It is written: “And Abel tended sheep, while Cain worked the land. Afterward, Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel brought to the Lord the best of his flock, the firstborn with their fat. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but he did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was distressed and his head was downcast. And the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you distressed? Why are you downcast? If you do well, will you not be honored? And if you do not do well, sin is at the door. Yet his desire will be yours (it is up to you), and you will rule over him (and it is up to you). Cain spoke with his brother Abel, and while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.’” (Genesis 4:1-8)

Being a farmer requires a certain intellectual capacity and a great deal of discipline, understanding that bread comes from grain, developing the necessary tools, protecting crops from the environment, waiting the necessary time to harvest, settling in a place, and being self-sufficient in obtaining food so as not to depend so much on nature. The farmer is bold and self-confident. On the other hand, the shepherd leads a simple life that requires little ingenuity and effort. The flock roams the countryside and naturally produces wool and milk, and the shepherd contributes little to that. He has no control over the process and is entirely dependent on nature. The shepherd’s life is simpler; the farmer’s is more complex.

We all know that Cain committed the first murder. But few recognize that he was also the first farmer, the first to make an offering to God, the founder of the first city, as well as the progenitor of a line of men who invented the arts, including music and metallurgy. God told Adam that he would eat the plants of the field and that with the sweat of his brow he would eat bread, and Cain obeyed the divine command, unlike his brother Abel, who dedicated himself to tending a flock. In the story, Cain experiences simultaneously: shame that his offering was not as well received as his brother’s, anger at his wounded pride, and a feeling of injustice because God did not recognize his efforts as a worker of the land.

Leon R. Kass says: “The episode of Cain and Abel presents fundamental elements of human existence: a) the first family home, that is, the first human institution and thus the first element of society; b) the first attempts, through sacrifice, of a relationship between man and God; c) human passions: wounded pride, anger, jealousy, and fear; d) violent death, crime and punishment, and the rudiments of natural justice; e) the emergence of agriculture and settlements, arts and crafts. The story introduces in twenty-six verses many of the essential elements of a natural anthropology.”

The stories of the Bible always have a profound ethical message at their core. But why convey the message using stories that are sometimes difficult to understand? Why not simply state it directly? Because, as Marshall MacLuhan said, the message is in the medium.

By Marcos Gojman

Bibliography: Leo R. Kass, “Farmers, Founders, and Fratricide: The Story of Cain and Abel” and other sources.