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.