Genesis 4: UnAble to Break from the Past

Cain is the first farmer. He spends his days tilling thesoil—fulfilling the curse that God pronounced on Adam in chapter 3:“Cursed be the ground because of you; By toil shall you eat of it”כִּי אָרוּרָה הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּרֶךָ, בְּעִצָּבוֹן תֹּאכֲלֶנָּה (Genesis3:17)Eve names him Cain because God has given her a male child.Cain, as Eve’s first child, was her first experience of the curse of God inchapter 3:“In pain shall you bear children”בְּעֶצֶב תֵּלְדִי בָנִים (Genesis 3:16)His younger brother, Abel, is a shepherd. Abel fulfills theblessing bestowed on man in chapter one:“God blessed them and God said to them, ‘… rule the fish of the sea, thebirds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth’”וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים... וּרְדוּ בִּדְגַת הַיָּם וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּבְכָל־חַיָּה הָרֹמֶשֶׂת עַל־הָאָרֶץ (Genesis1:28)Cain presents a sacrifice from his crop and Abel presents agift of his “choicest” flock. God only accepts Abel’s. Cain is upset and Godreplies with a very bizarre statement:“If you do right, There is uplift. But if you do not do right Sin couches atthe door; Its urge is toward you, Yet you can be its master”הֲלוֹא אִם־תֵּיטִיב שְׂאֵת וְאִם לֹא תֵיטִיב לַפֶּתַח חַטָּאת רֹבֵץ וְאֵלֶיךָ תְּשׁוּקָתוֹ וְאַתָּה תִּמְשָׁל־בּוֹ (Genesis4:7)The very next verse is also odd:“Cain said to his brother when they were in the field, Cain set upon hisbrother Abel and killed him”וַיֹּאמֶר קַיִן אֶל־הֶבֶל אָחִיו וַיְהִי בִּהְיוֹתָם בַּשָּׂדֶה וַיָּקָם קַיִן אֶל־הֶבֶל אָחִיו וַיַּהַרְגֵהוּ (Genesis4:8)What did Cain say to Abel? Why did he kill him? Why did Godfavor Abel’s sacrifice? What did God mean with his statement in verse 7?Cain was the constant reminder of the past. He was the firstin childbirth and toils the land fulfilling the curses of his parents. He isgiven a name much like Adam named Eve after they were cursed. Abel isdifferent. He fulfills the promise of chapter one by being a shepherd. There isno reason behind his name. God turns toward Abel because he represents a breakfrom the past. When Cain is distraught, God knows what will happen. He sees inCain the ability to cause harm as a result of his anger and shame. God warnsCain to overcome his evil inclination, something his parents were unable to do.Cain gets close to this happening. He approaches his brother in the field totalk, but cannot bring himself to say anything. Perhaps being in the field, thesame field that God cursed and in which Cain toils, brings up too many badmemories. His evil inclination takes over and he kills his brother. He sins,much like his parents did. He also receives a similar punishment—that thefields will be even harder to toil and he must wander. Cain’s inability toovercome his evil inclination, despite God’s warning, foreshadows many storieslater in Tanach. This will not be the last time God warns his people to noavail and as a result must expel them.