창세기 4:9의 Musar

This is the reason that Cain, who represents the קליפה, was born before his brother Abel, who represents the fruit. The former said to G–d (Genesis 4,9) after having murdered Abel: "Is it my function to serve as the קליפה, "husk," for my brother?" Our sages understand this comment as Cain referring to this function in his life, because they understand the meaning of the word שומר to be the same as שומר הפרי, "the protective shell around the fruit." The letter ה in front of the word השומר indicates Cain's ongoing amazement. He cannot get over the fact that the evil urge within him, i.e. the קליפה, so overpowered him. His reaction was similar to ours when we acknowledge having sinned, blaming the evil urge within us.

This also helps explain Yitro's question "ואיו, למה זה עזבתן את האיש" (Exodus 2,20) "where is he, why did you abandon the man?" The sequence should have been , למה זה עזבתן את האיש, ואיו, "why did you abandon the man, and where is he?" Then the letter ו would be justified as a letter denoting something additional. Yitro was not clear whether he should understand the words איש מצרי literally, i.e. an Egyptian, or whether he should read a more profound meaning into it as we have just described. Therefore, he said "call him so he can eat bread." These words would be appropriate both if the man was indeed an Egyptian in which case he deserved to be rewarded at least with a meal. If, on the other hand, איש מצרי meant what we have just described, then the words "call him and he shall eat bread" is a euphemism for offering Moses one of Yitro's daughters' hand in marriage, since clearly one of them was meant to become Moses' wife. This is why he said ואיו, the letter ו both at the beginning and at the end of the word אי "where?" That letter could then be applied to either possibility. It would then be a reminder of G–d's original question "אי" "where is your brother Abel?" (Genesis 4,9) Another possibility is the one mentioned by the Zohar, that the letter ו is symbolic of the sign, אות that G–d gave Cain, i.e. a letter from the holy Torah, so that no one who came across him would kill him as a murderer. (Rosenberg Montreal edition page 42)

We find two opinions in Bereshit Rabbah 22,12, as to the kind of "sign" G–d gave to Cain. Rabbi Yehudah says that G–d made the sun shine for him. Rabbi Nechemyah says that G–d certainly would not have gone out of His way to make the sun shine for such a sinner, rather the "sign" was a form of צרעת, skin excema, very visible. This comment is not to be understood as disagreement with Rabbi Yehudah. G–d said to Moses: "If they will not believe you, and not listen to the impact of the first "sign" (miracle), they will be convinced by the impact of the second miracle." The first sign was that Moses' face would shine like the sun, and Cain would benefit from this. Rabbi Nechemyah elaborates that Cain certainly would not benefit from this, until, when re-incarnated and his soul had been cleansed since he had accepted G–ds judgment, he had become Yitro. Only then would his sign be radiation of the face of Moses, rather than the sign of צרעת. We find a reference to this in Exodus 22,1: "If the thief is discovered in a hideout." The thief referred to is Cain who had tried to cheat G–d (גנבת דעת, see Rashi's comment on Genesis 4,9). The Torah in Exodus 22,1, continues: "If he is struck down and dies as a result, there is no blood (guilt)." However, if the sun shone upon him, (the thief) there is blood (guilt). What is meant is the גלגל החמה, i.e. after he had reformed and had become rehabilitated (galgal should be read gilgul metamorphosis).