Well, that is what I would like to think.

• • •

But the text prevents us from going too far afield. Cain did not commit suicide. After his trial he settled down and his children lived and had children. Abel died for nothing; Cain killed for nothing. Their common tale is a tale of absurdity; it could not have taken place.

Then the aged Adam reappears on the scene—astounding us. By his vigor. And his daring. Despite the holocaust that had ravaged his family, he went on to become a father for the third time. Eve bore him a son and they named him Seth. How did they arrive at such a decision? In a universe that bears the seal of violence, a universe crushed by hate, what good was it to begin again? What right had they to condemn their new child to live and die?

We must assume that Adam and Eve wanted this third son out of consideration for their distant descendants. Without Seth, we would all carry an eternal burden; we would all be the heirs, if not the successors, of Cain and only Cain, since his brother died unwed and childless. And so the Torah releases our bonds with the assassin by putting an end to both his life and his progeny. Killed by Lemekh, Cain vanishes from the Bible; his history is cut short. Nor will the Torah mention it again. And a new chapter opens: And here are the origins of man, linking us to a new and different beginning. We can all, in good faith, claim Seth as our ancestor. Seth, who had no part in the drama unleashed by his brothers.

• • •

Let us come back to our original question: Was Cain guilty? We must answer yes without equivocation. Despite all and anything he may have wished to accomplish by his crime, transcending his crime, from the point of view of Jewish tradition there can be no extenuating circumstances. Did he suffer? Had God treated him unfairly? He should have told Him so. Had not God asked him the question: Why is your face so somber? Cain could have, should have, answered. And said what was on his mind. But he chose to remain silent, to swallow his grudge and transform it into poisonous hate. In so doing, he deprived himself of the right to judge God by killing his brother.

In fact, even if his revolt against God may have been justified, his crime will never be. For no man has the right to sacrifice his or anybody else’s future. No man has the right to use another as an instrument, an abstraction. A murder is never justified, even when committed to ensure a better future. Cain may have dreamed of saving mankind from suffering, but it was Abel who paid the price.

No man is ever alone in history; every man is history. That is what Jewish tradition teaches us. Cain had no right to decide for us, and even less for Abel. Whoever destroys does so in the present, but his guilt remains after he is gone.