"And the man knew"

324. "And the man knew Eve his wife" (Beresheet 4:1). Rabbi Aba opened his discourse with, "Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upwards and the spirit of the beast goes downwards to the earth?" (Kohelet 3:21). This verse has many interpretations, and so it is with the words of Torah. Each and every word has many interpretations, and all are true.

325. The entire Torah can be interpreted in seventy different ways, corresponding to the seventy sides and seventy aspects OF ZEIR ANPIN. So, each topic in the Torah, and whatever is derived from each topic, has many interpretations, explained in all directions.

326. Come and behold: When a man follows the path of truth, he keeps to the right and only attracts to himself a holy spirit from above. This spirit serves him as a holy desire to unite with the upper and to cleave to the supernal sanctity, so that it will never leave him.

327. However, when man walks on a path of evil and veers off the RIGHT path, he draws upon himself from the left side a spirit of uncleanliness. This spirit defiles him, and he becomes unclean because of it. Hence, it is written: "And you shall not make yourselves unclean with them nor be defiled by them" (Vayikra 11:43), because he who defiles himself is led further into defilement.

328. Furthermore, come and behold: When a man walks along the path of truth and attracts a spirit of holiness from above to himself and cleaves to it, he also draws a spirit of Holiness from above to the son that is born to him. He will be sanctified with his Master's holiness, as it is written: "you shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy" (Ibid. 44).

329. And when a man follows the left side and draws upon himself a spirit of corruption and cleaves to it, he draws that spirit of uncleanliness to his son, and his son is defiled by that side.

330. This is what is meant by the verse: "who knows the spirit of THE SONS OF man." For when MAN cleaves to the right, THE LIGHT HE DRAWS FROM BELOW ascends UPWARD. And when a man is bound to the left - THE LEFT SIDE - which is the spirit of defilement, he descends AND DRAWS LIGHT downward from above. It resides with that man and never leaves him. The child born to him, while he is so defiled, is considered the child of the unclean spirit.

331. Adam clove to the unclean spirit, THE SERPENT, and his wife, EVE, clung to it first and took and received defilement from it. He begot a son; that son was the son of the impure spirit. Thus, there were two sons: one from the unclean spirit, WHO IS CAIN, and another who was born after Adam had repented, WHO IS ABEL. Hence, one was born of the side of impurity, NAMELY CAIN, and one of the side of purity, NAMELY ABEL.

332. Rabbi Elazar said: When the serpent injected its impurity into Eve, she absorbed it, MEANING THAT SHE WAS MADE PREGNANT BY IT. And when Adam had intercourse with her, she gave birth to two sons, one from the impure side, AND THAT WAS CAIN, and the other from the side of Adam, AND THAT WAS ABEL. Abel resembled the upper image and Cain the lower. Consequently, their paths parted.

333. It was evident that Cain was the son of the impure spirit, which is the evil serpent. Because he originated from the side of the Angel of Death, he killed his brother. THEREFORE, THE MURDER OF ABEL IS IDENTICAL TO THE SIN OF EATING FROM THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE, AND BOTH WERE INCITED BY THE SERPENT. AND, AS IN THE AFFAIR OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE, IN WHICH THE ANGEL OF DEATH GAINED CONTROL OVER THE WHOLE WORLD, HERE TOO HE GAINED CONTROL - TAKING OUT THE SOUL OF ABEL. CAIN comes from the side of the Angel of Death, and all the evil habitations, demons, and harmful spirits come to the world from him.

334. Rabbi Yosi said: THE NAME Cain indicates a nest (Heb. ken) of the evil habitations that come to the world from the impure side. Afterward, they brought sacrifices, each from its own side. So it is written: "And it came to pass, at the end of days, that Cain brought of the fruit of the earth" (Beresheet 4:3). Rabbi Shimon said: it is written, "at the end of days." What is "the end of days?" It is the End of all Flesh. What is THE END OF ALL FLESH? It is the Angel of Death, INDICATING THAT THE SACRIFICE CAIN BROUGHT WAS FROM THE SIDE OF IMPURITY.

335. Cain brought his offering from this "end of days." To be exact, the text uses the word Yamim (Days) and not Yamin (Right). Hence, it is written of Daniel, "And you go your way till the end and rest, and hence stand at your destiny" (Daniel 12:13). DANIEL asks THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, "the end of Yamim or Yamin?" For YAMIM IS AN EVIL KLIPAH. And He replied: "at the end of days (yamin)." But Cain brought his offering from the end of Yamim, WHICH IS THE SIDE OF THE ANGEL OF DEATH, BECAUSE HE BROUGHT HIS OFFERING FROM HIS SIDE.

336. "Cain brought of the fruit of the earth." These words are parallel to "the fruit of the Tree" (Beresheet 3:3). AS THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE IS A REPRESENTATION OF THE EVIL SERPENT, SO HERE HE BROUGHT HIS OFFERING FROM THE EVIL SERPENT. Rabbi Elazar said, "the fruit of the earth" is similar to "Alas! It shall be ill with the wicked, for according to the deserving of his hands shall be done to him" (Yeshayah 3:11). For "of his hands" refers to the Angel of Death, WHO IS THE DESERVING FRUIT OF THE DEEDS OF THE WICKED. BECAUSE IF IT WAS NOT FOR THE SIN, HE WOULD NOT HAVE COME TO THE WORLD. "Shall be done to him" means that it is drawn to and cleaves to them, killing and defiling them. Hence, THE WORDS "THE FRUIT OF THE EARTH" INDICATE that Cain's offering came from his side, WHICH MEANT IT CAME FROM THE SERPENT AND THE ANGEL OF DEATH.

337. "And Abel also brought of the firstlings" (Beresheet 4:4). THE FUNCTION OF THE WORD "ALSO" IS to strengthen the upper side, THE PART FROM THE CHEST UPWARD, that is the holy side. That is why "Hashem turned to Abel and his offering," BECAUSE IT WAS FROM THE SIDE OF HOLINESS, "but to Cain and his offering, He did not turn" (Ibid. 6). The Holy One, blessed be He, did not accept CAIN'S SACRIFICE BECAUSE IT WAS FROM THE UNCLEAN SIDE. Hence, "Cain was very angry and his face fell," meaning that the offering from his side was not accepted, but Abel's offering was.

338. Hence, it is written: "And it came to pass when they were in the field" (Ibid. 8). The word "field" here refers to a woman, as it was in, "For he found her in the field" (Devarim 22:27), IN WHICH "FIELD" ALSO REFERRED TO A WOMAN. BY ANALOGY, THE "FIELD" IN THE FORMER VERSE ALSO ALLUDES TO A WOMAN. Cain was jealous of the additional twin girl born with Abel, as it is written: "And she again bore to his (Heb. et) brother (Heb. et) Abel" (Beresheet 4:2). THIS DOUBLE USE OF THE PARTICLE ET IS A REFERENCE TO THE TWO GIRLS BORN WITH ABEL.