Breishit: Kayin and Hevel, New Insights

How do we see in the pesukim-text itself that what Hevel brought was superior to what Kayin offered? How do we see that what Kayin brought was inferior to what Kayin brought.?

We're told that "Hevel brought from his sheep."  This might seem redundant.  But what it means is that he brought from the ones he was most invested in, the ones he was attached to, the best. We are also told that "Hevel, he also brought."  This also seems to have extra wording. What it's telling us on a deep level is that besides the sheep, Hevel also brought himself. This made his sacrifice superior.

We're told that "Kayin brought from the fruit of the land." It doesn't say he brought from his land.  He didn't bring crop that was special to him, that he felt connected to.  By definition, since he didn't choose to give of what he felt was his, didn't choose to give himself, whatever he offered was inferior. 

The lesson for us is to give of ourselves in our lies, in our service of G-d.  This is part of the idea of the Torah's last letter and first letter spelling the word lev - heart.  As we continuously restart the Torah/Torah life again we need to invest with whole hearts. This is reflected in the wording regarding the Korban Musaf of Shabbos, that we do it and we offer it.  We do the ritual, we offer ourselves. 

The Yetzer HaRah doesn't just want us to do wrong things, more-so it wants the deflation that we experience after doing something wrong. Sadness is not an aveirah, but it is at the root of every aveirah. Similarly, happiness is not a mitzvah, but it leads to every mitzvah. This is the meaning of what Hashem told Kayin after Kayin's mistake,       "הֲל֤וֹא אִם־תֵּיטִיב֙ שְׂאֵ֔ת וְאִם֙ לֹ֣א תֵיטִ֔יב לַפֶּ֖תַח חַטָּ֣את רֹבֵ֑ץ וְאֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ תְּשׁ֣וּקָת֔וֹ וְאַתָּ֖ה תִּמְשׇׁל־בּֽוֹ""
"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.” G-d wanted Kayin to know that he could still strengthen himself with happiness and lift himself. The other option was the one that Kayin chose, to be sad and angry, which, moving forward, put him in the hands of his negative forces. 

The Rebbe of Lechovitch (an early Rebbe in the Slonim tradition) told a Baal Teshuvah, "If you're happy you can overcome anything, and if you're sad, you will fall and regress." This is our charge: to stay happy, to increase our happiness, and not become sad after we have erred. Sometimes the test is not about the thing that happened, it's more about what comes after - if we strengthen ourselves in positivity or succumb to sadness.  

May we be blessed to bounce back and stay positive after we err.  And may we be even more blessed to avoid erring by investing of ourselves in our service of G-d. 

(A dear friend recently pointed out to me that I look too much at the pejorative elements of prayer,  such as the time deadlines.  I should embrace and grab as soon as I can onto my service through prayer as a lifeline.  May we all be so blessed.)