© 2014 by Rabbi Zvi Aviner
Noah’s Tree Of Life
These are Noah’s words to his children after the Flood…
Tubal Cain’s Fatal Accident
Cain’s memorial service, which was held a month after his death, was an impressive public event. Despite the schism between Cain and Seth, our entire community showed up in the honor of Adam’s deceased son. A delegation from Seth headed by Enosh attended the service which was held in a palace at the center of our town. I attended it too, standing as usual by my grandpa. I knew that I would see representatives of the Children of ELoHiM. Would Naama attend the service?
Of course, I did not expect Cain’s killer, Tubal Cain, to attend. As I had heard, he escaped into the woods after the fatal accident to save himself from his father’s wrath and his mighty hands. But to everyone’s surprise, Tubal Cain did show up in the funeral, accompanied by several of his armed men. He was careful, though, to stand far away from his half-blinded father—who, of course, couldn’t see him. And at that point our fates crossed.
Because of Lemech, the mood of the mourners was far from solemn. People giggled at his sight. He sat ashamed, as if the sky had fallen on his head, tearing at his hair and clapping his hands in sorrow—not for his slain forefather, but for his own family’s expected demise. “Where is Tubal the son of Lemech? I’ll kill him!” he kept shouting every once in a while. As you remember, in his arrogance, Lemech used to speak about himself in the third voice, as if he was a royalty. Sometime during that evening I felt sorrow for him and in my foolishness I came to him to offer my consolations. What a mistake it proved to be! Enosh later said that he tried to stop me but it was too late. As I approached, the old man asked his attendant, “Who’s that coming?” The attendant replied, “This is the son of Lemech”—which was true, since my father’s name was also Lemech. Assuming I was his own son, the old man shouted, “Bring him here, that murderer!” Standing up he clapped his huge hands over my head trying to smash me to pieces, but he was unsuccessful. Instead of my head, he smashed a nearby pillar of the house that supported the ceiling. So hard the clap was, that the pillar cracked and started to swing around, displacing a ceiling beam that fell straight towards my back. Barely a moment passed, yet it seemed like an eternity.
“Move! Move!” Someone shouted at me, but I froze, unable to respond. The next thing I knew, a stranger threw me to the floor, away from the falling beam, out of harm’s way. The man who saved my life was none other than Tubal Cain. But unfortunately, the fallen beam crashed into his own spine instead of mine, pinning him over me on the ground.
When they pulled us both from underneath the pile of stones and wood, I stood up shaken but intact. Tubal Cain, though, was not nearly so lucky. His right leg was severed from his body and his spine crashed. He bled profusely.
As through a dense fog, I saw Enosh rushing to me. He examined me then hurried to Tubal Cain. I saw him bending over his torn leg, pressing hard to stop the bleeding. He shouted orders, while he tore his own robe to bandage Tubal Cain’s leg. Then they took Tubal Cain away to his father’s home in their compound. Enosh ordered me to go to our home, while he offered Tubal Cain help.
I was later told that when Lemech realized what he had done, he was filled with deep remorse. “Is it you, my child?” he cried over Tubal Cain’s broken body. “Have I wounded you?”
Editor: As it says:
“Adah and Tzilah hear me…
A man I had killed, to my wound,
And a child, to my hurt…” (Gen. 4:23)
But no one paid any attention to him. Enosh told their family that Tubal Cain’s spine was broken and he might not survive. Moreover, he decided to attend Tubal Cain by himself in their compound as long it was needed. This was unheard of, since Enosh had never visited the Children of ELoHiM’s place in the woods. So concerned was he about Tubal Cain’s fate, that he did not leave his treatment to anyone else but to himself.
ELoKiM consulted the Angles and made Adam
ELoHiM set Himself to create Adam in His own Image, as it says:
“And ELoHiM created the Adam in His Image;
In the image of ELoHiM He created him,” (Genesis 1: 27.)
Adam would be the nest in which YHVH may enter and dwell, pending on Adam’s acceptance. Adam may either admit or reject Her, on his Free Will. ELoHiM also filled Adam’s heart with the same sense of LONGING to the BRIDE, in the image of His Own LONGING. Adam would be forever drowned towards the Merciful YHVH, seeking Her warmth the way a child is drown and seeking the warmth of his mother.
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He taught Adam modesty first
What would allow YHVH to enter Adam’s heart, which is full of self importance? The Angles wondered. How surprised the Angels were when ELoHiM turned first of all to them and said:
“Let Us Make an Adam in Our Form and Our Image.”
“Our KING, “the Angels asked, “Why do you consult us at all? Are we not your faithful messengers who perform your will without discretion?” Indeed, the world ‘angel’, mallach, refers to a messenger, human or divine.
ELoHiM answered: “I consult you my Angles to show Adam how to rule with modesty: that the superior should consult the inferior before making a decision.”
The Angles asked, “Our King, are you not afraid that by speaking in plural you’ve opened the door for idolaters to think they have more than One CRETOR?”
ELoHiM answered: “I take the risk of IDOLATRY, because teaching Adam modesty is paramount!”
From here the Angles derived that that Adam’s main fault would be his arrogance, his inflated ‘Self.’ This arrogance, they derived, would hold Adam back from accepting YHVH into his heart. Only by modesty he would be able to open his heart for YHVH. Indeed, YHVH and Arrogance cannot dwell in the same heart.
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He opened the door for IDOLATRY to exist
The Angles also derived that, by speaking in plural ELoHiM opened the door for IDOLATRY to exist. The idolater would think that there is more than One CREATOR.
Moreover, the Angles understood that if Adam would not accept YHVH in his heart, other, alien BIRDS would enter it. These alien BIRDS would take advantage of Adam’s longing to accept a BRIDE, only that these would be false BRIDES.
The Angles understood that ELoHiM planted in Adam the most important trial of his life, the IDOLATRY trial. Adam’s trial on Earth would be either to accept YHVH, or the charming, bride-like idols.
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Enosh’s compassionate care
During the weeks following tubal Cain’s nearly fatal accident, Enosh spent most of his days by his bed. He told me that he had summoned the best physicians in our society, but they could not heal him, nor could they alleviate his excruciating pains.
I noticed a deep change in Enosh’s mood. He seemed puzzled: how could the infamous murderer, Tubal Cain, sacrifice his life to save me? How could the worst amongst the ‘insensitive’ worshipers of ELoHiM, act like this? Obviously, Tubal Cain’s unselfish deed had touched his heart.
But when I asked his permission to visit Tubal Cain and thank him for saving my life, Enosh frowned and forbade this on me. He did not say why, but he was adamant that I would not visit their camp. Was he afraid that I would meet Naama, or another of their girls? I did not ask. I also learned from him that the demise of Tubal Cain inflicted a great blow on the Children of ELoHiM’s coherence. His gangues dispersed and their compound in the wood was almost deserted. Since Cain was dead, there was no more reason to live in the woods by him anymore. If I wished to help Tubal, he said, I should help the physicians to prepare their medications. I followed his advice and I stayed home, helping to cook all sorts of sedatives and pain killer to alleviate Tubal Cain’s misery.
Read also: “Genesis Vs. Science, Can they Match?” By Zvi Aviner, at www.smashwards.com