The City Builder

It was a singular moment in history, as Kayin raised his hand against his brother Hevel and murdered him. Condemned as a result to an existence without respite, a wanderer, Kayin’s fate seemed sealed. What was he to make of the remaining time? Well, the Torah tells us in an easily overlooked verse: he built a city.

The Torah describes Kayin’s punishment for murdering Hevel as follows (Bereishit 4:12):

“’When you till the soil, it will not continue to give its strength to you; you shall be a wanderer and an exile in the land”

Kayin responds with a concern that he might be killed due to the punishment, to which God responds with a sign placed on Kayin, warning others not to try and kill him. The Torah then says (ibid 16-17):

“And Cain went forth from before the Lord, and he dwelt in the land of the wanderers, to the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Chanoch, and he was building a city, and he called the city after the name of his son, Chanoch”

Almost as an afterthought, we are told that Kayin built a city. Why is this important for us to know? Why name it after his son Chanoch?

However, there is a more critical issue here. The idea of building a city implies settling down, putting down roots in a specific place. This would appear to be in direct contradiction to the punishment handed down to Kayin. He was meant to wander the world, not build a city. How does the punishment work with his city-building project?

Ramban offers a compelling rationale for Kayin’s actions.  Kayin viewed his fate as being one of a wanderer. After he had a son, he began building the city for his son to live in. He named the city after his son to demonstrate it was not being built for his own usage. Ramban then points out that the Torah uses the term “building”, rather than “he built”. This difference in language implies that Kayin’s actions were cursed, as he would build a small amount, then wander, then return back and build a little more. This Sisyphean challenge reflects the very tension between his punishment and his attempt to remain stationary.

Malbim elucidates this episode in a much different manner. Kayin engaged in repentance, exhibited through his decision to build the aforementioned city. Kayin understood the momentous nature of his vile action, and the precedent it could set for how one man relates to his neighbor. In order to fix this problem, he builds a city, a place where people would gather together and create laws. In essence, man would assist his fellow man. He then agrees with Ramban, where due to the nature of his punishment, Kayin was unable to complete the building of the city.

When analyzing these two explanations, we are still left grasping for more. Per the Ramban, what was Kayin’s motivation to build the city, and why is the Torah informing us of this activity? Malbim certainly offers a more creative answer, but we still need to understand the importance of this constructive enterprise, and why it was recorded for posterity.

The starting point lies in understanding the nature of Kayin’s sin, and the rationale for God’s punishment. The Torah contrasts Kayin’s profession to Hevel’s, where Kayin was a farmer and his brother a shepherd. When it comes time to bring some type of offering to God, Kayin chooses from his produce; Rashi notes that he brought the inferior produce. Hevel, on the other hand, brought the first born animals as offerings. God seemed more inclined to the offering of Hevel, leading to Kayin’s anger and subsequent murder of Hevel. God confronts Kayin, and, shockingly, does not punish him with death. Instead, he consigns him to a life in exile. Many commentaries note that this punishment echoes that given to the “accidental” murderer who is sent to the city of refuge. One obvious conclusion is that Kayin was not considered to be a murderer in any “classic” sense; after all, there was no precedent for his behavior. It is possible that the issue here is deeper than the violence exhibited by Kayin.

Why did Kayin bring the inferior part of his produce as an offering to God, rather than the best? Kayin represented a certain type of relationship man forged with the physical world. He toiled and worked, and the results of his hard work was the subsequent produce. His entire security was tied to this activity, as was his sense of accomplishment and self-worth. Where was God in this picture? There was no empirical evidence of any direct involvement by the Creator. Sure, God had some part to play, but it was minimal at best. Thus, no need to bring the best of the best. God’s punishment severed Kayin’s relationship with this world, now subject to a life of where the physical world would no longer be the source for his worldview.

The commentaries noted above pick up from this point. It would appear that Kayin chose to build a city as part of a process of repentance. Wandering the land, without a permanent home, allowed Kayin to reflect on his flaws and the path that led him to his destructive action. Ramban sees Kayin’s flaw tied to his ego, where working the land and benefiting from its produce was self-serving. Kayin now understood that he needed to view this relationship from a different vantage point. Working the land reinforced an outsized view of importance; however, man cannot be completely divorced from the world around him. Thus, the building of the city for his son. Building a city requires being constructive, creating something new; in other words, another opportunity to reflect on his own achievements and forget God. Kayin knows better, though. The city is being built for his son to live in, toil and work for a selfless cause. On a simple level, Kayin is attempting to rectify his flaw by turning his creative attention away from the self.

Malbim, however, sees Kayin as remedying the result of his flaw, namelt the murder of his brother. Kayin comprehends the path that led him to kill his brother, and comes to terms with the heinousness of the sin. He now sets out to build a city, to construct a society where mankind can join together and enact laws and decrees. A society allows for interactions and relationships. Rational laws can be created, ensuring for the success of the society. Murder can never be eradicated, but its immorality can be taught and punishments doled out to those who kill. In Kayin’s eyes, the building of a city meant the creation of an environment in direct contrast to the individualistic mindset that led to this sin. The city of Chanoch would serve as the ideal remedy to the act of murder.

Kayin’s life after his sin was defined by nomadic travels and insecurity. However, he recognized the opportunity to correct his defects, and building the city of Chanoch manifested his intentions of repentance. While he committed a terrible crime, he was able to reflect properly on what led him down the path. He serves as an early example of the ideal of repentance and how man always has the ability to change his ways. Indeed, he built a city.