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SAID Rabbi Eleazar: "By these words, 'And Cain brought54b of the fruits of the ground,' we learn that Cain and Abel offered sacrifices of a character corresponding to their own state and nature. According to the actions or works of a man, so is his offering. It is pure or impure, acceptable or otherwise, as it is written, 'Say unto the righteous, it shall be well with him, for he shall eat of the fruit of his doings, but woe unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him, for he shall eat of the fruit of his doings.' (Is. iii., 10 to 11.) Cain brought the fruits of his doings and met the death angel. Abel brought the firstlings of his flocks and found they were acceptable and pleasing unto God; as it is written, 'And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offerings, but unto Cain and his offerings he had no respect,' wherefore the wrath of Cain was aroused and he was greatly incensed and so we read that when they were in the field, he fell upon his brother Abel and slew him. From other words in scripture we infer that a quarrel arose between them respecting Abel's twin sister, which is further confirmed by the traditional rendering of the words, 'And she brought forth again with her brother Abel,' showing that Abel was born with a twin sister. It is written, 'If thou doest well shall thou not he accepted' (Gen. iv., 7). These words have already been explained but there is another signification given of them by Rabbi Abba, thus, 'If thou doest well,' thy soul shall ascend on high and never fall again below (sath). That is, if thou livest according to the dictates of thy Higher Self, thou shalt become united with it; but if not, thou shalt sink lower unto the dust of the earth from which thou hast come forth."
Said Rabbi Jose: "This interpretation of the word 'sath' is very good and excellent, but I have heard another interpretation, which is, God said to Cain: 'If thou doest well, the impure spirit will not abide with thee nor cleave unto thee, but if thou doest not well, sin or evil lieth at the door' (ready to overtake thee). By the word 'door' (lepathach) is meant justice or punishment from on high, for the great tribunal of divine justice is designated by this same word, door or gate, as it is written, 'Open unto me the gates of justice' (Ps. cxviii., 19). By 'sin lieth at the door' is meant the impure spirit which if thou fallest into its power, will bring thy soul before the tribunal of divine justice, when it will be hurled to destruction and become dissolved into the original element out of which it has been formed and produced."
Said Rabbi Isaac: "At the time that Cain killed Abel he knew not how to separate or disjoin body and soul, but bit him like a serpent. From that moment he became accursed and wandered about in the world, an outcast shunned and abhorred, until at last repenting of his sin, he became reconciled with the Lord and found a habitation on a lower earth or world."
Said Rabbi Jose: "It was not on a lower, but on our present earth that Cain after his repentance was admitted into human society, as it is written, 'And the Lord set a mark upon Cain'" (Gen. iv., 15).
Said Rabbi Isaac: "From these words we gather that it was from this earth which is called Adamah that Cain was driven, and that it was on the earth called Arqa that he afterwards became a dweller, as it is written, 'And Cain said thou hast driven me this day from the face of Adamah' (earth). After his repentance, however, it was granted him to live on a lower earth (arqa) of whose inhabitants it is written, 'They shall perish54b from the earth (aqua) and from under these heavens' (Jer. x., 11). It was here that he lived and dwelt as scripture states, 'and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden' (Gen. iv., 16). Moreover, when Cain had killed Abel, Adam separated from his wife and cohabitated with two female elementals, and from his intercourse with them was begotten a great and numerous progeny of demons and elementaries who at night time appear in attractive forms and thus give rise to offspring like unto themselves. In scripture, they are termed 'the plagues of the children of men.' Though human in appearance, they are void of hair and of them scripture speaks. 'I will chasten him with
the rod of men and with the plagues of the children of men' (Sam. vii., 14), they visit both men and women alike. After a hundred and thirty years he became united again with Eve and brought forth a son and called his name Seth,54b-55a signifying thereby that as the two letters S and Th are the last of the alphabet, so this son was the ending of the terrible experience through which Eve and Adam had passed and undergone.
Said Rabbi Jehuda: "He was called Seth because he was a reincarnation of Abel, as it is written, 'For God hath appointed me another seed in place of Abel, whom Cain slew' (Gen, iv., 25). Furthermore, we read that Adam begat a son in his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth (Gen, v., 3), denoting that the first children of Adam had no resemblance to him either physically or morally. This was the opinion of Rabbi Yeba the aged as given by Rabbi Simeon. The first children brought forth by Eve were begotten by Somoal who appeared to her riding on the back of a serpent, and were therefore not endowed with the human body. If the question be asked: seeing that Abel came from a different side of the tree of life to that of Cain, wherefore had not Cain a human body? The reason was, because neither of them were begotten in a state of absolute purity."
Said Rabbi Jose: "But scripture states that though Adam knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived and brought forth Cain, yet it does not say that Adam begat Cain. Speaking of the birth of Abel it further states, 'She brought forth again his brother Abel.' Therefore, of each of them it is not said that they were begotten after the likeness and image of Adam, as it is expressly said of Seth."
Said Rabbi Simeon: "Adam as stated was separated from his wife a hundred and thirty years, during which time he begat demons and elementals that swarmed throughout the world. Whilst under the influence of the impure spirit he felt no desire to become associated with Eve, but after repenting and overcoming his animal propensities, he became again united to her and then it is said, 'he begat a son in his own likeness.' Observe that when a man begins walking in the wrong and downward path his thoughts and inclinations become impure and carnal, all love of virtue and purity leaves him through the impure elementals he attracts into his aura. Happy and blessed are they who find and walk in the path of light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day, for then are their lives truly clean
and real lives and their offspring is like unto them; and of them scripture saith, 'For the upright shall dwell in the land.'" (Prov. ii., 21).
Said Rabbi Hiya: "What signify the words 'And the sister of Tubal Cain was Naamah' (gentleness), and wherefore was this name given her? Was it to indicate that she possessed the power of seducing both human and angelic beings?"
Said Rabbi Isaac: "She overcame Aza and Azael who in scripture are called 'sons of God.'"
Said Rabbi Simeon: "She was the procreatrix of all the demons of Cainite origin, and she it is that along with Lilith afflicts infant children with epileptic diseases."
Said Rabbi Abba to Rabbi Simeon: "Master, you have stated she was so called because she inspired men with carnal desires."
Said Rabbi Simeon: "That is true, for though she excites lust in human beings, yet this does not prevent her from afflicting young children and thus she continues her operations in the world up to the present time."
Said Rabbi Abba: "Seeing that demons and elementals are subject to death, wherefore do Naamah and Lilith continue to exist through the ages?"
Rabbi Simeon replied: "All demons and elementaries do indeed die, but Naamah and Lilith together with Agereth, daughter of Mahlath their offspring, abide in the world until the day that the Holy One will banish and drive all evil and impure spirits out of the world; as it is written, 'And I will cause the unclean spirit to pass out of the land' (Zach. xiii., 2). Woe unto those who are ignorant and therefore unable to avert and ward off the influence of these defiling elemental beings that swarm in their myriads throughout the world. If it were permitted to behold them, we should be amazed and confounded and wonder how the world could continue to exist. Observe that Naamah being the exciter of human concupiscence and carnality, it is obligatory on everyone to practice and perform acts and rites of purification, so that he may become and preserve himself pure and undefiled."