Pemikiran Yahudi Yeremia 17:11: Akeidat Yitzchak, Duties & Derashot HaRan

The Midrash describes the subject matter of the brothers' quarrel as being an attempt to divide the world between them. Cain took the soil, Abel everything mobile. Cain said to Abel that his goods were on his property. Abel replied that Cain's clothes were produced from the wool of his sheep. Cain demanded that Abel get off his ground, whereas Abel demanded that Cain shed his clothing. In this way they both demonstrated that they lacked the basic concepts of co-operation without which civilization is impossible. The ultimate outcome of their attitudes was murder. When G-d addressed Cain, He wanted to know, "Where is your brother Abel," i.e. your guide, your leader? Cain replied, "Am I my brother's keeper?" He meant, "Since I am the producer of wealth and he is merely the preserver, why does he rank above me in Your esteem? Is his name (Hevel, vanity) not already an indication that his existence is not of crucial importance in the scheme of things?" G-d replied that since Hevel's blood is complaining about Cain's earth having absorbed it, about the injustice perpetrated on him, Cain would henceforth become a fugitive on "his" earth. His future experiences would teach him that he had grossly underrated the importance of "Hevel's" functions, since his own activities would be stymied through his brother's absence. The co-operation of the adamah, earth, with the oved adamah, the tiller of the soil who had dedicated himself to the earth, in covering up the misdeed of the latter is remarkable. Carried to its logical conclusion, the thought the Torah conveys is that by destroying Hevel, Cain had in fact destroyed himself.

It is possible that all of his efforts will be for nothing, and he will not attain anything except a long suffering, exertion, and toil. And even if he attains some of what he hoped for, perhaps he will not get any benefit from it, but instead will only guard it, manage it, and protect it from potential damages, until it will go to he who G-d decreed it should go to, whether while he is still alive, as written: "at mid life he will leave it" (Yirmiya 17:11) or after his death, as written: "they will abandon their fortunes to others" (Tehilim 49:11).

If he relies on his wealth, it will be removed from him and left to someone else as written "He lies down rich, but there shall be nothing to gather; he opens his eyes, and his wealth is not" (Iyov 27:19), "Do not weary yourself to grow rich; cease from your own understanding." (Mishlei 23:4), "Should you blink your eyes at it, it is not here; for it will make wings for itself, like the eagle, and it will fly toward the heavens." (Mishlei 23:5), "so it is he who gathers riches but not by right; he shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end he stands dishonored" (Yirmiya 17:11)