the previous story about sacrifices. Something else may have taken place to set Cain off.

Genesis Rabbah 22 imagines the brothers arguing about matters entirely unrelated to the sacrifice:. The argument and stubbornness was even—and at least in the first case, ridiculous—only that Cain turned to violence.

What really happens in the field v. Almost universally, Cain is maligned for committing first degree murder—but how would he have known what murder is? Is he a villain, a monster, does he act in real or perceived self-defense, or as someone who loses control? Does the character deserve only our scorn, or perhaps also our sympathy? Please support us. Deep appreciation to the editors of TheTorah.

The midrashists make a value judgment and claim that these were more or less leftovers. Song of Songs Rabbah 4.

Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer chapter 21 suggests that Cain only brought the remnants of a meal and some flax. See also R. Gerhard von Rad, Genesis: A Commentary. See discussion in, Nahum M. The article is currently available on Mikranet. Sforno then points to Deuteronomy which deals with premeditated murder.

Louis H. Feldman, James L. Kugel, and Lawrence H. Name spelling has been adjusted to standard English spelling. Adam is further warned to tell no one of this and let matters take their course:. And the time arrived when Abel was killed by Cain his brother and he i. And why did he murder him? Kim [Harkins]. And oftentimes when his father made an offering, he would remain [behind] and not go with them to offer up.

But, as to Abel, he had a meek heart, and was obedient to his father and mother, whom he often moved to make an offering, because he loved it; and prayed and fasted much. The text exists in Arabic and Geez. The English is from Solomon C. Malan, trans. Since Adam and Eve love your brother Abel much more than they love you, and wish to join him in marriage to your beautiful sister, because they love him, but wish to join you in marriage to his ill-favored sister, because they hate you.

Now therefore, I counsel you, when they do that, to kill your brother; then your sister will be left for you, and his sister will be cast away. The text is working with the assumption, popular in Jewish interpretation, that each son was born with a sister, since otherwise, how could this family of boys reproduce and create humanity?

Genesis Rabbah 22 also includes the suggestion that they fought over one of the sisters:. The translation is based on, John W. This is aggravated by the fact that YHWH decides to let Cain, the murderer, live in exile with a mitigated punishment a protective sign. Rabbi David J. Zucker is an Independent Scholar. He holds a Ph. He publishes regularly see www. I would like to receive new essays When published Before Shabbat.

Torah Portion. This Week's Torah Portion. Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy. Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur Yom Kippur. Sukkot Sukkot. Simchat Torah Simchat Torah. Chanukah Chanukah. Purim Purim. All analogies are imperfect, and the one we are drawing is no exception. Nevertheless, Cain shares with many mass shooters the mentality of rage, resentment, envy, jealousy, selfishness, narcissistic injury, a sense of victimization and injustice, and a deep-seated need for vengeance.

Like many mass shooters, violence, for Cain, becomes a way of restoring a false sense of power and self-esteem. Transporting Cain magically into our own time-and positing access to lethal weapons-we can readily envision him as a potential mass shooter. Rather, borrowing from philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, we might characterize Cain as we would many mass shooters: human, all too human.

The latter permeate and are inherent in human essence and existence, being present to a greater or lesser extent in individuals without necessarily being linked to mental illness. Morton RJ. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Cain and Abel. New World Encyclopedia. Accessed September 24, Psychiatric Times. January 14, Nauta R. Violence, Shame and Jealousy. Pastoral Psychol. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 th edition. A study of the pre-attack behaviors of active shooters in the United States between and June Carey B. Are Mass Murderers Insane? Usually Not, Researchers Say. The New York Times. November 8, Schule C. Tokyo Subway Dreams: Underground Meditations.

In: Wolf M.