© 2022
by Rabbi Dr Zvi Aviner
NOAH and BLOODSHED 6/
Cain’s Demise
Noahidesevencommandments.com
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1. Humanity Split
The Torah. In her wisdom wants us to understand the causes for
the rampant BLOODSHED that plagued Noah’s generation,
culminating with the Flood. In the Torah’s eyes, this is essential
to the prevention of another Flood.
The background of the Flood is extremely important and RELEVANT TO OUR TIMES.
The Torah says that Noah’s generation split into two major camps, along the Attributes:
Enosh’ Disciples who followed the Merciful YHVH and disregarded the JUDGE, ELKM,
Cain’s Descendants, the “Children of ELKM”, who followed ELKM yet ignored YHVH.
Despite their enormous difference in their faith, both camps ended up committing
terrible BLOODSHED, besides IDOLATRY, ADULTERY and THEFT. They also fought each other to the death, and even banned mix marriages between the camps, believing that the offspring would be “monsters thar would destroy the world.” (Zohar.)
As it turned out, Noah came from Enosh, and was raised by Emosh, whereas his wife Naama came from Cain, the rival camp. How then could they marry each other despite the ban? How did they meet? The Torah does not elaborate on that explicitly,
but tradition fills the gape.
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2. Cain’s Fate
Let’s focus on Cain, the first murderer. The Torah wishes to tell us that he was avenged in full, despite the fact that he had never seen anyone being punished for murdering. He could have claimed “I did not know!” Indeed, YHVH DE;LAYED his punishment, yet he had to pay his dues in ELKM’s eyes – “measure for measure,” in precision. Telling us that no killer would escape ELKM’s retribution for murdering!
Thus, after Abel’s murder, YHVH said to Cain:
“What have you done?
The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground!
Therefore, you are cursed more than the ground which
opened wide its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand!
You shall become a vagrant and a wonderer on Earth! (Genesis 4: 10-13)
Cain’s Hell
YHVH cursed the ground that swallowed the victim’s blood.
Since the first murder occurred on Mt Moriah, Abel’s blood infiltrated the ground through a crack in the solid rock, on which the future altar of the Holy Temple would later stand. Abel’s’ blood went deep into the abyss under the Mountain, then exited into the surface on the eastern slope of the Mountain, through a water spring called the Shiloach, still seen today.
The stream water, now mixed with Abel’s blood, streamed into the valley on the southern side of Mount Moriah, and was soaked into the ground. Hence YHVH’s cursing of the ground relates to that valley. Indeed, that curded valley has remained uncultivated and inhabitant for thousands of years.
At the time of the wicked kings of Judea, human sacrifices were offered to the Canaanite Molech in that valley, whose name was turned to Tophet, meaning burning hell. The prophet Jeremiah refers to that cursed place as both Tophet and The Valley of Henom, after the name of the owner Hinom. in Hebrew it is called: Gey-Ben -Hinom, in short Geheinom, Hell.
Cain’s Sign
Hearing his verdict, Cain said to YHVH:
“My iniquity is too great to be borne,
Behold, you’ve banished me this day from the face of the earth,
Can I be hidden from your Face?
I must become a vagrant and a wonderer on earth,
Whoever meets me would kill me!” (4: 13-24)
YHVH said to Cain:
“Therefore, whoever slays Cain,
before seven generations have passed,
he will be punished seven folds,” (4:15)
Then
“YHVH placed a mark upon Cain
so that none who meets him would kill him”. (4: 16)
Some say the mark was a horn protrusion in his head, in the shape of H,
Other say it was a ray light radiating from his forehead.
other say he lost his mind, and wandered alone for seven generations
in the woods of No-Man’s-Land, walking naked with overgrown hairs,
and no company but a ferocious dog by his side.
Lemech’s Curse
Seven generations fast forwards, and the time to avenge Abel’s murder arrived. Someone would murder Cain. Who would that person be?
Cain’s’ descendant, the Children of ELKM, were very nervous about that. They wished to protect their poor forefather, though he was out of reach, living in the woods. The Torah focuses on Naama’s father, Lemech, the accident-prone fool who had a small head but two strong, hands. He could smash an oxen head with one clap of his hands, so they say.
The Torah says about him:
And Lemech said to his wives, Ada and Tzilah,
Listen to my voice, the wives of Lemech, hear my speech,
For seven generations would Cain be avenged,
But Lemech (pledges to avenge Cain seventy-seven folds!”
In other worlds, the arrogant Lemech – who speaks about himself in third voice, as if he is a royalty – cursed anyone who kills Cain for seventy-seven folds!
Let’s see what happened.
Lemech is quoted saying to his wives –
“For a man I have killed, to my own detrimental (wound)
and a boy, to my own bruise…” (4: 23)
The story goes like this:
One day, the fool, accident-prone Lemech, stumbled over another of his mishaps.
His son Tubal Cain, the genius who discovered hard metal alloy that made his clan prosperous and mighty, brought home one of is new, strong bow that could shoot a metal arrow far away. The bow needed extraordinary strong hands to be drawn. Tubal Cain proudly gave the bow to his father for a trial. Lemech, who was half blinded, drew the bow easily and searched for a target. Far in the wood, a figure was seen with a horn on its head, radiating strange light that made it an easy target.
Seeing his father’s difficulty to focus on the target, Tubal Cain helped to aim the arrow. “Father, shoot!” Tubal Cain shouted and Lemech released the arrow. Indeed, the arrow pierced the air and flew it flew straight to the target, hitting its head at the horn. The creature fell readily dead on the ground, as Tubal Cian called up in excitement: “Father, you did it!” Tubal Cain then ran forwards to check the catch, but to his horror he saw their forefather Cain lying on the ground dead, with the arrow stuck in his head just under the horn.
Remembering his father’s curse on whoever kills Cain, Tubal Cain froze. When Lemech was notified about the accident, he clapped his mighty hands with despair, crying: “The bastard! Now my curse would be fallen on my own head, and my seed would be avenged for seventy-seven generations!”
Indeed, a second accident hit Lemech’s family. Cp\lapping his mighty hands in despair, Lemech smashed Tubal Cain’s head, wounding his son fatally.
Thus, ELKM’s retribution for the murder of Abel was complete, measure for measure. Since Cain killed his brother, Cain’s own descendant Lemech killed Cain. Moreover, the curse that Lemech placed on prospective killer of Cain, that he would be avenged seventy seven folds, turned around against Lemech himself who fatally wounded his own beloved son.
As we learn the topic of BLOODSHED, the Torah spends time to describe how the first perpetrator was punished by ELKM – in a precise way, measure for measure.
- Only One Family Worshipping YHVH ELKM
What about Naama and Noah?
Legend says that after Cain’s demise, the miraculous dress that Adam and Eve had given him fell into the possession of Naama, Tubal Cain’s sister. Whoever wears it, could comprehend the animals.
After Naama’s marriage to Noah, the dress fell into the possession of both of them. It would help them later to take care of the animals in the ark at the time of the Flood.
We don’t know the details, but Noah became the first farmer who used metal plough. He took his brother-in-law Tubal Cain’s strong weapons and melted them into metal ploughs. By this he became a model for the prophet Isaiah. In addition, during the Flood, the wolves did not prey on the lamb and a child could play safely on the snake’s pit.
It is conceivable that Noah learned the art of metal craftsmanship from his brother-in-law, Tubal Cain, before he passed away so tragically.
Hoiw
We. Don’t have the details, but Noah who came from Enosh married Naama, who came from Cain. They married each other despite the deep rivalry and hatred between their camps. Their love overcame the ban on mix marriages. Noah brought into the marriage the tradition and faith of Enoah’s clan, whereas Naama brought her tradition of Cain’s Children of ELKM. Together they implemented YHVH ELKM Oneness in their marriage.
Thus, when half of Mankind followed the Merciful YHVH only,
and the other half followed the JUDGE ELKM ony,
there was only one family – Noah’s family – who abided by YHVH ELKM’s Oneness.
And as it turned out, both camps were doomed to perish in the Food,
only the one tiny family who worshipped YHVH ELKM’s Oneness was saved.
A lesson to our times!