Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/87

 69

Cain and Abel

comes to us the compulsion to choose between good and evil, between obedience and disobedience, between righteousness and sin. Some

this choice.

Already as

Httle children there

choose the right, and ever thereafter choosing the right becomes a little easier. And at last, if only they train them-

and steadfastly to choose only the right and wrong, doing the right becomes a part of their They have gained the mastery over the inclination

selves carefully to

shun

nature. to sin,

all

and reward from God

is

sure to be their portion.

Others, alas, choose the wrong.

And

in time, as

we have

learned the earthly nature within them prevails completely,

and they sink

to the level of the beasts of the earth.

verse says, sin

lies in

As

the

wait for them, crouching at their very

its desire is constantly for them to At last it gains its end. If we persistently choose the evil, and yield to the allurement of sin without a struggle, as some do, we lose at last all power to choose the good, and become completely creatures of evil and sin.

door, as

it

were, and

overcome them.

Rabbi Akiba, one of the wisest of Israel's ancient teachers, used to say, "At first sin is hke a thread, which can be snapped with but the least effort. But in the end it becomes And another like a cable, which can never be broken". only the first is at teacher. Rabbi Isaac, used to say, "Sin host". guest in the end, however, it becomes the The truth of these adages is w^ell exemplified by the He began by choosing the wTong, and envystory of Cain. ing and hating his brother, just because Abel's sacrifice had And he ended by killing proved more acceptable to God. Sin had his brother, the most awful crime known to man.

triumphed over him, and he was completely in its power. He had hearkened to the call of the earthly nature within him; he had acted as the beasts themselves act when they prey upon one another, and he had sunk therefore to the very level of the beasts. In consequence he was driven out from the habitations of men. and lost all human companion'