Shlomo Zuckier
Following Adam鈥檚 sin, the Midrash (Midrash Hagadol to Gen. 3:23) uses him as a cautionary tale to remark on how severe sin can be.
讘讜讗 讜专讗讛 讻诪讛 讛讞讟讗 讙讜专诐, 讞讟讬讬讛 讗讞转 讞讟讗 讗讚诐 讛专讗砖讜谉 谞转拽爪专 讘讛 拽讜诪转讜, 谞转诪注讟 讘讛 讝讬讜讜, 谞砖转谞讛 注诇讬讜 诪讗讻诇讜,聽谞注砖讛 谞注 讜谞讚聽讜拽谞住 诇讜 诪讬转讛 讜诇讚讜专讜转讬讜 讜诇讚讜专讜转 讚讜专讜转讬讜 注讚 住讜祝 讻诇 讛讚讜专讜转
Come and see what the sin [of Adam] wrought. For once Adam committed a single sin, his stature was reduced, his countenance became faded, his diet became altered,聽he became a fugitive and a wanderer,聽and death was inflicted upon himself and all his descendants until the end of generations.
Among the severe repercussions is that he is to become a wanderer throughout the land. This is problematic, however, because such a punishment was applied biblically to Cain following his murderous act, not to his father!
My friend and colleague Ari Lamm offered an interesting account of how Adam鈥檚 actions might have shaped Cain and been at least partially responsible for Cain鈥檚 actions.
I鈥檇 like to offer a different angle in understanding this Midrash, one focused less on the overall story and more on the mechanics of how the theme of wandering might have migrated from Cain to Adam. In order to do this I will focus on intertextual connections, finding which verses the Midrash might be drawing upon in order to conclude that not only was Cain punished by being sentenced to wander (谞注 讜谞讚), but his father Adam as well.
We begin with Adam鈥檚 exile from Eden, following his sin (Gen. 3:24):
讜址讬职讙指专侄砖讈 讗侄转 讛指讗指讚指诐 讜址讬旨址砖讈职讻旨值谉 诪执拽旨侄讚侄诐 诇职讙址谉 注值讚侄谉 讗侄转 讛址讻旨职专只讘执讬诐 讜职讗值转 诇址讛址讟 讛址讞侄专侄讘 讛址诪旨执转职讛址驻旨侄讻侄转 诇执砖讈职诪止专 讗侄转 讚旨侄专侄讱职 注值抓 讛址讞址讬旨执讬诐:
So God drove out Adam; and He placed to the east of the Garden of Eden the cherubim and the turning flaming sword to guard the tree of life.
Adam is banished from Eden, with angels and fiery swords guarding its East flank.
What was Cain鈥檚 punishment for his sin? Upon his murder of Abel, as noted, the text sentences him to be a wanderer (4:12):
讻旨执讬 转址注植讘止讚 讗侄转 讛指讗植讚指诪指讛 诇止讗 转止住值祝 转旨值转 讻旨止讞指讛旨 诇指讱职 谞指注 讜指谞指讚 转旨执讛职讬侄讛 讘指讗指专侄抓:
When you till the ground, it will not yield its strength to you; you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the Earth.
Following this sentence, Cain does settle, but in the land of wandering, eretz nod (4:16):
讜址讬旨值爪值讗 拽址讬执谉 诪执诇旨执驻职谞值讬 讬职拽止讜指拽 讜址讬旨值砖讈侄讘 讘旨职讗侄专侄抓 谞讜止讚 拽执讚职诪址转 注值讚侄谉:
Cain left the presence of the Lord and dwelled in the Land of Wandering, east of Eden.
Note that this Wander-Land is situated kidmat eden, East of Eden, the same place where Adam had been exiled to!
I would argue that the Midrashic author followed this classically Midrashic-intertextual line of reasoning: Just like Cain鈥檚 punishment of wandering landed him east of Eden, Adam鈥檚 banishment to the east of Eden must have also entailed a punishment of wandering.
And thus, concludes the Midrash, like son, like father; both Cain and Adam find that their sins condemn them to wander the land.
Site Operations and Technology by The Berman Consulting Group.