Bresheet 4:7
Is it not true that if you do good, you will be forgiven? But if you do not do good, at the entrance, sin crouches, its longing is toward you, yet you will rule over it."
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Rashi on 4:7 Is it not true that if you do good:
Its explanation is as targum renders it. [Targum (Onkelos): If you improve your ways, it will be forgiven for you].
Rashi on 4:7 At the entrance, sin crouches:
At the entrance of your grave, your sin is preserved.
Rashi on 4:7 Its longing is toward you:
longing of sin. This is the drive toward evil. It constantly longs and desires to trip you up.
Rashi on 4:7 Yet you will rule over it:
If you want to, you will overcome it. [This depends on a mans service and free
will].
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Bresheet 4:8
Cain spoke with his brother Abel. and it happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
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Rashi on 4:8 Cain spoke with his brother Abel:
He entered with him into words of quarrel and contention to find a pretext against him to kill him.
There are aggadic midrashim about this, but this is the resolution of the verse.
[The translation is "spoke to his..." rather than said to. The reason is because
if we would translate it as said it would mean that somthing of great significance was transmitted, and since the Torah does not indicate to us what was said, the word
veyomer (spoke), must be understood as a general exchange which had intentions of leading into the final maase (action) of Cain.]
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Bresheet 4:9
Hashem said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
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Rashi on 4:9 Where is abel your brother?:
this is to enter with Cain into conversation with the words of calm, [as we saw in 3:9] Perhaps he would repent and
say, "I killed him and sinned against You."
Rashi on 4:9 I do not know:
He became like one who steals the supreme Knowledge. [His yesh (self) took control, as if he was the almighty himself and could
fool Hashem... Just as Rashi indicated earlier... Eating from the fruit would make you a god (our rather feel as one).]
Rashi on 4:9 Am I my brother's keeper?:
It is an expression of astonishment, and so is every prefix (hey) that is vowelized with a chataf patach
(a vowel sign).
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Bresheet 4:10
Then He said, "What have you done? The sound of your brother's bloods, they cry out to Me from the ground!
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Rashi on 4:10 Your Brother's bloods:
[Why is the word blood in plural form?] His blood and the blood of his offspring. alternatively,
because Cain made in Abel many wounds, because he did not know from where his soul would depart (which wound would be the mortal blow).
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