El desarrollo de la civilización (The development of civilization)

Por Rav Yehonasan Gefen Después de que Caín asesinó a su hermano Abel, Dios decretó que Caín vagaría por la tierra y nunca tendría un lugar permanente de residencia. Una regla básica de la Torá es que cualquier “castigo” que Dios decreta sobre una persona no es arbitrario, sino que tiene el propósito de rectificar el error que dicha persona cometió. Al aceptar las condiciones del “castigo”, la persona puede rectificar su error inicial; el vivir en dicha situación de exilio tenía por objetivo rectificar el pecado de Caín. Sin embargo, Caín no aceptó la forma de rectificación que Dios había decretado para él, sino que trató de evitarla. Inmediatamente después de la mención del decreto, la Torá nos cuenta que "Caín fue un constructor de ciudades" . El Rambán nota que de las palabras utilizadas por la Torá se desprende que Caín construía ciudades constantemente, pero éstas colapsaban de inmediato por causa de la maldición . Sin embargo, en lugar de aprender la lección y aceptar su estatus de peregrino, Caín continuó construyendo ciudades durante toda su vida. Las acciones de Caín generaron en sus descendientes una tendencia a evitar la fórmula que Dios había prescrito para que la humanidad rectificara el pecado de Adam. Después del pecado, Dios le dijo a Adam que su forma de arrepentimiento sería trabajar la tierra con sus propias manos para ganar su sustento . Sin embargo, los descendientes de Caín prefirieron evitar trabajar la tierra y se volcaron hacia otras actividades, como nos relata la Torá: "Y Ada engendró a Iaval; él fue el primero en vivir en tiendas y criar ganado. El nombre de su hermano fue Iuval; él fue el primero en tocar el arpa y la flauta. Y Zila también; ella engendró a Tuval-Caín, quien afilaba todos los implementos de cobre y hierro" . Rashi explica que estos versículos, que a primera vista parecen irrelevantes, tienen realmente una gran importancia ya que representan el desarrollo de algunos de los aspectos más básicos de la civilización. Iaval eligió ser un pastor, evitando las instrucciones de Dios de trabajar la tierra. También es posible que el "morar en tiendas" del versículo represente el desarrollo de actividades comerciales, lo cual tampoco sería consistente con la forma de rectificación que Dios había asignado para la humanidad. Iuval fue el primero en desarrollar el arte de la música, lo que representa la forma en que la humanidad intentó evitar el dolor por trabajar la tierra, que era mediante el distraerse con formas de entretenimiento. Y Tuval-Caín fue el primero en desarrollar armas, las cuales permitieron que el hombre sobreviviera avasallando a otros y de esta manera evitara la maldición de trabajar la tierra. Podemos ver por lo tanto que el desarrollo de la humanidad se basó en el deseo de evitar el método que Dios había prescrito para que el hombre rectificara el pecado de Adam, en favor de un estilo de vida más fácil que no rectificaría dicho pecado. Consecuentemente, la humanidad desarrolló una postura de ignorar la voluntad de Dios, la cual culminó con la subsecuente degeneración moral y destrucción en el Gran Diluvio. Pero hubo una persona que sí decidió obedecer la directiva de Dios de trabajar la tierra: "Lémej… engendró un hijo. Y llamó su nombre Nóaj, diciendo: 'Este nos traerá descanso de nuestro trabajo y del esfuerzo de nuestras manos, del suelo que Dios ha maldecido’" . Rashi nos dice que Nóaj inventó las herramientas agrícolas, con las cuales causó que el trabajo de la tierra fuera más exitoso. Nóaj fue la primera persona que no trató de evitar la maldición de Adam, sino que la enfrentó directamente. De esta forma podemos entender por qué Nóaj fue la única persona a la que Dios le perdonó la vida; a diferencia del resto del mundo, su vida estuvo dedicada a cumplir con la voluntad de Dios, por lo que no estuvo sujeto a la degeneración moral que afectó al resto de la humanidad. De esto podemos aprender una lección muy importante: muchas veces Dios nos pone en una situación para que crezcamos, pero generalmente desaprovechamos la oportunidad. Nuestros sabios nos enseñan que Dios se comunica con nosotros por medio de ‘desafíos’, lo cual no sólo significa terribles tragedias, sino que también se refiere a las dificultades generales que enfrentamos en la vida. Por ejemplo, una persona puede saber en qué área de crecimiento debe enfocarse en su matrimonio mediante el darse cuenta en qué área existen las mayores fricciones en su matrimonio y cómo sus errores contribuyen a ese problema. Claramente, Dios le está mandando esas dificultades como una forma de decirle que debería trabajar en esta área de su personalidad. Sin embargo, uno suele preferir enfocarse en los aspectos de crecimiento que le resultan más naturales. Por ejemplo, una persona que tiene una inclinación hacia la amabilidad probablemente dedicará una parte importante de su tiempo y energía para ayudar a otros, pero terminará descuidando sus obligaciones con su esposa e hijos. La parashá de esta semana es mucho más que una mera descripción histórica de las primeras generaciones de la historia; es un relato de cómo Dios le comunicó a la humanidad cuál era la forma en que debían rectificar sus errores y de cómo la gran mayoría se rehusó a escuchar Sus instrucciones. Está en nuestras manos entender cuál fue su error y aprender directamente de la Providencia Divina cómo podemos cumplir con Su voluntad.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVILIZATION - BEREISHIS

After Kayin’s heinous act of murdering his brother Hevel, Hashem decreed upon him to be a wanderer around the earth, he was never to have a permanent dwelling. It is a basic tenet of Torah that any ‘punishment’ that Hashem decrees upon a person is not arbitrary, rather it is intended to rectify that person’s mistake. By adhering to the conditions of the ‘punishment’ a person can rectify his initial mistake; living in this state of exile was intended to be the rectification for Kayin. However, it seems that Kayin did not adhere to the form of rectification that Hashem decreed for him, rather he tried to avoid it. Immediately after this, the Torah tells us how Kayin proceeded. “And Kayin was a city builder.” The Ramban notes that the wording of the Torah hints to the fact that Kayin was constantly building cities but they would immediately collapse because of the curse that he be in constant exile . However, instead of learning from this and accepting his status as a wanderer, Kayin continued to build cities throughout his life.

Kayin’s actions seem to have generated a trend in his descendants to also avoid the forms of rectification that Hashem had ascribed to mankind to fix the sin of Adam. He told Adam after the sint that his form of repentacne was to work the land with his own hands in order to earn his livelihood . However, Kayin’s descendants preferred to avoid working the land and turned to other forms of earning a livelihood: The Torah describes how they did this: “”And Adah bore Yaval; he was the first of those who dwell in tents and breed cattle. The name of his brother was Yuval; he was the first of all who handle the harp and flute. And Zilla, too - she bore Tuval-Kayin, who sharpened all cutting implements of copper and iron.” Rashi explains that these innocuous verses are of great significance because they represent the development of some of the basic aspects of modern civilization. Yuval chose to be a shepherd, avoiding Hashem’s instructions to work the land. It is also possible that the ‘dwelling in tents’ in the verse represents the development of business activities, also something not consistent with the form of rectification that HaShem ascribed to mankind. Yuval was the first to develop the art of music; this represents how mankind tried to avoid the pain of working the land by distracting itself with entertainment. And Tuval-Kayin was the first to develop weapons which enabled man to survive by overpowering others, another way in which he could avoid the curse to work the land. Thus we have seen how the development of mankind was based on a desire to avoid the method which Hashem had given them to rectify the sin of Adam in favor of an easier lifestyle which would not fix Adam’s sin. Consequently, mankind developed in a state of ignoring Hashem’s Will, which culminated in their subsequent moral degeneration and destruction in the Great Flood.

There was one person who did attempt to deal directly with Hashem’s directive to work the land; “Lamech… begot a son. And he called his name Noach, saying, ’this one will bring us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands, from the ground which Hashem had cursed .’” Rashi tells us that Noach invented farming tools and this made the working of the land more successful. Noach was the first person who did not try to avoid the curse of Adam HaRishon, rather he faced it directly and this helps explain why Noach was also the one person who Hashem did not destroy. Unlike the rest of the world, his life was dedicated to fulfilling Hashem’s Will, therefore he was not subject to the moral degeneration that plagued mankind.

There are two significant lessons that can be learned from this brief tour of early world history. Firstly, we have discussed how the development of civilization was characterized by a desire to avoid Hashem’s will. This too is a great test in today’s society. We are blessed with constant advances in technology - these can be used to provide great spiritual benefit for mankind if used with the correct intentions, however, often this is not the case. The cell phone, for example, is a device that can have great benefits, however, all too often these are outweighed by its damage. For example, cell phones have brought a new dimension to disrespectful behavior both for Hashem and people. We are all familiar with the sound of a cell phone during prayer, weddings, and speeches. Rabbi Yissachar Frand even mentions a case in which a person neglected to turn of his phone during a funeral, but what is far worse is that he actually answered it and spoke whilst the funeral was taking place! This does not necessarily mean that we should not utilize the great potential of modern technology but we must be vigilant that ensure that we are using it to further Ratson Hashem and not negate it.

A more general lesson that can be derived from here is that very often Hashem places us in a situation from which He wants us to grow but we have a tendency to avoid seizing that opportunity. The Rabbis teach us that HaShem communicates us through challenges - this does not just refer to major tragedies, but also to the general difficulties that we all face in life. A good example of this is marriage; how can a person know which area of growth to focus on in his marriage? By noting in which area there is the most friction in the marriage and how his failings contribute to this problem. Clearly HaShem is sending him these difficulties as a way of telling him that he should work on this area of his character traits. However, even a person who is willing to work on his marriage may prefer to focus on aspects of growth that come more naturally to him; for example, a person who has a leaning to kindness may devote a significant amount of time and energy in helping other people, however he will neglect his obligations to his wife and children.

Parshas Bereishis is far more than a historical description of the early generations in history. It is an account of how Hashem communicated to mankind how they should rectify their mistakes and how the vast majority of them refused to heed His instructions. It is upon us to heed their mistake and directly learn from Divine Providence how we can do His Will.

FINDING THE TRUTH - BEREISHIS

“And G-d said, let Us make man in Our Image and in Our likeness.”
After creating the world, HaShem proceeds to outline the creation of the being for whom this world was created – man. However, the Medrash tells us that the very creation of man was subject to a very strong disagreement amongst the Malachim .
“Rabbi Simmon said, ‘at the time that HaKadosh Baruch Hu came to create Adam HaRishon, the serving Angels went into various groups and factions; some of them said [that HaShem] should not create him… Chessed said, ‘create him’ because he will do kindness; Emes said, ‘do not create him because they [men] will be full of lies’. Tzedek said ‘create him, because he will do tzedaka’. Shalom said, ‘do not create, because he is full of disputes’. What did HaKadosh Baruch Hu do? He took Emes and threw him to the land…”
This Medrash is telling us that two of the ‘Malachim’, Chessed and Tzedek, were in favor of creating man, whilst another two, Emes and Shalom, were against it. Chessed and Tzedek argued that man would do kindness and give charity. In contrast, the claim of Emes was that creating man would lead to more falsehood, whilst Shalom argued that they would cause much argument. Viewing this dispute, HaShem, who evidently did want to create man, threw down Emes from Heaven, onto the land. Consequently, the single Malach of Shalom was now left alone, outnumbered, facing the two Malachim of Chessed and Tzedek. As a result, HaShem could now proceed to create mankind.
There are numerous difficulties with this Medrash, but we will focus on two of the most pressing questions. Firstly, it seems clear that HaShem wanted to create the world, and therefore wanted Emes and Shalom to be defeated, therefore He chose to send Emes to the land, in order to place Chessed and Tzedek in the majority. But why did He particularly throw down Emes instead of Shalom? Secondly, it would seem that HaShem did not agree with the arguments of Emes and Shalom. What was wrong with their argument and what did throwing down Emes achieve in overriding his case?
Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky zt”l addresses these questions. He begins by explaining the reasoning behind the claims of Emes and Shalom. Emes argued that there was only one ultimate ‘Truth’ in the world, which was the way in which HaShem viewed the world. Accordingly, any other opinion was by definition’ sheker (untrue) in that it contradicted the single Emes. By creating human beings, HaShem would create numerous beings who would inevitably espouse numerous different opinions and beliefs. Since there was only one ‘true’ belief, anything else would constitute falsehood. Therefore, the Malach of Emes argued that man would be full of falsehood and should not be created. Rav Kamenetsky elaborates further that the argument of Shalom stemmed from the same reasoning as that of Emes. Since there was only one true way, anything else would be viewed as wrong. Consequently, there could never be true peace because each person would believe that their fellow was espousing an untrue belief system and way of life. Therefore, Shalom also believed that the creation of man would only have negative consequences.
In response to these arguments, HaShem took Emes from the Heavens, and threw it to the land. Rav Kamenetsky explains the meaning of this enigmatic statement. HaShem acknowledged the arguments of Emes and Shalom. However, He knew that they were based on the fact that there was only one was truth. He changed this by removing the concept of Emes from the Heavens and place it on the Earth. This means that He now gave man the ability to define Emes according to his own reasoning. It was very conceivable that man’s conclusions may differ from those of HaShem, but, as long as they were within certain boundaries, it was now possible for man to create his understanding of Emes. Consequently, many people could formulate a variety of opinions and beliefs, and they could all fall within the category of Emes.
By throwing Emes to the ground, and creating the possibility of there being more than one truth, HaShem also allayed the argument of Shalom that creating man would cause much dispute. The reason for such dispute was that since there was only one truth, there could never be true peace because each person would believe that his fellow was espousing a false ideology. By creating the possibility of there being more than only truth, HaShem made it possible for people to have different opinions without having to believe that their fellow man’s beliefs were untrue. Rather, they represented a different, but valid way of looking at the world.
We can now answer the aforementioned questions. We asked why HaShem threw down Emes instead of Shalom. The answer is that the arguments of both Emes and Shalom stemmed from the same point – that there was only one truth. By throwing down Emes and changing that reality and creating the possibility of more than one ‘truth’, HaShem dispelled the argument of Shalom as well. We can now also answer why HaShem seemingly ignored the arguments of Emes and Shalom. The answer is that He did not ignore them at all, rather by creating the possibility of more than one Truth He responded to their arguments in such a way that would satisfy them.

There are numerous applications to the concept of there being more than one valid truth. One is that a person must be very careful before dismissing approaches to Torah that differ from his own. As long as they are within the realms of Torah thought, they constitute a valid form of Avodas HaShem (service of HaShem). Moreover, if one’s children or other family members choose a different path in their Avodas HaShem, it is important to accept that there is more than one ‘correct’ way of expressing one’s Judaism. We see this from the following story involving Rav Kamenetsky.
A family close to Rav Kamenetsky was shocked when the youngest of their seven sons informed them that he wanted to be a Skverer Chassid. They went together with the boy to Reb Yaakov expecting him to convince their son that boys from proper German-Jewish families do not become Chassidim. To their surprise, Rav Kamenetsky spent his time assuring them that it was not a reflection on them that their son wanted to follow a different path of Avodas Hashem. Obviously, their son had certain emotional needs which, he felt, could be filled by becoming a chassid and they should honor those feelings. Rav Kamenetsky even recommended a step more radical than the parents were willing to consider - sending the boy to a Skverer Yeshiva !
Similarly, a person himself who has been brought up within one stream of Orthodox Judaism, may feel that he can enhance his Avodas HaShem by delving into other streams who emphasize different aspects of Avodas HaShem. By recognizing that there are many valid paths he may be able to revitalize his Avoda and utilize certain talents or drives that are otherwise untapped. May we all merit to find the path that enables us to fulfill our potential.

HOW TO KEEP THE YETSER HARA AWAY - BEREISHIS

In the midst of the famous story of Kayin and Hevel the Torah offers us the very first lesson about the yetser hara (negative inclination); after Hashem ignores Kayin’s offering and turns to that of Hevel, Kayin reacts very badly. “Kayin was very angry and his countenance fell.” In response to this reaction, Hashem warns Kayin about the possible consequences of his reaction; “And Hashem said to Kayin, why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? Is it not true that if you do good, you will be forgiven? But if you do not do good, sin crouches at the opening; its longing is toward you, yet you will rule over it.”

The Kli Yakar explains this enigmatic verse with a Gemara in Brachos; the Gemara compares the yetser hara to a fly. He explains that a fly does not have enough power to open a person’s skin when there is no wound there, however when he finds an opening, he has enough power to strike and open the wound further. So too, the yetser hara does not have enough strength to expose a weakness of a person who has not faltered in his Avodas Hashem. However, when a person weakens he creates an opening through which the yetser hara can enter and cause the person to sin further. This is the explanation of the Gemara in Shabbos that says; “of the one who comes to sin it is opened for him.” The Kli Yakar explains that the opening referred to is that he has opened the door for the yetser hara to enter and widen the opening until the wound becomes impossible to heal.

The yetser hara stands at the opening, waiting for a person to falter, but if he does not then he will rule over the yetser hara because it does not have the strength to cause him to sin if he stands steadfast in his avodas Hashem. However, if a person does falter, even in a small way, then the yetser hara can enter the opening and it will be far more difficult to now overcome it’s temptations. Hashem was telling Kayin that he was on the brink of falling into the trap of the yetser hara by opening the door to him. Kayin did not heed Hashem’s advice, and instead he confronted Hevel, allowing his yetser hara to overcome him and lead him to commit the terrible sin of murder.

Based on this understanding the Kli Yakar suggests that a person who has foresight should strive not to give the yetser hara any opening through which it can enter and cause great damage. From here we learn the importance of consistency in one's avodas Hashem. It is well-known that when a person undertakes some kind of self-discipline, such as a diet, or giving up an addiction, it is essential that he strive to avoid faltering in any way. This is because of the Kil Yakar’s principle - once a person shows a sign of weakness, then he triggers a process of deterioration that is very hard to stop. It seems that people who have tried to give up something, and failed, in many instances did not make a conscious decision to renew their bad habit. Rather they had a moment of weakness where they made an exception to their discipline, however that one moment of weakness began the process whereby they fell back into the traps of that addiction.
Very often, people who commit terrible sins began with a very minor transgression. One Rabbi suggested that this was the case with the tragic cases of ‘observant’ butchers who descended to the point where they were selling non-kosher meat. How could someone fall to such a low level to the extent that he causes so many people to sin? He explained that they probably began with a very minor ‘short-cut’ that saved some money, and in time this slowly escalated until the yetser hara has completely taken over the person.

Not everyone will necessarily fall to this level when they falter, however there is still a great need for a person to try to remain consistent in his lifestyle and avoid even minor failings as much as possible. This applies in all areas of Avodas Hashem. In one’s own observance of mitzvos, small lapses can lead to bigger ones. It similarly applies with regard to one’s relationships - very often a relationship can deteriorate as a result of one thoughtless comment and after the damage is done it is far harder to rectify the situation. It is especially applicable in the area of learning - Chazal emphasize that a person must have set times for learning that are never missed; by consistently learning at a set time a person can overcome the yetser hara’s attempts to take him away from his learning. However, if he does not consistently adhere to his schedule then it is far easier for the yetser hara to drag him away from learning on a constant basis.

The story of Kayin teaches us about the importance of remaining steadfast in one’s Avodas Hashem as a prime way of overcoming the yetser hara and the terrible consequences that can occur if we do not. May we all be zocheh to defeat the yester hara and reach our full potential.
　
　

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVILIZATION - BEREISHIS

After Kayin’s heinous act of murdering his brother Hevel, Hashem decreed upon him to be a wanderer around the earth, he was never to have a permanent dwelling. It is a basic tenet of Torah that any ‘punishment’ that Hashem decrees upon a person is not arbitrary, rather it is intended as a tikun for that person’s aveiro. By adhering to the conditions of the onesh a person can rectify his initial mistake; living in this state of galus was intended to be the tikun for Kayin. However, it seems that Kayin did not adhere to the form of tikun that Hashem decreed for him, rather he tried to avoid it. Immediately after receiving his onesh the Torah tells us how Kayin proceeded. “And Kayin was a city builder..” The Ramban notes that the lashon of the Torah hints to the fact that Kayin was constantly building cities but they would immediately collapse because of the curse that he be in constant exile. However, instead of learning from this and accepting his status as a wanderer, Kayin continued to build cities throughout his life.

Kayin’s actions seem to have generated a trend in his descendants to avoid the tikunim that Hashem had ascribed to mankind to metaken the chet of Adam HaRishon. He told Adam after the chet that the tikun for him was to work the land with his own hands in order to earn his livelihood. However, Kayin’s descendants preferred to avoid working the land and turned to other forms of earning a livelihood: The Torah describes how they did this: “”And Adah bore Yaval; he was the first of those who dwell in tents and breed cattle. The name of his brother was Yuval; he was the first of all who handle the harp and flute. And Zilla, too - she bore Tuval-Kayin, who sharpened all cutting implements of copper and iron..” Rashi explains that these innocuous passukim are of great significance because they represent the development of some of the basic aspects of modern civilization. Yuval chose to be a shepherd, avoiding Hashem’s instructions to work the land. It is also possible that the ‘dwelling in tents’ in the passuk represents the development of business activities, also something not consistent with the tikun that Hashem ascribed to mankind. Yuval was the first to develop the art of music; this represents how mankind tried to avoid the pain of working the land by distracting itself with entertainment. And Tuval-Kayin was the first to develop weapons which enabled man to survive by overpowering others, another way in which he could avoid the klala to work the land. Thus we have seen how the development of mankind was based on a desire to avoid the method which Hashem had given them to rectify the chet of Adam HaRishon in favor of an easier lifestyle which would not metaken chet Adam HaRishon. Consequently, mankind developed in a state of ignoring Ratson Hashem, which culminated in their subsequent moral degeneration and destruction in the Great Flood.

There was one person who did attempt to deal directly with Hashem’s directive to work the land; “Lamech .. begot a son. And he called his name Noach, saying, ’this one will bring us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands, from the ground which Hashem had cursed.’” Rashi tells us that Noach invented farming tools and this made the working of the land more successful. Noach was the first person who did not try to avoid the klala of Adam HaRishon, rather he faced it directly and this helps explain why Noach was also the one person who Hashem did not destroy. Unlike the rest of the world, his life was dedicated to fulfilling Hashem’s ratson, therefore he was not subject to the moral degeneration that plagued mankind.

There are two significant lessons that can be learned from this brief tour of early world history. Firstly, we have discussed how the development of civilization was characterized by a desire to avoid Ratson Hashem. This too is a great nisayon in today’s society; we are blessed with constant advances in technology - these can be used to provide great spiritual benefit for mankind if used with the correct intentions, however, often this is not the case. This even seems to be true to an extent among observant people. The cell phone, for example, is a device that can have great benefits, however, all too often these are outweighed by its damage. For example, Gedolim have decried, amongst other things, the tremendous bitul Torah caused by people having their cell phones at hand even during learning. Moreover, cell phones have brought a new dimension to disrespectful behavior both for Hashem and people. We are all familiar with the sound of a cell phone during davenning, weddings, and speeches. Rav Frand Shlita even mentions a case in which a person neglected to turn of his phone during a levaya, but what is far worse is that he actually answered it and spoke whilst the levaya was taking place! This does not necessarily mean that we should not utilize the great potential of modern technology but we must be vigilant that ensure that we are using it to further Ratson Hashem and not negate it.

A more general lesson that can be derived from here is that very often Hashem places us in a situation from which He wants us to grow but we have a tendency to avoid seizing that opportunity. The Toras Avraham writes that Hashem communicates us through yissurim - this does not just refer to major tragedies, but also to the general difficulties that we all face in life. A good example of this is marriage; how can a person know which area of growth to focus on in his marriage? By noting in which area there is the most friction in the marriage and how his failings contribute to this problem. Clearly Hashem is sending him these yissurim as a way of telling him that he should work on this area of his midos. However, even a person who is willing to work on his marriage may prefer to focus on aspects of growth that come more naturally to him; for example, a person who has a leaning to the bein Adam le Makom aspect of Avodas Hashem is more likely to focus on working on tefilla than rectifying his issues in Bein Adam Lechaveiro. Obviously, it is a great thing to work on tefilla, however even this can emanate from atsas hayetser hara that wants to divert us from focusing on the most needed aspects of our growth.

Parshas Bereishis is far more than a historical description of the early generations in history. It is an account of how Hashem communicated to mankind how they should rectify their mistakes and how the vast majority of them refused to heed His instructions. It is upon us to heed their mistake and directly learn from Hashem’s hashgacha how we can do His Ratson.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVILIZATION - BEREISHIS

After Kayin’s heinous act of murdering his brother Hevel, Hashem decreed upon him to be a wanderer around the earth, he was never to have a permanent dwelling. It is a basic tenet of Torah that any ‘punishment’ that Hashem decrees upon a person is not arbitrary, rather it is intended as a tikun for that person’s aveiro. By adhering to the conditions of the onesh a person can rectify his initial mistake; living in this state of galus was intended to be the tikun for Kayin. However, it seems that Kayin did not adhere to the form of tikun that Hashem decreed for him, rather he tried to avoid it. Immediately after receiving his onesh the Torah tells us how Kayin proceeded. “And Kayin was a city builder..” The Ramban notes that the lashon of the Torah hints to the fact that Kayin was constantly building cities but they would immediately collapse because of the curse that he be in constant exile. However, instead of learning from this and accepting his status as a wanderer, Kayin continued to build cities throughout his life.

Kayin’s actions seem to have generated a trend in his descendants to avoid the tikunim that Hashem had ascribed to mankind to metaken the chet of Adam HaRishon. He told Adam after the chet that the tikun for him was to work the land with his own hands in order to earn his livelihood. However, Kayin’s descendants preferred to avoid working the land and turned to other forms of earning a livelihood: The Torah describes how they did this: “”And Adah bore Yaval; he was the first of those who dwell in tents and breed cattle. The name of his brother was Yuval; he was the first of all who handle the harp and flute. And Zilla, too - she bore Tuval-Kayin, who sharpened all cutting implements of copper and iron..” Rashi explains that these innocuous passukim are of great significance because they represent the development of some of the basic aspects of modern civilization. Yuval chose to be a shepherd, avoiding Hashem’s instructions to work the land. It is also possible that the ‘dwelling in tents’ in the passuk represents the development of business activities, also something not consistent with the tikun that Hashem ascribed to mankind. Yuval was the first to develop the art of music; this represents how mankind tried to avoid the pain of working the land by distracting itself with entertainment. And Tuval-Kayin was the first to develop weapons which enabled man to survive by overpowering others, another way in which he could avoid the klala to work the land. Thus we have seen how the development of mankind was based on a desire to avoid the method which Hashem had given them to rectify the chet of Adam HaRishon in favor of an easier lifestyle which would not metaken chet Adam HaRishon. Consequently, mankind developed in a state of ignoring Ratson Hashem, which culminated in their subsequent moral degeneration and destruction in the Great Flood.

There was one person who did attempt to deal directly with Hashem’s directive to work the land; “Lamech .. begot a son. And he called his name Noach, saying, ’this one will bring us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands, from the ground which Hashem had cursed.’” Rashi tells us that Noach invented farming tools and this made the working of the land more successful. Noach was the first person who did not try to avoid the klala of Adam HaRishon, rather he faced it directly and this helps explain why Noach was also the one person who Hashem did not destroy. Unlike the rest of the world, his life was dedicated to fulfilling Hashem’s ratson, therefore he was not subject to the moral degeneration that plagued mankind.

There are two significant lessons that can be learned from this brief tour of early world history. Firstly, we have discussed how the development of civilization was characterized by a desire to avoid Ratson Hashem. This too is a great nisayon in today’s society; we are blessed with constant advances in technology - these can be used to provide great spiritual benefit for mankind if used with the correct intentions, however, often this is not the case. This even seems to be true to an extent among observant people. The cell phone, for example, is a device that can have great benefits, however, all too often these are outweighed by its damage. For example, Gedolim have decried, amongst other things, the tremendous bitul Torah caused by people having their cell phones at hand even during learning. Moreover, cell phones have brought a new dimension to disrespectful behavior both for Hashem and people. We are all familiar with the sound of a cell phone during davenning, weddings, and speeches. Rav Frand Shlita even mentions a case in which a person neglected to turn of his phone during a levaya, but what is far worse is that he actually answered it and spoke whilst the levaya was taking place! This does not necessarily mean that we should not utilize the great potential of modern technology but we must be vigilant that ensure that we are using it to further Ratson Hashem and not negate it.

A more general lesson that can be derived from here is that very often Hashem places us in a situation from which He wants us to grow but we have a tendency to avoid seizing that opportunity. The Toras Avraham writes that Hashem communicates us through yissurim - this does not just refer to major tragedies, but also to the general difficulties that we all face in life. A good example of this is marriage; how can a person know which area of growth to focus on in his marriage? By noting in which area there is the most friction in the marriage and how his failings contribute to this problem. Clearly Hashem is sending him these yissurim as a way of telling him that he should work on this area of his midos. However, even a person who is willing to work on his marriage may prefer to focus on aspects of growth that come more naturally to him; for example, a person who has a leaning to the bein Adam le Makom aspect of Avodas Hashem is more likely to focus on working on tefilla than rectifying his issues in Bein Adam Lechaveiro. Obviously, it is a great thing to work on tefilla, however even this can emanate from atsas hayetser hara that wants to divert us from focusing on the most needed aspects of our growth.

Parshas Bereishis is far more than a historical description of the early generations in history. It is an account of how Hashem communicated to mankind how they should rectify their mistakes and how the vast majority of them refused to heed His instructions. It is upon us to heed their mistake and directly learn from Hashem’s hashgacha how we can do His Ratson.