Midrash for Genesis 4:10

MISHNAH: How were the witnesses awestruck in criminal cases? They were brought in and warned: Perhaps your testimony is based only on a supposition, or on hearsay, or on that of another witness, or you have had it from a trustworthy man; or perhaps you are not aware that finally we will investigate the matter by examination and cross examination. You may also be aware of the fact that there is no similarity between civil and criminal cases. In civil cases one may repay the money damage and he is atoned; but in criminal cases the blood of the person executed, and of his descendants to the end of all generations, clings to the instigator of his executions, for thus do we find in the case of Cain, who slew his brother, concerning whom it is said (Gen. 4, 10) The voice of the blood of thy brother is crying unto me from the ground. Blood is not mentioned in the singular, but in the plural (bloods), which means his blood and the blood of his descendants. According to others, the bloods of thy brother — i.e., his blood has scattered over all the trees and stones. Therefore the man was created singly, to teach that he who destroys one soul of a human being is considered by Scriptures as if he had destroyed the whole world, and he who saves one soul of Israel, Scripture considers it as if he had saved the whole world. And also in order to preserve peace among creatures, so that one should not say: "My grandfather was greater than yours;" and also that the heretic shall not say: "There are many creators in heaven." And also to proclaim the glory of the Holy One, praised be He! For a human being stamps many coins with one stamp, and all of them are alike; but the King of all the kings, the Holy One, praised be He! has stamped every man with the stamp of Adam the first, and nevertheless not one of them is like the other. Therefore every man may say: "The world was created for my sake, hence I must be upright, just," etc. Should the witness say: (Ib. b) "Why should we take so much trouble upon ourselves?" Behold it is written (Lev. 5, 1) And he is a witness, since he hath seen or knoweth something; if he do not tell it, then he should bear his iniquity. And should you say: "Why should we testify to the disadvantage of that man's blood?" Behold, it has been said (Prov. 11, 10) When the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.

6 "And Balak saw" (Numbers 22:2) When his messengers came to Bilaam, the Holy One, blesed be He, said to him, "Who are these people" (Numbers 22:9). Bilaam said to him, (Numbers 22:10), "Balak son of Beor, king of Moav, sent to me." Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said, "This is one of three people that the Holy One, blessed be He, examined and found to be a carriage of urine: Kayin, Chizkiyah and Bilaam. Kayin - at the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'Where is Hevel, your brother' (Genesis 4:9), he sought to - as if it were possible - deceive Him. He should have said, 'Master of the world, the hidden things and the revealed things are revealed in front of You, and You ask me about me about my brother?' Instead he said to Him (Genesis 4:9), 'I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?' The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'By your life, this is how you spoke? "The blood of your brother is crying out."' Chizkiyah - when he got up (recovered) from his illness, Merodach-baladan sent him a gift - as it is stated (Isaiah 39:1), 'At that time, Merodach-baladan, sent' - Yishayah came [and] said to him, 'What did those people say, and from where did they come to you.' He should have said, 'You are a prophet of the Omnipresent, and you ask me?' Instead he began to be haughty and said (Isaiah 39:3), 'From a distant land; they have come from Babylonia.' Isaiah said, 'Since you have spoken like this (Isaiah 39:6-7), "Days are coming when everything in your palace, will be carried off [...]. And some of your sons, your own issue, whom you will have fathered, will be taken to serve as eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylonia."' And likewise Bilaam the evildoer - at the time that Balak sent to him, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'Who are these people with you'; he should have said, 'Master of the world, 'Everything is revealed in front of You and there is not anything hidden from you, and You ask me?' Instead, he said to Him (Numbers 22:10), 'Balak son of Beor, king of Moav, sent to me.' The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'Since you speak to Me like this (Numbers 22:12), "you may not curse the nation."' The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'Evildoer of the world, it is written about Israel (Zechariah 2:12), "since one who touches you is like one who touches the pupil of his eye," and you are going to touch them and curse them? His eye shall be removed.' As it is stated (Numbers 24:3), 'with the shut eye,' to fulfill, whoever 'touches them is like one who touches the pupil of his eye.'"

Rabbi Jochanan said: Cain did not know that the secrets are revealed before the Holy One, blessed be He. He took the corpse of his brother Abel and hid it in the field. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "Where is Abel thy brother?" (Gen. 4:9). He replied to Him: Sovereign of the world ! A keeper of vineyard and field hast Thou made me. A keeper of my brother Thou hast not made me; as it is said, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (ibid.). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: || "Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?" (1 Kings 21:19). "The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground" (Gen. 4:10). When Cain heard this word he was confused. And He cursed him, that he became a wanderer on the earth because of the shedding of the blood, and because of the evil death.