Ask the Rabbi
S6K: Why is Seth the one “in the likeness of Adam” instead of Adam’s firstborn, Cain?
Clarification: Rabbi Eliahu Levenson: Please give me the Verse you are looking at please.
S6K: Sorry, Rabbi, for not giving the exact verse about Seth.
Genesis 5 opens with the book of the generations of Adam.
In verse 1, it repeated that man was created in the likeness of G-d.
In verse 3, when Adam lived to be 130 years, it says he “fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth.”
If there were 2 previous sons born to Adam and Eve, Cain being the firstborn from the first parents should have been the son after Adam’s likeness and his image. But Scripture chooses to say it was Seth.
Why is this so? Some say that it is because it’s from Seth that humanity comes, but Scripture also gives a genealogy for Cain . . . so humanity comes from Cain as well. Unless the line being traced is to start over with Noah and his sons.
1. Answer: Eliahu Levenson/JewishAnswers.org]
[Wed, Jan 4th 2012 at 10:34 AM]
Shalom,
That is not necessarily a listing of firstborn sons.
It is a listing of the generational progression to Noah, and also a year count to the Flood.
Regards.
2. Answer: Rabbi M. Younger/Aish.com
Shalom –
Thank you for your question.
Rabbi S.R. Hirsch in his commentary to 5:3 points out that the phrase there, “in his form. like his image” is the opposite of 1:26. This possibly teaches us that Sheis was born in an inferior state but nonetheless endowed with the spiritual elements needed (i.e. free will) to fulfill Adam’s
task in the world.
Whereas, we may speculate, Cain had committed his sin and was no longer going to be in that chain of legacy to perform Adam’s original mission. Only the descendents through Sheis were to be the ones to carry on Adam’s mission….
Seforno notes on the words that Sheis was a greater tzaddik than his either of his older brothers (and hence the one to be Adam’s successor). The Ramban says that the phrase just teaches us his great degree of strength and beauty.
I hope that this has been a bit helpful.
With blessings from Jerusalem.
3. Answer: Rabbi Menachem Posner/Chabad.org
About Seth, there are a number of views regarding why the Torah specifically mentions that he was born in Adam’s image. The Targum writes that, as Abel did not survive, there was no point in recounting that he carried on the image of Adam, and Cain was indeed not in the image of Adam. Following this vein, Nachmanides points out that this verse comes almost immediately after we read that Adam was created in the image of G-d. As Seth was the one who became the ancestor of Noah and all subsequent people, telling us that he was in the image of Adam and Adam was in the image of G-d tells us that we too are in the image of G-d.
Please let me know if this helps.
Yours truly.
S6K Commentary:
Three different answers from three rabbis. Are we satisfied? Not quite. It appears that to rabbis, this is not an issue. It is to us who are familiar with Christian teaching on original sin being passed on from the first parents to everyone born thereafter.
To us, it is strange that scripture would make a specific remark about the ‘image’ of the fallen first father (Christianity calls him “Adam”) passing on NOT to his firstborn son Cain, nor to second-born Abel, but to Seth who is presumably third in line (though we’re not sure).
If there was indeed such an evil taintedness as “original sin” on all humanity after the first man and woman disobeyed and failed the test in Eden, then it makes sense that ‘Adam’s’ fallen image would have been inherited by Cain and Abel. Well, Cain did become a murderer of his brother; but Abel was described as anything but fallen or evil-inclined, in fact his offering was acceptable to the Creator.
If this is not an issue with the rabbis (Judaism does not believe in nor teach inherited ‘original sin’), it should be an issue with Christianity. And that is why we asked this question in the first place.
The rabbis teach that each person has an ‘evil inclination’ . . . only an inclination, get it? Not an evil nature, as in fallen, damned, unable to choose nor do any good. Everyone ever born on this earth is free to follow either his good inclination or his evil inclination. The evil inclination is there only because man is endowed with free will and freedom of choice. This requires that man has a minimum of two options: to do good, or not good. What does ‘good’ mean in scripture?
The Creator was pleased with His creation and declared it “good” and “very good” — meaning, everything created fulfills the purpose for which it was created. Everything, except the creature that was made in the Creator’s image who has the ability and capability to choose not to fulfill his/her purpose, and that is humanity.
For now, we will leave the discussion at that and pick up this topic in later articles. Please read this post for further clarification:
NSB@S6K