Importance of seasons

 What went so wrong that the world needed to start over? The stated reason is because of robbery. As some explain, if even something as logical as property rights were lost, then the world could not be sustained.  Slightly more hidden in the verses is that humans had ‘destroyed’ the world. That hints at more severe problems such as murder, idolatry, and sexual immorality- the three cardinal sins.  However, what was behind that? Why did human beings descend to such chaos? 

              There is a hint to what went wrong in the aftermath of the flood.  G-d decides to change the way things operate in the world. There is strange verse that says, “So long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” According to one commentary, it is an introduction to seasons. Prior to the flood the world was not seasonal; it was always temperate. Life spans were extremely long and the midrash says people would seed once and harvest for forty years straight. Why would the introduction of seasons help to alleviate these problem that caused the flood in the first place? Also, why does the verse emphasize the putting together of opposites?  And lastly, why does the verse have the word/letter (vav) 'and' inserted 6 times when it only needed three? 

              Anything that is only one dimensional inherently lacks balance and wholeness. For example, a person who is always giving to others is amenable to become a doormat if he doesn’t learn how to put a boundary. A person who is constantly concerned about boundaries will not create relationships.  The antediluvian world was a world of extremes. There was extremely long life, extremely good weather, extremely fertile soil.  A life of extremes creates chaos and confusion and the world was destroyed with a water that had no boundaries.  Post the flood, the world changed.  Boundaries were introduced via the bonding of opposites. Opposites can only exist together when things are defined and strong unto themselves.  Then they can come together and create a greater whole and balance than was before. That is the world we need to create now.  We need to bring opposites together and view them as not threatening our perspective but as balancing out our perspective.  That is what creates permanence in the world. 

An unfair G-d

As we start the Torah over again, it is important to look at old stories with fresh eyes as new discoveries are always lurking. This year, I took an in-depth look at the first quarrel of mankind between two brothers.  Although we find relationships between groups to be complex, those overt differences are not necessary. There is plenty to fight about within the family, which is sadly all too common as well.  The first criminal act between two people occurs between two brothers- Kayin and Hevel.  It is a short story but telling to what is the source for much conflict.

 

              A short summary of the story is that Kayin decides to bring a sacrifice to G-d, and he brings produce from the field. Seems fairs given he is a farmer. His brother, perhaps, stimulated by Kayin’s actions brings a robust offering of a choice animal. Seems fair given he is a herder. Yet, G-d only turns to Hevel’s offering and ignores Kayin’s. But isn’t this unfair? Kayin is giving of his own work and it was his idea in the first place? How could he be spurned so badly?

              As usual, certain textual details point us in the direction of what really went wrong.  When it says Kayin decided to bring a sacrifice it says, “At the end of days, Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the soil”. It doesn’t explain at the end of what days?  One commentary explains that what happened is that Kayin was devoted to the land and growing crops.  Yuval Harari in Sapiens makes it clear that agriculture is a ‘fraud’. It promises riches, but it enslaves us to the process. In contrast to his contemplative brother who was the shepard who has time for contemplation like many of our future leaders. However, even Kayin who has lived a life devoted to materialism either gets old or realizes he will one day pass on, and thinks that he should play a token tribute to spirituality. But a token contribution is not what G-d is looking for since that is checking a box, not creating a relationship.

              Kayin then makes a further mistake in his perspective. Not only did he treat spirituality lightly, but he also thought that life is a zero sum game. If Hevel has ‘won’, then he has lost. If Hevel is greater than him, then he no longer exists. Furthermore, Hevel only ‘won’ because he cheated. He stole Kayin’s idea. For that reason Kayin takes the drastic action that he does because he didn’t have an identity without it.  From this episode we need a new perspective on life. First, we need to put our best into spirituality and second we need to realize the answer to Kayin existential question, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper’?  Are we competing or cooperating together in this world. And the answer is a resounding cooperation.