Distinct Divine Relationships

By: Rabbi Yehoshua Fass

Parashat Bereishit is full of vivid stories and remarkable scenes: Creation, Gan Eden, the eitz hada’at, and Kayin and Hevel. Together they tell the earliest history of humankind. The last of these, Kayin and Hevel, is usually seen as the darkest, the world’s first murder and its punishment. But is that the whole story? Before the tragedy, the Torah gives us a very different picture of Kayin:

“And it came to pass at the end of days that Kayin brought of the fruit of the ground as an offering to Hashem.” (Bereishit 4:3)

Kayin brings something new into the world: the idea of giving back to G-d. After gathering his harvest, he wanted to offer his first fruits, an early form of bikkurim. Nothing in the text suggests he expected any response from Hashem. He had never seen a fire come down from heaven to accept an offering, and he had no one to learn from. His korban was simply an expression of thanks, a recognition that his success was not his alone. In that moment, he truly connected with Hashem.

Chazal do describe Kayin’s motives less kindly; Rashi, based on the Midrash, says he brought from his poorer produce. But if we read the story only through the pesukim themselves, a different picture appears. Kayin’s offering seems to have been a meaningful religious and personal experience, and he was happy with what he gave.

Then Hevel saw what his brother did and decided to do the same:

“And Hevel, he too brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their choicest parts, and Hashem turned to Hevel and to his offering.” (Bereishit 4:4)

Rashi explains that Hashem “turning” to Hevel meant that a fire came down from heaven and consumed his offering. Only when Kayin saw this did his happiness turn into something else: spiritual jealousy.

Here we find an unusual question, asked by Hashem Himself in response to Kayin’s crisis:

“And Hashem said to Kayin: Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen?” (Bereishit 4:6)

Hashem is really asking: Kayin, you were happy a moment ago. What changed? Why are you letting someone else’s experience make you doubt your own? If what you felt was real and meaningful, the fact that Hevel had a different experience does not take anything away from yours.

Hashem’s question to Kayin was not meant for him alone. It speaks to a struggle that every one of us knows. How often do we feel a real connection through our tefillah, our learning, and our performance of mitzvot, only to begin questioning that connection the moment we see someone else who seems more inspired or more successful? Kayin’s mistake was not in bringing his offering, but in letting comparison take away the joy and meaning he had already found. This brings us back to the beginning of the Torah, and to our own new beginning.

Bereishit is a new beginning for all of us and a chance to reconnect with our Torah learning and our avodat Hashem. Each of us has a relationship with Hashem that is our own, shaped by who we are and what we have been through. Simply trying to copy other people’s spiritual experiences often doesn’t work. Instead, we should build our connection on our own terms, and not dismiss or downplay it just because someone else’s path looks more impressive. The story of Kayin is not only a warning about where jealousy can lead, but also an invitation to trust that our own relationship with Hashem is real and valuable. 

Rabbi Yehoshua Fass is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Nefesh B’Nefesh. He is a member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau (Mizrachi.org/speakers).