Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Genesis 4:5/אור החיים על בראשית ד׳:ה׳
אוַיִּחַר לְקַיִן וְגוֹ׳. הִנֵּה הֶחָרוֹן אַף יַגִּיד הַגַּבְהוּת, וּנְפִילַת אַפַּיִם יַגִּיד הַהַשְׁפָּלָה. הֶחָרוֹן אַף הוּא נֶגֶד אָחִיו שֶׁעָלָה בְּמַעֲלוֹת וְהוּא יָרַד לְמַטָּה, בְּחָשְׁבוֹ כִּי הוּא סִבָּה, שֶׁהֵבִיא קָרְבָּן מְשֻׁבָּח וּמְעֻלֶּה יוֹתֵר מִמֶּנּוּ וּבְאֶמְצָעוּתוֹ הֻכַּר חֶסְרוֹן מִנְחָתוֹ. וְהַשִּׁפְלוּת בְּהַכָּרָתוֹ פְּחִיתוּתוֹ בְּעֵינֵי ה׳.
1 ויחר לקין מאד, Cain was very angry. The emotion חרון אף indicates that a person feels superior, whereas the expression נפילת אפים indicates that one feels inferior. Cain felt angry at the superiority achieved by his younger brother. He felt inferior towards his brother thinking that the superior quality of his brother's offering was the cause that his own offering had not been accepted. He believed that this was the reason he had suffered a loss of image in the eyes of G'd.
בעוֹד יִרְצֶה עַל זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ: וַיִּחַר לְקַיִן – כְּשֶׁרָאָה שֶׁלֹּא קִבֵּל ה׳ מִנְחָתוֹ, כִּי זֶה יַגִּיד שֶׁמָּאַס הַבּוֹרֵא בִּבְרוּאָיו וְאֵינוֹ מַשְׁגִּיחַ בָּהֶם, לָזֶה חָרָה אַף. וּמִדָּה זוֹ בְּעוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה הִיא, כְּאָמְרוֹ (ישעיהו ח:כא): ״וְהָיָה כִי יִרְעַב וְהִתְקַצַּף״ נֶגֶד אֱלֹהָיו אֲשֶׁר אֵינוֹ מַשְׁגִּיחַ בּוֹ. וְכַאֲשֶׁר רָאָה כִּי שָׁעָה ה׳ לְהֶבֶל וְלֹא לוֹ, אָז נָפְלוּ פָנָיו, וְיָדַע כִּי לֹא מִצַּד הַמַּשְׁגִּיחַ אֶלָּא מִצַּד הַנִּשְׁגָּח הוּא סִבָּה לִמְנוֹעַ מִמֶּנּוּ הָרָצוֹן, וְאָחִיו יוֹכִיחַ ב׳ דְּבָרִים: יוֹכִיחַ כִּי ה׳ מַשְׁגִּיחַ, וְיוֹכִיחַ כִּי קַיִן מְשֻׁלָּל מֵהָרָצוֹן, כִּי הֵם ב׳ מְנָחוֹת וּפִגּוּל אַחַת.
2Alternatively, when Cain saw that G'd did not accept his own offering he felt angry at the Creator's disdain for His creatures, His not taking any interest in them. This is a very negative character trait. We find an example of such emotions in Isaiah 8,21 where anger is described as leading to blasphemy when someone feels that G'd does not look after him. After Cain found that he had been wrong, that G'd did accept his brother's offering, his anger against G'd turned to anger against G'd's favourite, against his brother Abel.
געוֹד יִרְמֹז הַכָּתוּב אָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (זהר חלק ב׳ קפ״ב:) כִּי כָל הַכּוֹעֵס נִשְׁמָתוֹ מִסְתַּלֶּקֶת מִמֶּנּוּ. וּבְחִינָה זוֹ מִתְיַחֶסֶת אֶל צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים שֶׁעַל פְּנֵי אָדָם, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ וַיִּחַר לְקַיִן וּבָזֶה נָפְלוּ פָנָיו, שֶׁנִּסְתַּלְּקָה מִמֶּנּוּ הַנְּשָׁמָה וְהוּסַר מִמֶּנּוּ צֶלֶם הַפָּנִים. וְטַעַם הַשְׁפָּלָתוֹ בְּעֵינֵי ה׳ הֲגַם שֶׁלֹּא נוֹדַע חֶטְאוֹ, מַעֲשָׂיו מְעִידוֹת שֶׁרָשָׁע הָיָה.
3The author quotes a saying by our sages that when someone allows his anger to possess him his soul withdraws. He interprets this statement as referring to the divine image, צלם, that is reflected on man's face. [I have not been able to find such a statement. Ed.] Although Cain's specific acts of wickedness prior to his murdering his brother have not been spelled out by the Torah it is clear from his subsequent actions that he was evil.