Cyberdov

In the story of Cain and Abel, God’s first address to Cain is a somewhat cryptic verse (Genesis 4:6-7):

“Ha-lo im tetiv se-ayt / Ve-im lo taytiv / lapetach chata rovetz / ve-aylecha teshukato / ve-hu yimshal bo”

The translation I am familiar with is something like that of the New JPS:

Why are you distressed, and why is your face fallen? Surely, if you do right, there is uplift. But if you do not do right, sin couches at the door; its urge is toward you, yet you can be its master.

Understood this way, the message would be one of the importance of repentance. This is how Rashi understands the text.

However, Robert Alter translates differently:

Why are you incensed, and why is your face fallen? For whether you offer well, or whether you do not, at the tent flap sin crouches and for youi is its longing, but you will rule over it.

This leads to a completely different message. “Whether you offer well or not” - in other words, the sacrifice itself is of no consequence, what determines your favor in the eyes of God is your moral behavior, i.e. whether you can master sin. This is the sort of message echoed much later by the prophets, first expressed by Samuel (1 Sam. 15:22 - “Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in hearkening to the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams”). It seems unlikely that this message is the one intended by Genesis - as a rule, the Pentateuch is very concerned with sacrifices - but a very interesting twist nevertheless.

(Hat tip - Marty Leib)

Filed under: DJC, Torah, Translation