© 2022

by Rabbi Dr Zvi Aviner

NOAH and BLOODSHED-4/

Cain’s Children of ELKM

 

Noahidesevencommandments.co

 

And they took for themselves any woman they so desired”

 

 

 

  Two Camps

 

 

The first murder was not only the prototype of all murders,

but also, the beginning of increasing BLOODSHED in the word,

culminating with Noah’s Flood.

After Cain killing Abel, humanity split into two major camps,

along the Attributes YHVH and ELKM:

 

  1. Cain’s descendants, so called “Children of ELoKiM” 

who worshipped ELoKiM yet neglected the Merciful YHVH.

 

  1. Sheth’ Descendant, headed by Enosh,

who worshipped the Merciful YHVH yet neglected ELoKiM and His Laws.

 

Both camps ended with terrible BLOODSHED and THEFT, called ‘hams,’ that brought upon them tNoah’s Flood. Moreover, they fought each other to death.

 

Reading this make us feel, again, that the Torah speaks directly to us.

Our generation too has split into two major camps along the Attributes:

one following MERCY, the other following Allah (Elohim.)

 

And like in Noah’s time, both camps in our time are already guilty of enormous BLOODSHED and THEFT.
And like in Noah’s time, our oceans are rising. Our glob too is also warming.
and our shores too are battered by increasingly ferocious storms.
We therefore feel as if Moses is speaking directly to us.

That  our generation is   facing another Flood.

The question is: Are we, Noahides, worthy of saving humanity from extinction, like Noah did?  Time will tell. Meanwhile we need to study and ponder about Noah and his generation, and derive our lessons from it.
Let’s start with Cain’s Children of ELoKiM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1:  Cain’s Children of ELoKiM

 

 

 

Cain’s exile
Last class we saw that YHVH pardoned Cain, for a while.

He would be exiled for seven generations, then be avenged for having killed Abel.

Wicked people like Cain, turn the Merciful YHVH into vengeful.

 

Cain first build a city and begot many children. Then he went into exile in “No Man’s Land,” where he lived alone in the woods, with only a ferocious dog by his side.

 

He walked in the woods naked, with long hair covering his body, and a horn protruding from his forehead, scaring animals and people away. The horn was shaped like an H (a sign from YHVH.)  some say it radiated light, to help him at night. (The Hebrew for sign, OR, can be read as Light or a Skin Horn).  This would turn to be crucial in his life story.

 

On his back, Cain carried the miraculous dresses that Adam and Eve

had given him before he went for exile.

Those dresses endowed their wearer with the ability to comprehend the animals.

It also rendered one the ability to see earth from above.

These features helped Cain to survive in the woods, but they would also play a role later in Noah’s life.

Some say that Cain lost his mind and was unable to communicate with people anymore.

Cain’s children, however, underwent a metamorphosis.  Attempting to atone for their forefather murderous sin, they became extremely pious.

 

Since Cain had killed Abel for the sake of YHVH’s favor,

they opted conscientiously to do the opposite – stay away from YHVH,

and adhere to ELoKiM’s Laws with stringency.

Hence their nickname: “The Children of ELoKiM.” (Genesis 6: 4)

 

 

The Children of ELoKiM’s ways
Cain’s descendants walking in the harsh ways of ELoKiM.

It meant:  Their courts sought to implement ELKM’s Laws with NO MERCY.

Thus, they followed the rule ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth’ – literally.

 

By the way, a ‘Jewish court,’ after Sinai, would never do that.

The Torah says that the ‘Written Torah’ was written by “the fingers of ELoKiM,” expressing His Absolute Justice. But the ‘Oral Torah’ that Moses received at the same time, stipulates that the perpetrator should be punished only monetarily.

 

The Jewish judge would say to the perpetrator: I should have ordered your eye to be gouged, in order to implement Justice. This way you’d would have felt the agony you’ve caused your victim. But my hands are tied, since the Merciful Torah instructs me to punish you monetarily.

Cain’s “Children of ELoKIM” did not say that.  Instead, they did gouge the perpetrator’s eyes WITH NO MERCY, in full retaliation.
They also cut the hands of thieves, hang and stoned adulterers and beheaded criminals with no hesitation, and no  COMPASSION.

 

Pious they were, yet their practice   rendered them insensitive to human suffering.
Again, how amazing it is that in our times, half of humanity has subscribed to that philosophy, worshipping Allah (ELKM)  with the same “merciless piety.”

 

Their subculture
As if to guard their piety, the Children of ELKM retracted from main society

to live by themselves near the woods- not far from where Cain was wondering.

 

That self-imposed isolation brought them to develop a unique culture.

Among the list of Cain’s Children, you find city builders, architects,

genius metal workers, gifted musicians and dancers.

 

 

 

2. Naama’s Family

 

 

 

 

Noah’s wife, Naama, came from Cain’s Children of ELKM.   Since she is our mother, The Torah elaborates about her and her family.

 

Meet the accident prone Lemech

Naama’s father, Lemech, was a seven generations descendant of Cain.

As we remember, YHVH offered Cain protection for seven generation,

then he would be avenged.

Thus, in Lemech’s time, everyone expected Cain to be killed, to pay his dues.

 

Lemech is described by tradition as an accident-prone fool,

with a small head but two very strong arms.  They say he could smash an oxen’s head with one clap of his mighty hands. He also stumbled over furniture and people, becoming a walking disaster.   His half blindness only aggravated his bad situation. No  wonder thaht his name,  Lemech, has become – in Yedish – , a nickname for  an  accident prone fool who can’t accomplish anything.

 

Fool he was, but also arrogant.  In the Torah text he speaks about himself in the third tense, as if he was a royalty.  Thus, he says to his wives:

 

“Ada and Tzilah, listen to my voice!
The wives of Lemech, hear what I have to say!” 
(Genesis 4: 23)

 

Here he addresses his wives as “the wives of Lemech.”

The text shows that the arrogant Lemech was nervous about the prospects of someone killing Cain.  So much, that he threatened to avenge Cain’s blood “seventy-seven folds,” (Genesis 4: 24.)

 

Lemech’s family:
On his wives, the Torah says:


“And Lemech took two wives,
the name of one was Ada,
and the name of the other was Tzila.” (Genesis 4: 19)

 

Why two wives? Rashi explains: “Their custom was to take one wife for bearing children, another wife for sexual pleasure.”

In their excessive piety, the Children of ELoKiM separated bearing children from ‘sexual pleasure.’

So, Lemech first married Ada (‘ornament’) for bearing children,

then Tzilah (‘shadow’) for sexual pleasure.

 

Ada then gave birth to two sons:


“And Ada gave birth to Yaval.
He was the father of such that dwell in tents, and of such that have cattle.
And the name of his brother was Yuval. He was the father of all those,
who play the violin and the harp.”

 Yaval was the first to raise large herds of cattle,
Yuval was such a gifted harp and flute player. his audiences’ heats opened with emotions flowing out like a stream a (Yuval means a water spring, He played so well that his audience’ hearts were pouring emptions like waters.)

 

Lemech’s mishap at his wedding night.

About the second wife, Tzila, whom he married for sexual pleasure only,  it says:

 

And Tzilah, she too gave birth to Tubal Cain,

the forger of every sharp instrument in brass and iron.
And Tubal Cain was the brother of Naama…” (ibid)

 

Here,  we’ve come to Naama, Noah’s future wife.

On Tzilah it say that “she too” bore children, implying that she was not supposed to have any children. How then did she beget Tubal Cain, then Naama?

 

Rashi explains: Their custom (of the Children of ELKM clan)  was to give, on the wedding night, a poisonous ‘sterilizing cup’ to the wife who was designated for sex only. After drinking that cup, the wife  either died with severe abdominal pains,  or survived the ordeal  and remained sterile forever.

 

 On Tzilah’s wedding night , something unexpected happened.

In the morning they found Clumsy Lemech twisted on the ground with abdominal pains soaked with his own vomit, while Tzilah was safe and sound and impregnated.

 

Was it another mishap that happened to the accident-prone Lemech?

Or was it an intentional mishap perpetrated by the shrewd Tzilah?

No one would ever know for sure.

Subsequently, however, Tzilah gave birth to Tubal Cain. Then, several years later, Tzilah conceived again and gave birth   twin girls, both named Naama.

 

 

3: Tubal Cain’s Impact

 

 

Both Naama and Tubal Cain had an adverse impact on their generation.

About Tubal Cain. it says, that he “forged every sharp instrument in brass and iron” (Genesis 4: 22.)

 Tubal Cain – still a young man – discovered a hard metal alloy so hard that it broke all other metals bars to pieces.

But instead of using it for good purposes, such as for agricultural tools,

Tubal Cain forged with his hard metal ‘sharp tools’ of death: Swords, spears, arrow heads and shields.

(Noah, years later, used his brother in law’s technology to make the first metal ploughs.)

 

This new weapon technology made Tubal Cain’s clan, the Children of ELoHiM, the strongest military power on Earth. Their newly acquired wealth made them corrupt.

They formed gangues –   “Tubal Cain’s gangues” – who  roamed the streets with no fear, committing crimes like raping, stealing mugging as they wished.

 

‘Tubal’ means ‘spices.’ It was a nickname given to him as a murderer. If his forefather Cain killed by his bare hands, here came his descendant Tubal Cain and put ‘spices’ on Cain’s murderous skills by using metal weapons.

 

Tubal Cain wasn’t a bad person. He represents the scientists who is careless about  the moral implications of his invention.

 

 

The decay of the Children of ELoKiM
The verse also says that:

 

“The Children of ELoHiM saw Adam’s daughters that they were good (pretty)
so they took for themselves women from whoever they wanted,” 
(Genesis 6: 2)

 

Hence, the Children of ELoKiM took “the daughters of Adam” as they wished, married or not; violating ADULTERY. In addition –
They violated IDOLATRY by  worshipping ELKM and neglecting MERCY,
They violated ADULTERY as we’ve just  described,
They violated BLOODSHED by Tubal Cain’s sharp weapons,

They violated THEFT, MUGGING, ROBBING and ABDUCTING under the watching Sun.

 

Falling from grace
The verse also says that:

“The Nefilim were then in the land….” (Genesis 6:4)

 

The word ‘Nefilim’ may refer to giant people, a race that is now extinct.

‘Nefil’ is ‘high,’ or a giant. Goliath was a Nefil.
The verse may refer to Nefils – giants who “fell” by Tubal Cain’s mighty sword.

It may also refer to “the chieftains of the tribe, Aza and Azael,  who ‘fell from grace” and corrupted by Tubal Cain’s invention.

They also corrupted sexually, by no other than  Naama. The story goes like this –

 

 

4: Naama and her impact

 

 

Naama’s mother, the shrewd Tzilah, came from an humble social background.

As a young woman she made her living magic dancing.

Clumsy Lemech fell in love for her and offered her to be his shadow, Tzilah, a wife who is there only for pleasure.

We remember how at her wedding night, Tzilah was impregnated while clumsy Lemech twisted on the ground with pains.

 

Tzilah then gave birth to identical twin girls whom she called by the same name, Naama.

She also taught the twin magic dancing, where they appear first as one girl than split into two identical dancers, then merge again into one image.  That led to the legend of the Demon Naama, who could be seen in two places at the same time.

They say that the girls Naama grew up to be extremely attractive, so much that people committed suicide following their performance.

 

What is important to our story is the fact that one of the twins was sexually corrupt, becoming a matron for all sorts of sexual perversions, including BESTIALITY and HOMOSEXUALITY.  (She still appears in people’s dream of sexual desire, as if she flies over water!)

 

Her sister, though, also called Naama, grew up to be a righteous person staying away from the tribe’s corruption.  (That split of character, can happen between twins, like in the case of Jacob and Esau.)

Now we are ready to learn about the rival camp in Noah’s time – the worshipppers of YHVH alone, neglecting ELoKiM and his laws.

***

Read also: “Genesis Vs. Science, Can They Match?” By Zvi Aviner, at www.smashwords.com