Cain killed Abel

341. Rabbi Yitzchak said, Come and behold: When Cain killed Abel, he did not know how his soul could leave him (HE DID NOT REALIZE THAT BY HIS ACTIONS HE COULD, IN EFFECT, EXTRACT THE SOUL FROM ABEL AND KILL HIM. And he was biting him with his teeth, as a serpent. At that instant, the Holy One, blessed be He, cursed Cain. He wandered in every direction, but no place accepted him until he hit himself upon the head and repented before his Master. Then the earth received him in one of the lower compartments, BECAUSE HIS REPENTANCE WAS NOT COMPLETE AND THEREFORE NOT ACCEPTED IN THIS WORLD.

342. Rabbi Yosi said that the earth itself accepted him so that he could walk upon it, as it is written: "Hashem set a sign upon Cain" (Beresheet 4:15). THIS INTERPRETATION IS THAT THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, ACCEPTED CAIN'S REPENTANCE, AND THUS THE EARTH ACCEPTED HIM AGAIN. According to Rabbi Yitzchak, however, the earth only accepted Cain to a level beneath it, as it is written: "You have driven me, this day, from the face of the earth" (Beresheet 4:14). He was driven from the face of the earth, but not from underneath it. HE WAS TAKEN IN BY THE LOWER COMPARTMENT UNDERNEATH. THUS, RABBI YITZCHAK DISAGREED WITH RABBI YOSI'S INTERPRETATION. RABBI YITZCHAK'S POSITION WAS THAT CAIN WAS ADMITTED TO THE LOWER LEVEL ONLY. WHY? BECAUSE HIS REPENTENCE WAS INCOMPLETE.

343. HE ASKS, "And into which place did earth admit him?" AND HE SAYS, into Arka, WHICH IS ONE OF THE SEVEN PHYSICAL LEVELS OF EARTH. Of all who reside there, it is written: "these shall perish from the earth and from beneath the heavens" (Yirmeyah 10:11). There, he established his place of living. This place is referred to in the words: "And he dwelt in the land of Nod east of Eden" (Beresheet 4:16). THIS ALLUDES TO THE LOWER COMPARTMENT CALLED 'ARKA.' THIS COMPARTMENT IS ALSO CALLED "NOD (SWAY)," BECAUSE THE RESIDENTS HAVE TWO HEADS AND SWAY FROM ONE SIDE OF DARKNESS TO THE OTHER SIDE OF LIGHT.

344. Tosefta (Addendum). When Cain said, "My punishment is greater than I can bear" (Beresheet 4:13), MEANING AFTER HE CONFESSED AND REPENTED, the Holy One, blessed be He, withdrew one half of his punishment. In the original punishment, He stated: "you shall be a fugitive (Heb. na) and a vagabond (Heb. nad) on the earth" (Ibid. 12), but now he stayed only in Nod. And so it is written: "And Cain when out from the presence of Hashem and dwelt in the land of Nod" (Ibid. 16), meaning that he left the presence of Hashem to be a vagabond, but not a fugitive, on the earth, BECAUSE HALF HIS PUNISHMENT HAD BEEN WITHDRAWN.

345. THE RABBIS further said that when Cain left the presence of Hashem, Adam asked him, 'My son, what was done with your sentence?' Cain replied, 'Father, I was already given the good news that the Holy One, blessed be He, has forgiven me and that I can reside in Nod alone.' Adam then asked him, 'How did you merit that?' and Cain answered, 'Because I repented and confessed before Him.' Adam said, 'The strength of repentance is so great and powerful, and I did not know that.' He began to say praises to his Master and to thank him. He started reciting "A song for the day of Shabbat. It is good to thank Hashem" (Tehilim 92:1). For it is good to praise, repent, and thank before the Holy One, blessed be He. End of Tosefta (Addendum).

346. Rabbi Yitzchak said that from the time that Cain killed Abel, Adam separated from his wife. Two female spirits used to come and mate with him. And he bore from them spirits and demons that roam around the world. THE REASON THERE WERE TWO SPIRITS IS BECAUSE PROSTITUTION IS A KLIPAH OF THE RIGHT, ON WHICH SIDE THEY ARE MOCKING. YET, EVENTUALLY THE SPIRITS PUNISH PEOPLE AND MAKE THEM SUFFER, WHICH IS THE JURISDICTION OF THE LEFT. HENCE, THERE WERE TWO SPIRITS - ONE WAS A KLIPAH OF THE RIGHT, AND THE OTHER A KLIPAH OF THE LEFT.

347. This need not be difficult to accept, because even when a man is dreaming, female spirits often come, seduce him, conceive from him, and eventually give birth. THESE OFFSPRING are called the plagues of mankind and take only the shape of humans. They have no hair on their heads, BECAUSE these OFFSPRING COME FROM THE KLIPAH OF THE RIGHT, AND HAIR IS CONNECTED TO THE LEFT. And of these Solomon said, "And I shall chastise them with the whip of men and with the plagues of the sons of men" (II Shmuel 7:4). Similarly, there are male spirits that visit women, IN THEIR DREAMS. Those WOMEN conceive from them, give birth to spirits, and all are called 'the plagues of mankind'.

348. After 130 years, Adam felt jealousy for his wife, had intercourse with her, and begot a son whom he called Seth (Heb. shet, Shin Tav). This is the secret of the ordering of the last TWO LETTERS within the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. THIS IS UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER SEQUENCES OF THE ALPHABET, WHICH DO NOT END WITH THESE SAME TWO LETTERS, NAMELY SHIN AND TAV. Rabbi Yehuda said that THE NAME SETH SYMBOLIZES the secret of the lost spirit, NAMELY THAT OF ABEL, which was clothed in the earthly body OF SETH. Hence, it is written: "Elohim has replaced (Heb. shat) for me another seed instead of Abel" (Beresheet 4:25).

349. Rabbi Yehuda continued by saying, "And he begot in his own likeness after his image" (Beresheet 5:3). This indicates that his other sons, CAIN AND ABEL, were not after his likeness, but Seth was in his own likeness and after his image, both physically and spiritually. As Rabbi Shimon said, in the name of Rav Yeba Saba (the elder), Adam's other sons had been produced in defilement, through attachment to the serpent and its rider, who is Samael. Hence, they bore no resemblance to Adam. Even though Abel, unlike Cain, was from another side OF PURITY AND NOT FROM THE SIDE OF THE SERPENT, neither had the form of Adam. THEY BOTH LACKED THE CENTRAL COLUMN, WHICH IS THE FORM OF ADAM. ABEL WAS FROM THE RIGHT SIDE AND CAIN FROM THE LEFT. HENCE, THEY WERE NOT CREATED IN THE LIKENESS OF ADAM.

350. Rabbi Yosi BRINGS FURTHER PROOF TO STRENGTHEN THE CASE THAT ABEL TOO WAS NOT COMPLETE. HE says, It is written: "And the man knew his wife, Eve, and she conceived, and bore Cain" (Beresheet 4:1), but it is not written that Adam begot Cain. This was not written of Abel either. Instead, it is written: "And she again bore his brother, Abel" (Ibid. 2). And here lies the concealed truth, THAT EVEN ABEL WAS NOT IN THE IMAGE OR LIKENESS OF ADAM. But of Seth it is written: "And he begot in his own likeness, after his image." THUS, HE IS RELATED TO ADAM.

351. Rabbi Shimon said that for a hundred and thirty years Adam separated from his wife, and during that time he begot in the world spirits and demons from the force of impurity that was sucked from him. And when that impurity was exhausted, he turned and became jealous for his wife and begot a son. It then is written: "...and he begot in his own likeness, after his image."

352. Come and behold: when a man veers to the left and defiles his ways, he draws upon himself all kinds of impure spirits. And the spirit of defilement clings to him and does not leave him. This spirit only links to the man who drew it - and not to another. Hence, they only cleave to those who cleave to them. Happy are the righteous, who walk in the straight path and who are the truly righteous. Their sons are righteous in the world. Of them it is written: "For the upright shall dwell in the earth" (Mishlei 2:21).

353. Rabbi Chiya quotes, "And the sister of Tuval Cain was Na'amah" (Beresheet 4:22). Why do the scriptures mention her name, Na'amah (Eng. 'pleasant')? It is because people were seduced by her OVERWHELMING BEAUTY AND PLEASANTNESS, and even spirits and demons LUSTED AFTER HER. Rabbi Yitzchak said that the sons of Elohim, Aza, and Azael were seduced by her. BECAUSE OF THOSE SEDUCTIONS, SHE WAS NAMED NA'AMAH.

354. Rabbi Shimon said that she was the mother of demons, being of the side of Cain, and that along with Lilit, she is responsible for the epileptic death of babies. Rabbi Aba said to him: But Sir, RABBI SHIMON, NA'AMAH was charged with seducing men IN THEIR SLEEP WHILE THEY DREAM, PLACING HER TO THE RIGHT OF THE KLIPOT. KILLING CHILDREN, HOWEVER, IS FROM THE LEFT ASPECT. HE RESPONDED THAT this is precisely correct, because she seduced men and bore spirits in the world. She still persists in her seductive work in the world. BUT RABBI SHIMON SAID SHE COOPERATES WITH LILIT, AND DEATH COMES FROM THE SIDE OF LILIT, NOT THAT OF NA'AMAH.

355. Rabbi Aba asks him: But since those demons die like human beings, how can you say that NA'AMAH has survived to this day? He said to him that this is true, THAT DEMONS DIE AS HUMANS DO. Yet Lilit and Na'amah and Agrat, the daughter of Machalat, who originated from their side, will continue to live until the Holy One, blessed be He, burns the spirit of uncleanliness from earth. This is as it is written: "I will cause the unclean spirit to pass out of the land" (Zecharyah 13:2).

356. Rabbi Shimon said: Woe to people, for they are not aware and do not take heed nor search for knowledge. They are all blindfolded and do not know how full the world is with strange and invisible creatures and things. If the eye were given permission to see, people would marvel at how is it possible to survive in this world.

357. Come and behold: this Na'amah is the mother of demons. From her side originate all those demons who sexually arouse men, absorb the spirit of lust from them, seduce them, and eventually cause them to release semen in vain. And since this wastage of semen comes from the side of the spirit of defilement, one has to wash and purify himself. This the friends have already explained.