My Mom’s Advice

An exploration of the episode of Kayin and Hevel and why Kayin was punished.

If one were to ask me what my favorite Parashah is, hands down the answer would be Bereishis. There is so much happening here, it is phenomenally fascinating... and overwhelming. Unsure what part of the Parashah to focus on for this Dvar Torah, I asked my father his opinion. He suggested I focus on the story of Kayin and Hevel. I didn't think the sibling rivalry in our family was that bad, but I took on the challenge. 

Let’s recap the story:

The story of Kayin and Hevel, like lots of  stories in the Torah, has many interpretations. I will stick with the most basic version, based on the pesukim and Rashi.

Adam and Chava started off with 2 children: Kayin and Hevel. Kayin was a farmer and Hevel was a shepherd. At some point, Kayin brought a korban to Hashem from the fruits of the land. Hevel, too, brought a korban, but his was from the first of the sheep. Hevel’s korban was accepted by Hashem, while Kayin’s was not. Kayin was upset that his korban was not accepted. He lured Hevel into a fi…