Daily Zohar # 4923 – Beresheet – Why Cain killed Moses

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Hebrew translation:

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Zohar Beresheet
Continued from previous DZ
#284
At that time, the erev rav will be eradicated from the world. Then it will be said of Israel and Moses, each and every one with their true mate (bat zug), ‘וַיִּהְיוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם עֲרוּמִּים… וְלֹא יִתְבֹּשָׁשׁוּ’—’ And they were both naked… and they were not ashamed’ (Genesis 2:25). This means that they will not need garments to cover their nakedness (עֶרְוָה), for the nakedness—namely, the erev rav who caused exile (galut) in the world—will have been removed from the world.
Notes:
The verse “And they were both naked… and they were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25) is interpreted Kabbalistically. In the pre-sin state of Eden, Adam and Eve’s “nakedness” signified spiritual purity, free from the shame associated with sin. The Zohar equates the “nakedness” that requires covering in exile with the erev rav, whose presence introduces spiritual impurity and shame. In the time of Mashiach, with the erev rav eradicated, there is no need for “garments” (symbolizing protective barriers like the “wall of fire” or Gevurah’s enclosure), as Malchut and Israel’s souls are fully rectified and pure.

#285
Regarding the erev rav, it is said, ‘וְהַנָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוּם’—’ And the serpent (the Snake, נחש) was cunning’ (Genesis 3:1), for the serpent was cunning (ערום) to do evil more than all the beasts, which are the nations of the world (idol-worshippers). The erev rav are the offspring of the primordial serpent (נחש) that seduced Eve with the Tree of Knowledge. The erev rav are the impurity that the serpent instilled in Eve. This means, as it is said, ‘The serpent came upon Eve and instilled impurity in her,’ referring to the erev rav who were intermingled with the souls that Eve bore, considered as impurity relative to the souls.
From that impurity, which is the aspect of the erev rav, Cain emerged. Therefore, he killed Abel, the shepherd of flocks, of whom it is said, ‘בְּשַׁגַּם הוּא בָשָׂר’—’ For that he too is flesh’ (Genesis 6:3). ‘בְּשַׁגַּם’ refers to Abel, and certainly to Moses, for ‘בְּשַׁגַּם’ is numerically equivalent to Moshe (345 in gematria). Moses is known to be a reincarnation of the soul of Abel (הבל). Thus, the word ‘בְּשַׁגַּם’ alludes to Abel and Moses. Therefore, Abel was a shepherd of flocks like Moses, and Cain, who killed him, effectively killed Moses. He did this through the power of the erev rav that was intermingled in his soul, and he was the firstborn son of Adam. This means that the impurity was intermingled in Cain’s soul and not in Abel’s soul because Cain was the firstborn who emerged first after the sin of the Tree of Knowledge. Therefore, all the impurity of the Snake came forth in him.

Notes:
Cain, as the firstborn after the sin, inherited the full force of the serpent’s impurity (zuhama d’chivya), which led him to kill Abel, the “shepherd of flocks” (Genesis 4:2). Abel is linked to Moses, who is also described as a shepherd (Exodus 3:1), through the concept of gilgul (reincarnation). The Zohar cites Genesis 6:3, “For that he too is flesh” “בְּשַׁגַּם הוּא בָשָׂר”, noting that ‘בְּשַׁגַּם’ (numerically 345) equals Moshe in gematria, indicating that Moses is a reincarnation of Abel’s soul.
Cain’s act of killing Abel is thus seen as an attack on Moses’ soul, driven by the erev rav’s impurity within Cain. This reflects the ongoing spiritual conflict between purity (Malchut, Abel, Moses) and impurity (erev rav, Cain) throughout history.

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