Midrasz do Rodzaju 4:23

R. Jochanan said: "Every place where the Minim gave their wrong interpretation, the answer of annulling it is to be found in the same place — i.e., they claim from (Gen. 1, 26) Let us make man. [Hence it is in the plural]; however, in (Ib. 27) it reads: And God created in His image (singular) (Ib. 9, 7) Let us go down [plural).] However, (Ib., ib. 5) And the Lord came down [singular]. (Deut. 4, 7) For what great natoin is there that hath gods so nigh unto it? However it reads further on, as is the Lord our God every time we call upon Him. (II Sam. 7, 23) Whom God went? [plural]. However, (Dan. 7, 9) I was looking down until chairs were set down, and the Ancient of days seated Himself [singular]. But why are all the above-mentioned written in the plural? This is in accordance with R. Jochanan; for R. Jochanan said: "The Holy One, praised be He! does not do anything until he consults the heavenly household, as it is said (Ib. 4, 14) Through the resolve of the angels is this decree, and by the order of the holy ones is this decision. However, this answer is for all the plurals mentioned, except the last one, the chairs. Why are they in plural? One for Him and one for David, as we are taught in a Baraitha: One for Him and one for David, so said R. Akiba. R. Elazar b. Azaryah then said to him: "Akiba, how do you dare to make the Shechina so common? It means one chair for Divine judgment and one for Divine righteousness." Did R. Akiba accept R. Elazar's answer, or did he not? Come and listen: from the following Baraitha: R. Elazar b. Azaryah said to him: "Akiba, what hast thou to do with Aggada? Give thy attention to Negaim and Ohaloth. One is a chair and one a footstoll, the chair to sit upon and the footstoll to put the feet upon." R. Nachman said: "He who knows how to give a right answer to the Minim like R. Aidith may discuss with them, but he who is not able to do so, it is better for him not to discuss with them at all." There was a Min who said to R. Aidith: "It is written (Ex. 24, 1) Come up unto the Lord. It ought to be, Come up to Me. [And when God said to him: Come up to the Lord, there must be one lord more]." And he answered: "That is the angel Mattatron, who bears the name of his master, as it is written (Ib., ib. 21) Because My name is in him." "If so," rejoined the Min, "let us worship him." It reads (Ib., ib.) Al tamer bee (Do not exchange Me). Hence Thou shalt not exchange him for Me." The Min said again: "But does it not read he will not pardon your transgression?" And Aidith answered: "Believe me, that even as a guide we refused to accept him, as it is written (Ib. 33, 15) If thy presence go not [with us], carry us not up from, here." A Min asked R. Ishmael b. R. Jose: It reads (Gen. 19, 24) And the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire. From the Lord, etc. From the Lord! It ought to be from Him [hence there was one more Lord]? And a certain washer said to R. Ishmael: "Let me answer him. It reads (Gen. 4, 23) And Lemech said unto his wives, Adah and Zellah. Hear my voice, ye wives of Lemech, etc. Wives of Lemech! My wives, it ought to be. You must then say that so is it customary in the language of the verse, the same is the case here." And to the question of R. Ishmael to the washer: "Whence do you know this?" he answered: "From the lectures of R. Maier. As R. Jochanan used to say that R. Maier's lectures consisted always of one part Halacha, of another part Aggada, and the rest of parables." R. Jochanan said further: "R. Maier had three hundred fox parables, but we have only three. (Fol. 39) (Ezek. 18, 2) The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children have become blunt; (Lev. l9, 36) Just balances, just weighs, and (Prov. 11, 8) The righteous is delivered out of distress, and the wicked cometh in his stead.

How was Cain slain?³⁸Midrash ha-Gadol 1:118–119, Rashi on Gen. 4:23, Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews 5:116. For one hundred and thirty years, Cain became an angel of death, wandering and roaming about, accursed. Lamech, his descendant in the seventh generation, who was blind, would go hunting led about by his young son. At the sight of game, the lad would apprise his father of its whereabouts. One time the lad said to his father: “I see some kind of beast in the distance.” Lamech sent his arrow in that direction, and Cain was slain. As they approached the corpse, the lad saw a horn protruding from the forehead of the slain creature, and he said to his father: “The corpse resembles a man, but a horn protrudes³⁹See n. 36 above. from its forehead.” Thereupon, Lamech cried out: “Woe is me, it is my grandfather.” In his grief, he clasped his hands together, and accidentally struck the child’s head, killing him. As it is said: I can slay a man by a wound of mine and a child by a strike of mine (Gen. 4:23).

Upon returning home, Lamech said to his wives: “Let us go to bed.” They replied: “You have slain our ancestor and our son Tubal-cain; we shall no longer go to bed with you.” He retorted: “Cain received his punishment only after seven generations, surely mine should be postponed for seventy and seven generations.” “We shall not listen to you,” they insisted. “Why should we give birth to one who will be dishonored?” Thereupon, he said: “Let us go to the court for a decision.” They went to Adam, and Adah and Zillah cried out: “Oh, lord Lamech, our husband, has slain our grandfather.” Whereupon Lamech declared: “Did our grandfather kill unwittingly?” Adam replied: “Wives of Lamech, hearken to my words! Lamech says: Have I have slain a man intentionally? (Gen. 4:23). Therefore I say to you: Go and obey your husband.” They retorted: “O physician, heal your own lameness. You have not had sexual intercourse with your wife for one hundred and thirty years,⁴⁰Adam abstained from sexual intercourse in atonement for ignoring God’s command not to eat of the tree of knowledge. After their rebuke he indulged in sexual intercourse and fathered a son. yet you command us to do so.” Hence it is written in Scripture following this incident: And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years and begot his son in his own likeness (Gen. 5:3).

Another interpretation (of Gen. 19:24): AND THE LORD RAINED DOWN UPON SODOM < AND UPON GOMORRAH BRIMSTONE AND FIRE FROM THE LORD OUT OF THE HEAVENS >. What is the meaning of FROM THE LORD? It says (in Exod. 16:4): BEHOLD, I WILL RAIN DOWN BREAD FROM THE HEAVENS FOR YOU, while here (in Gen. 19:24) it says: AND THE LORD RAINED DOWN UPON SODOM < AND UPON GOMORRAH BRIMSTONE AND FIRE FROM THE LORD >. R. Berekhyah said: To what is the matter comparable?⁷⁰Cf. Gen. R. 51:2; Tanh. (Buber), Exod. 4:20. To a king who was standing at a baker's oven. < When > his friend came in to him, he took out a piece of hot bread < and > gave it to him. < When > his enemy came in to him, he took up burning coals < and > gave them to him. So < it is with > the Holy One. When Israel came unto the desert, he brought down bread from the heavens for them, as stated (in Exod. 16:4): BEHOLD, I WILL RAIN DOWN BREAD FROM THE HEAVENS FOR YOU. But when the Sodomites came to the point of transgressions, he brought down fire from the heavens for them, as stated (in Gen. 19:24): AND THE LORD RAINED DOWN UPON SODOM < AND UPON GOMORRAH BRIMSTONE AND FIRE FROM THE LORD OUT OF THE HEAVENS >. What is the meaning of AND THE LORD? That he sat over them with the authority of a court⁷¹Gk.: synedrion. of seventy-one,⁷²The AND implies that it was THE LORD plus a Great Sanhedrin with seventy-one members, the proper court for trying an apostate town. See Sanh. 1:5. found them guilty, and brought down fire upon them. So they went forth to < an execution by > burning, as stated (in Gen. 19:24): < FIRE > FROM THE LORD. In a similar way you say on the matter < at hand >: AND THE LORD… FROM THE LORD.⁷³The first LORD has to do with the court trial, and the second concerns the punishment. If someone comes to ask you < about > what is written in this verse: AND THE LORD … FROM THE LORD, say to him: There are similar cases < of redundancy > in < other > verses. (I Kings 1:33:) AND {HE} [THE KING] SAID {UNTO HIS SERVANTS} [TO THEM]: TAKE WITH YOU THE SLAVES OF YOUR LORD. It was only necessary to say: "My servants." And where < is an example found > in the Torah? (In Gen. 4:23:) AND LAMECH SAID TO HIS WIVES: ADAH AND ZILLAH, HEAR MY VOICE; O WIVES OF LAMECH. It was only necessary to say: "My wives." So much for the Torah, but where < is an example found > in the Writings? Where it is stated (in Esth. 8:8): FOR A WRITING WHICH IS WRITTEN IN THE KING'S NAME AND SEALED WITH THE KING'S SEAL. It was only necessary to say: "With my seal." So also here (in Gen. 19:24): AND THE LORD RAINED DOWN … FROM THE LORD.

Said Rabbi Yochanan: Hevel was stronger [lit. a greater hero] than Kayin. The text only says 'he rose', it teaches that he [Kayin] was stuck under [Hevel], he [Kayin] said to him [Hevel]: 'there are only the two of us in the world, what are you going to tell Daddy?' He [Hevel] had pity on him, immediately he [Kayin] rose and killed him. Out of this we say 'Do not do good for an evil person, and evil will not fall on you.' "And killed him" (Gen. 4:8) - with what did he kill him? Rabban Shimeon ben Gamliel says with a staff he killed him, as it says 'and a child for my bruise' (Gen. 4:23) - a thing that makes a bruise. And the rabbis say - he killed him with a stone, as it says 'because I killed a man for my wound' (Gen. 4:23) something that makes wounds. Rabbi Azaria and Rabbi Yonatan bar Chagai in the name of Rabbi Itzchak, say: Kayin observed closely how his father had killed that ox, as it says 'And it shall please Ad-nai better than an ox' (Psalms 69:32) - and from there he killed him, on the place of the neck, on the place of the signs (gullet and windpipe, see Sanhedrin 37b). And who buried him? Said Rabbi Eleazar ben Pedat: the birds of the sky and temple-acceptable animals buried him, and the Holy One of Blessing gave them two blessings as their reward, one for the slaughter and one for the covering of the blood.

(Gen. 22:9:) AND THEY CAME TO THE PLACE. When he came to slaughter him, Isaac said to him: Bind me hand and foot because the instinct of life is strong.¹⁷⁴Gen. R. 56:8; Tanh., Gen. 4:23; PR 40:6; PRE 31; TDER 25 (27); TDEZ 2; see M. Ps. 29:1. It is likely that before the knife comes, I would tremble and be disqualified as a sacrifice.¹⁷⁵Through a faulty cut of the knife. Also, if Isaac hit his father, he would incur the death penalty. See the parallel texts. Please < bind me >, my father, lest a blemish be inflicted on me.