Why Did Cain Kill Abel?

[Chabad.org] [Magazine] [Dedicate an email] Tishrei 25, 5777 · October 27, 2016 Editor's Note: Dear Friend, Remember the first time you ever heard of the Garden of Eden in this week’s Torah portion? I’m pained to confess I more readily remember the first time I heard about Darwin. In terms of formal education, I’ve spend a lot more time in secular classrooms than in Torah classrooms. And I remember quite clearly learning the Theory of Evolution as a child. It was fascinating. But as an adult with quite a bit of secular studies under my belt, and a little Torah learning, I know that it was also devastating. When you teach a child that she or he is a cousin of the chimpanzee, and ultimately descends from an amoeba or a virus, this causes a devastation in the child’s soul. Now I’m not going to explain in this brief note why I think Darwin’s theory can be put in its place by means of critical thinking. Here I just want to express how grateful I am to the Torah for teaching us that when our oldest ancestors first opened their eyes, it was not a jungle that they saw around them. It was a divine garden. A garden named Delight. Eden. Where is Eden? It’s the place where we cultivate the soil of our Delight, “tilling it and tending it” (Genesis 2:15) with the sweatless brow of our mitzvot, making it a lovely little paradise, safely enclosed from the surrounding jungle and its restless monkey calls, in which to spend precious hours with Holy One Who put us there. Michael Chighel, on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team [Post a Comment »] This Week's Features [Printable Magazine] [What Is Derech Eretz?] By Yecheskel Posner Your Questions [What Is Shabbat Bereishit?] Why is it thus named? By Menachem Posner [My Wife Won't Speak to Me!] This is a totally hypothetical situation that would never really happen. My wife is angry at me. By Aron Moss Video [How Faith Paid the Rent] A chassidic story on the power of trust in G-d By Yossy Gordon [[Watch] Watch] (4:27) [Conquer Your Clutter] Do you have too much "stuff" in your life? Here's how to master your clutter without letting it master you. By Chana Weisberg [[Watch] Watch] (2:09) Parshah [Why Did Cain Kill Abel?] Part of what makes this so shocking is that it seems to come out of nowhere. By Yehuda Shurpin [Why My Rich Friend is Poor] “Why?” I ask myself. “Why is this woman always a prisoner to the past and to what she lacks?” By Elana Mizrahi [Bereishit in Depth] A condensation of the weekly Torah portion alongside select commentaries culled from the Midrash, Talmud, Chassidic masters, and the broad corpus of Jewish scholarship. [Haftarah Companion for Bereishit] For an informed reading of the weekly haftarah - Isaiah 42:5-21 By Mendel Dubov Lifestyle [Purple Cabbage & Apple Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing] Get healthy after the holidays with this vibrant salad. By Miriam Szokovski [Art: The Creation of Man and Woman] By Yoram Raanan Jewish News [150 Australian Girls Donate Their Hair to Kids With Cancer] Michal Tenenbaum was filled with anticipation, wondering how long it would take for her hair to grow to a 10-centimeter (almost 4-inch) braid . . . By Shmuel Loebenstein [Sara Esther Feigelstock, 85, Pioneer of Jewish Education in North America] As a young girl in Pennsylvania, she started Shabbat programs for children and continued to lead a life of learning and teaching. By Menachem Posner [35th Completion of Mishneh Torah Brings Special Shabbat Joy in Sukkahs Worldwide] Maimonides’ 14-volume work is the only collection of Jewish law that spans the entirety of Jewish life . . . By Chabad.org Staff [Sukkot & Simchat Torah] [Jewish.tv Video App] [High Holidays] Follow Us: [Find Us On Facebook] [Follow Us on Twitter] [RSS Feeds] Be a Part of it Enjoyed this email? Please help us continue to share the study of Torah and Jewish traditions: • [Dedicate or sponsor an email] to mark a special occasion • [Make a donation] to Chabad.org. Subscription Options: • [Subscribe to more chabad.org email lists] • [Subscription Management] • [Going on vacation?] • [Unsubscribe] Your subscribed email address is: [{EMAIL}] [Change email address]. Important Tip: To guarantee that your subscription emails continue to be delivered to you, please add [subscriptions@chabad.org] to your address book, or "whitelist" it in any filters or antispam programs you may have. © Copyright Chabad.org, all rights reserved. [Privacy Policy]