“Surely if you do good, you will be uplifted, and if you do not do good, sin crouches at the door” – can you explain the verse once for a 10-year-old child and once for an older rabbi?
The verse you bring is from Genesis 4:7:
“Surely if you do good, you will be uplifted, and if you do not do good, sin crouches at the door; its desire is towards you, and you will rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7 – checked and verified against the Masoretic text)
Now we will explain the verse twice – once for a 10-year-old child and once for an older rabbi.
Explanation for a 10-year-old child:
After Cain was very angry because God did not accept his sacrifice, God spoke to him and said: If you try to do good – everything will be straightened out and accepted from you. But if you do not try to improve and do good – sin is waiting for you like an animal sitting by the door ready to jump. Sin really wants you to do it, but you are strong! You can control it and not let it defeat you.
In other words, even when it is hard for you, you can always choose to do the right thing.
Explanation for an older rabbi (including classical and Hasidic depth):
Rashi explains that the expression “if you do good” means that there will be lifting up and acceptance, whereas “sin crouches at the door” means that sin is waiting for a person; however “and you will rule over it” shows that it is in the person’s hands to choose and to overcome. The Ramban emphasizes that sin is described as something “crouching” ready to trip someone, but free choice is given to the person himself. In Hasidic thought, especially in the words of the Tanya (chapter 12), one sees here a basis for the “rule of the mind over the heart” – even if the evil desires exist, a person has the ability to rule over them and to direct his actions.
This is a talk of encouragement to Cain – and to every person. Failure is not a decree but a call to correction. Even after a sin – “Surely if you do good, you will be uplifted.”
A summary in two words? Hope and responsibility.
Primary sources for the interpretation:
- Rashi on Genesis 4:7
- Ramban on Genesis 4:7
- The Book of Tanya, chapter 12
- Abarbanel and Malbim on Genesis 4:7
If you wish, I can expand also according to the interpretations of the Midrash, the Zohar or the Ari.
I would be happy
Great! Now let us delve into the interpretation of the Midrash, the Zohar and the writings of the Ari for this verse:
“Surely if you do good, you will be uplifted, and if you do not do good, sin crouches at the door; its desire is towards you, and you will rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7)
Midrash – Bereshit Rabbah, chapter 22
The Midrash presents the evil inclination as a force waiting for a person “at the door” and becoming stronger if the person does not do good, and it emphasizes the responsibility and the ability of the person to rule over his inclination. This is a conceptual conclusion from the Midrash, not a literal quote of the wording of the verse.
The holy Zohar – hints of the Zohar for the verse
In the Zohar the connection between “sin crouches” and the evil inclination and the sitra achra is discussed – as a spiritual force that tries to take hold of a person through “the door”. Alongside this the principle remains that the ability is given to the person: “and you will rule over it”. The points are presented here as a summarized idea from the Zohar without quoting word for word.
The writings of Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Ari) – various gates
In several places in the Ari’s writings it is explained that “the door” also hints at a spiritual gate between worlds; a person’s action opens a gate to holiness or, heaven forbid, to a drawing of sustenance by the kelipah. “And its desire is towards you” is explained as the desire of external forces to draw from the holiness within the person; “and you will rule over it” – the person, as the crown of creation, can subdue the forces and return them to holiness. These matters are phrased conceptually and not as a quote.
The words of Rabbi Nachman – as presenting an idea
In the spirit of Breslov: every spiritual ascent opens a “door” of challenge, and sometimes specifically near the ascent the temptation increases. The idea is not to be broken by the challenge, but to see it as part of the path through which a person merits to “rule” over his inclination. There is no citation of a specific section in Likutei Moharan, and we are not quoting a phrase; this is a general description of the idea.
Concise summary:
- Every spiritual trial is a “door”.
- The evil inclination crouches there, because it is sent from Heaven to test the person.
- If you do good – “you will be uplifted” – you will be elevated.
- If not – the inclination waits, but it cannot impose itself.
- A person can always rule over it.
