Комментарий к Берешит 4:13

גדול עוני מנשוא MY PUNISHMENT IS GREATER THAN I CAN BEAR (literally, my sin is greater than what can be borne) — This is a question: You bear the worlds above and below. and is it impossible for You to bear my sin? (Genesis Rabbah 22:11).

MY SIN IS GREATER THAN I CAN BEAR. This is in the form of a question: “You bear the worlds above and below, and is it impossible for You to bear my sin?” Thus the words of Rashi quoting Bereshith Rabbah.⁴³⁹22:25.
The correct plain interpretation is that it is a confession. Cain said: “It is true that my sin is too great to be forgiven, and Thou art righteous, O Eternal, and upright are Thy judgments⁴⁴⁰Psalms 119:137. even though You have punished me exceedingly. And now behold, Thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the land⁴⁴¹Verse 14. for in being a fugitive and a wanderer unable to stay in one place, behold, I am driven from the land and there is no place where I can find rest. And from Thy face shall I be hid⁴⁴¹Verse 14. whereas I will not be able to stand before You to pray or bring a sacrifice and meal-offering for I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.⁴⁴²Jeremiah 31:19. But what shall I do? Whosoever findeth me shall slay me,⁴⁴¹Verse 14. and You in Your manifold loving-kindness did not decree death upon me.” The sense of this is that Cain said before G-d: “Behold, my sin is great, and You have punished me exceedingly, but guard me that I should not be punished more than You have decreed upon me for by being a fugitive and wanderer and unable to build myself a house and fences at any place, the beasts will kill me for your shadow has departed from me.”⁴⁴³See Numbers 14:9 and Ramban there. Thus Cain confessed that man is impotent to save himself by his own strength but only by the watchfulness of the Supreme One upon him.

גדול עוני מנשוא, after Kayin finally realised how G’d in Heaven supervises every detail which goes on down on earth, he was convinced that G’d must know that his sole motivation in doing repentance was to escape punishment. Even this type of repentance was wrung from him only after G’d had pressured him to display penitence. He was embittered, and this is what prompted him to exclaim that the severity of his sin was such there was no hope to obtain forgiveness which would protect him against retribution in kind. The matter is similar to Saul’s failure in killing Agag, King of Amalek. Saul had said to Samuel: “I have sinned,” only after Samuel had insisted that he make a confession of having failed to carry out G’d’s instructions. (Samuel I 15,24) Samuel had had to tell Saul that G’d had despised him as a future leader of the Jewish people before he could prevail on Saul to acknowledge his wrongdoing. (Samuel I 15,24)

גדול עוני מנשא, “my sin is too great to be forgiven.” According to Nachmanides this was Kayin’s true and sincere confession. He acknowledged the righteousness of the Creator, admitting that he had deserved the severe punishment decreed upon him. He felt unable to pray, as he did not think that prayers from a sinner such as himself had a chance to evoke G’d’s sympathy. He felt that if he had not qualified for a favourable response to his sacrificial offering before he murdered his brother, he most certainly could not expect that G’d would accept any gift from him now. He was at his wits’ end, seeing that anyone on earth who would find him would be justified in killing him.

An incredulous question. This is a question, although it lacks the ה which would indicate this. It cannot be a statement, with Kayin saying that his sin is unforgivable and more than he can bear, for Kayin would then be magnifying his sin. How could he then [contest his punishment and] say, “Behold, today You have banished me...” if he already admitted that his sin is deserving of it? (Re’m) Question: What does Hashem’s bearing of the worlds have to do with His bearing of Kayin’s sin? It seems the answer is: Kayin is saying that earthly creatures surely sin, as it says (8:21), “For the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Why did You, Hashem, create them? It must be that repentance can rectify their sins. If so, “You cannot manage to bear my sin?” (Divrei Dovid)

גדול עוני מנשוא. Es kann dies nicht heißen: meine Sünde ist zu groß, als dass du sie verzeihen könntest; denn Kain motiviert diesen Satz durch: הן גרשת usw. worin doch durchaus nicht von dem Verbrechen, sondern lediglich von der Strafe die Rede ist. Man hat daher עון als Strafe genommen. Allein diese Bedeutung ist noch keineswegs eine sichere. Jedenfalls heißt עון in der Regel Sünde und nicht Strafe. Nehmen wir es einmal als Sünde und hieße es dann: "Meine Sünde ist größer als dass ich sie ertragen könnte, siehe du hast mich heute vertrieben usw.", so dürfte dies einen tiefen Einblick in das dunkle Gemüt eines Verbrechers und ebenso in die göttliche Gerechtigkeit gewähren. "Meine Sünde ist größer, als dass ich sie ertragen könnte"; du hast mir gezeigt, wie groß sie ist; denn "du hast mich heute vertrieben, hast das Band gelöst, das mir die Erde als Menschenboden angetraut hatte, und auch von deinem Angesichte soll ich nicht geschützt und überwacht sein, und so, vom Boden, von Gott und Menschen verlassen, muß ich fürchten, dass jedes Geschöpf, das mich trifft, mich töte!" Denken wir uns den קין, gezeugt in der Gesinnung קניתי, gestempelt durch den Charakter קין, zum Verbrechen geführt durch קנאה, die aufgestachete Selbstsucht; diesem Kain kommt das Bewusstsein, dass er dies alles verloren, alles dies durch sein Verbrechen eingebüßt! Er kommt zum Bewusstsein der Schuld nicht durch den Gedanken dessen, was er seinem Bruder getan, sondern dessen, was er sich getan! Er war noch derselbe Kain, hätte noch jetzt gesprochen: השמר אחי אנכי! Meine Sünde ist zu groß, spricht Kain; hätte ich nur meinen Bruder gemordet, wäre sie erträglich; ich habe aber nicht gewusst, dass ich damit mich selber gemordet, mich selber damit zum ארור, zum נע ונד gemacht, und jeden Anspruch an die Welt und die Menschen eingebüßt!

גדול עוני מנשוא, “my sin is too great to bear.” Kayin refers to the punishment decreed as a result of his sin. It is more than he thinks he can bear. Having been expelled from having a permanent home on earth is already enough, in his opinion. We find a similar reaction in Lamentations 4,6 where Jeremiah describes the punishment of the Jewish people in similar terms, i.e. ויגדל עון בת עמי מחטאת סדום, “the guilt (and punishment) of my people exceeded that of the people of Sodom;” according to Ibn Ezra, Samuel I 28,10 is also to be understood in that sense. According to another exegesis, Kayin’s exclamation is to be understood as a query? “Is my sin really too great to be forgiven? You have already expelled me from my home etc., and made it impossible for me to plant roots, as the soil will not respond to my labour; my father has been expelled from Gan Eden for his sin, but You have seen fit to let him atone for it. Why do You not give me chance also to atone for my sin?” [Adam is not even on record as admitting having sinned. Ed.]

“And you cannot manage to bear my sin?” This may be understood according to (Tehillim 130:4): “Forgiveness is with You, in order that You be feared.” “Forgiveness is with You” — nothing stops You [from forgiving sin]. “In order that You be feared” — [this forgiveness increases fear of Hashem]. But a human king cannot grant pardon beyond the rules of protocol. Thus a transgressor [against him] thinks, “I am surely lost!” and therefore he will continue to sin more. [However, Hashem’s forgiveness holds man back from further sin.] Accordingly, Kayin said: “You bear the worlds. Everything is Yours and no one holds You back [from forgiving]. Why can You not bear my sin? People will say that You are unable to forgive beyond the rules of protocol, Heaven forbid!” (Tzeidah L’Derech, citing Maharshal)

Ganz dieselbe Folge lässt die תורה für die fahrlässige Tötung eines Menschen eintreten. Er wird נע im גלות, wenn auch nicht נד. Auch das כל מוצאי יהרגני tritt in der steten Furcht vor dem גואל הדם ein. Auch in עגלה ערופה dürften Beziehungen hervortreten. Wenn ein Mord von unbekannter Hand geschehen, und der Mörder hat den Leichnam, gleichsam zur Verhöhnung des Gerichtes, unverscharrt aufs Freie hingeworfen, so muss das Gericht sich reinigen, dass sie nicht durch Sedom-gleiche Behandlungsweise fremder Wanderer Anteil an dem Morde haben, zuvor aber durch Tötung einer עגלה אשר לא עבד בה ולא משכה בעול in einem steinigen harten Grunde אשר לא יעבר ולא יזרע aussprechen: im jüdischen Kreise wird die ungezügelte rohe Kraft, die sich nicht unter das Joch des Gesetzes beugt, nicht geduldet, und der Boden unter ihr wird hart und steinern: !לא תוסף תת כחה לך

Es erkannte also Kain nicht das Verbrechen, das er an seinem Bruder, sondern das er an sich geübt, deshalb nennt er es auch עון, das Verkehrte, Krumme. Das am nächsten zum Ziele und zum Heile Führende ist das ישר. Jedes עון ist nicht bloß Abweichen von unserer Pflicht, sondern auch von unserem Heile. So hat Gott es geordnet.