Status Games - Abel and Cain

 Last Friday, 2 October, I was at a roundtable on social cohesion with the Australian education minister, Jason Clare, where I noticed that several people standing near me had little gold pins with a blue dot in the middle, similar to the one I was wearing. I also noticed that one man’s pin didn’t have a blue dot because he outranked the rest of us. If I was dishonest, I would make a joke about all the pins; in fact, I was tempted to do so on the day. However, I will admit to feeling some pride that the work I have done and continue to do has been recognised by my being awarded the Member of Australia honour. I also admit to feeling honoured to be in the company of others whose efforts were recognised. My only regret is that there are some unsung heroes whose much-deserved recognition is lacking. It got me thinking about the role that status plays in our lives.

In his book The Status Game (1), Will Storr argues – and I partially agree with him - that human behaviour is driven by an on-going game to gain social rank and status. Historically, having high status meant better access to better food, mates and safety. Storr describes three types of status games:

a) dominance games: forcing or intimidating others to submit, using fear and power.
b) virtue games: proving moral superiority, duty or selflessness within a group.
c) success/competence games: achieving prestige through skills, knowledge or achievements.

The quest for status – especially but not limited to dominance games - is often measured in terms of one’s rank in comparison to others, and it can be very destructive. The Talmud states that envy, lust and the pursuit of honour cause people to be removed from the world (2). Status anxiety can cause illness. Often, the stress involved in status-related conflict – where people are fighting to be seen as the “good one” and the victim and to position the other as the villain – can have serious health impacts.

It is really important to mitigate the harm of one person gaining status at the expense of others. At this roundtable, participants were asked to stand near a poster with the name of a value that they would be prepared to sacrifice. The values were based on the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values (3). The values we used were Achievement, Benevolence & Loyalty (to the people close to you), Change, Conformity, Hedonism, Humility, Self-Direction/ Self-Expression, Peace, Power, Security, Tradition, Universalism and Dignity for all. Some participants stood at Tradition as something they would trade in favour of Change, others at Conformity that they saw as destructive. I stood at Power, because I am concerned that the exercise of power by one person is often at the cost of the dignity of another.

In our work in Together for Humanity, we recently invited young people to consider the trade-offs between values to make better choices. One group of girls reflected that their value of power made them act like “control freaks” at the expense of their values of respect for others and cooperation. I told participants at the roundtable that preaching respect is not enough to defeat hatred and discrimination. Perhaps, thinking more deeply about values trade-offs can lead to better results.

Fortunately, in cases where a win-win is possible, there is no need for trade-offs. One insight about this is the Jewish teaching, “Who is respected? Those who respect all people.” (4) Starr points out that there are multiple ways to play the “status game”, in some of these approaches, we can spread high status around.

One way of understanding the story of Cain and Abel is as a catastrophic status game. The siblings’ rivalry began with arguments about which of their occupations – farming or being a shepherd – was more worthy (5). The offerings the two brothers brought to God (6) were an attempt to get God to referee their status game (7). The enduring shame (8) and anger that Cain felt in seeing his brother recognised by God while he and his offering were rejected led him to murder his brother. This is therefore a cautionary tale about the harmful aspects of the status game and an invitation to play it differently.

Going back to the roundtable I mentioned at the start of this blog, among the participants were an Aboriginal elder, a female academic who is both Muslim and a migrant, a passionate feminist, representatives of the Ethics Centre, people of Jewish heritage and someone working on Anzac Day remembrance. It was wonderful to see the dignity of all participants and the communities they represent affirmed on this occasion. We might not all have had pins in our lapels,
but the body language of all participants made it clear that the status of all was recognised.  

1)      Storr, W. (2021). The Status Game: On human life and how to play it. William Collins.

2)      Pirkey Avot – Ethics of the Fathers, 4:21

3)      Schwartz, S. H. (2012). An overview of the Schwartz theory of basic values. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2.1

4)      Pirkey Avot – Ethics of the Fathers, 4:1

5)      Abarbanel’s commentary on Genesis 4:1-8, Chorev Edition, p. 221

6)      Genesis 4:3

7)      Abarbanel, p. 222

Sa’adiya Gaon

A Moment in Anger, A Lifetime in Goodwill. Rosh Hashana

I recently delivered a keynote at the MacKillop Institute’s “Lead the Way” conference about how I cared for myself and supported members of my Australian Jewish community. I reflected on the middle ground between anger and absence of anger, between ignoring danger and debilitating anxiety and between shamelessness and persistent shame. This is the path I have walked since the mass murder of 15 people at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025. The multiple emotions that I have navigated have been heavy.

 

The feelings of loss and hurt are varied and I make no judgement on how others deal with their pain. However, we can still explore different ways of striving for emotional wellbeing to get to as good a place as possible.  After all, however difficult it may be to receive emotional support, the cost of not getting relief is high.

Limited Duration Emotions

In Genesis (1), Cain felt angry and his “face fell” after his offering of fruit was rejected by God. The fallen face is a classic shame response. God challenged Cain with two questions. The first was; why was Cain angry? The second question was, “Why has your face fallen?” While Cain had failed to please God with his offering, and an initial feeling of shame was understandable, ruminating on rejection that led to persistent shame was not helping Cain.

One of the Chasidic masters compared a person in a low mood to a wrestler who is feeling down and can be easily defeated by a weaker but positive opponent (2). If we allow our negative emotions to drag us down, we won’t have the energy we need to prevail over our inner struggles. 

Trying to deny or squash one’s emotions does not work because they, especially fear and anger, are like alarm clocks, natural alerts telling us that a response is needed.  If I feel anger because something is wrong, and it leads me to have an adrenaline spike and I use this emotion as fuel to motivate myself and others to change something specific, then the anger is clearly beneficial.

However, we can regulate our emotions to feel them for shorter amounts of time. Emotions are like an alarm clock - anger, fear, etc are a response to a situation to alert us that a response might be needed. Once our alarm clock rings, we need to switch it off. For those of us who are in the habit of scrolling social media, we have ongoing stimuli that trigger ongoing emotions. It is like spending the whole day with an alarm clock ringing at top volume.

When strong emotions such as fear, anger or despair become more pervasive and semi-permanent, they start to eat away at our well-being, with diminishing returns in terms of righting any wrongs or solving any problems.

Another argument for shortened anger can be made based on a psalm referring to divine anger. “For one moment, I find myself in His anger, a lifetime in His goodwill” (3) The Talmud states that God’s anger lasts for one 16^th of a second, every day! (4)

A values Star

Another factor is inner coherence. My clarity about my principles and my work with Muslims and others was strong enough to dismiss an angry outburst at a cemetery at the end of the funeral of a friend killed at Bondi, on 16 December, just two days after the murders. A man yelled at me that “my Muslims” did this and included some profanities.  The reason this rant did not hurt me was, first, that his accusation was absurd. But second, I have been on a journey toward what I call having a settled soul that comes from internal clarity.  

The Together for Humanity team was working recently with some 13-year-old girls at a Jewish school. Out of a menu of 18 values, we asked the girls to prioritise five or six values and paint a wooden star to depict their choses top values. The purpose of this exercise was to give the students representations of their values to help them navigate life and be less thrown by strong emotions.

The process for selecting the values drew on the Schwartz theory of basic human values, which encompasses hedonism or fun and the desire for power and control as well as care for others, universalism and tradition. We hope that a clearer sense of their most important values would make the girls less vulnerable to the judgement of others; when we know who we are, others’ representation of us matters less.

Ruminating after Bondi

One form of fear I have noticed recently in the Jewish community is a persistent anxiety or heaviness – which of course is completely understandable. The anxiety is made worse for some people in the community by ruminating on everything that is wrong and terrible, fed by doom-scrolling and endless circular conversations in person and on WhatsApp. Being more intentional about our attention might help some people, at least some of the time. My reduced use of social media in general – at least a lot of the time – has been very helpful to me.

Hope

Despite all the concerns, I remain hopeful – at least some of the time - and I have spoken to Jewish communities around Australia, arguing against voices of despair.

When I spoke to a Jewish community in Perth, some in the audience said that all hope was lost for Jewish people in Australia and that we need to move to other countries. They argued that our time is similar to what they experienced in the former Soviet Union or what happened with the Nazis in the lead-up to the Holocaust.

I acknowledged that there are legitimate safety concerns, that there are people who wish to do us harm and are prepared to put such wishes into action. On the other hand, there are important differences between what is happening now and what happened in the past, and the future is still up for grabs. The future has not happened yet. There are decisions being made now that can take our country in a good direction. We can improve education in schools to encourage intercultural curiosity and wellbeing for all; we can have leadership in the public sphere that pushes back on narratives that represent people as less than others or collectively deserving of hatred. 

The same group of Jewish girls I mentioned earlier met a Muslim woman in a hijab whom I will call Fatima. Fatima talked to the girls about her experience at their age of attending a government school in regional Australia and craving to fit in and blend in. Despite this desire, she kept her scarf on because this was important to her as a young person of faith. The Jewish girls applauded her choice. In doing so, they not only showed care and respect for another, but also normalised their own place in multi-faith Australia. The warmth and love shown by those girls gives me hope.

We can be furious and fearful about specific behaviours and harm and take ethically considered action to respond to those emotions in ways that address the problem without causing unjustified harm. Then we can be intentional about directing our attention to thoughts and stimuli and self-care practices that enable us to be calm in ourselves and caring toward our neighbours. Renewing our social contract and flourishing together requires nothing less.

Notes

1)       Genesis, 4:5

2)       Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, in Tanya chapter 26

3)       Psalm 30:6

4)       Talmud, Brachot, 7a 

Dominance vs Acceptance and Lamekh’s Song

After a soul-replenishing walk the other day, I walked out of the bush onto a path where I saw a little dog ahead. From the dog’s perspective, a strange man was approaching and this was a problem. A few loud barks did not persuade the man to back off  ̶  he continued to approach. This required an escalation: first circling the stranger and barking even more menacingly and then a warning bite! The bite through my clothing didn’t pierce the skin, but the dog had asserted itself!  

Unlike that dog, humans have choices. Situations that at first may feel adversarial can be resolved through conversations that uncover misunderstandings or alternative solutions. I have been working on acceptance of how things are, and letting go of expectations about how others “should” be or behave. We have a choice about how we react to anxiety either by seeking to control others, or by letting go (1), with trust in God and respect for others’ right to choose what they wish to do or give.  

In Genesis, we read about Cain, whose name means “acquisition” (2). When his brother Abel’s offering was favoured by God, while his was rejected (3), Cain failed to “acquire” the approval he craved. His “face fell (4) ”. In his status anxiety, Cain failed to follow God’s guidance to improve himself and manage his drives or impulses (5). Instead, in an outburst of violence, he murdered his brother. The anger he felt was so overwhelming that he thought – in error – that he had no choice in the matter (6) .

Worse than crimes of passion are acts of violence and ways of unethical domination that are not impulsive but premeditated (7). When some people see the ways that intimidating others can allow them to take what they want, they either inflict violence or threaten to do so to get their way (8).

Cain’s descendant Lemekh embraced violence. He had contempt for the “respectable people” of his time, descendants of Adam and Eve’s other son Seth, who shunned the Cainites because of their murderous and condemned ancestor (9). Lemekh tried to revise history, creating myths to recast Cain as a hero. “Our father Cain did not wimpishly relinquish his status as the firstborn son of Adam and Eve. When he was insulted by Abel and God, Cain defended his honour (10)”. In this way, Lemekh thought that Cain had been rehabilitated, and the Cainites had restored their past glory.

Lemekh was wrong. Rather than him changing the past, the past was a strong influence on him and his family. Wicked ways that are deeply embedded in people’s hearts, such as Cain’s embrace of murder, anger and dominance, can be perpetuated in families (11), an example of “visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children… (12)”. Indeed, Tuval Cain, one of Lemekh’s sons, built on his ancestor’s murderous legacy (13) by being the first to create weapons (14).

Tuval Cain’s siblings were all pioneers, one in developing agri-business (15) and the accumulation of wealth (16), another in the arts, the “father” of all musicians (17), and their sister Naama was a talented singer (18). The siblings complemented Lemekh’s repair of the past by creating a glorious future (19).

After the description of Lemekh’s talented family in the Tanach, there is a plot twist. Lemekh tells his wives that he killed a man and a boy (20) in retaliation (21) for some kind of wound and a bruise. Lemekh’s story about these killings is in the form of a song (22), a war song, as Biblical songs tend to be (23). It is a dramatic warning to his wives that he is far tougher than Cain and if they dare defy his wishes, such defiance will be met with violent vengeance and him killing them. This was his way of dominating his wives as if they were slaves, or property, for him to do with as he pleased (24).

      
An alternative interpretation identifies the slain man and boy as Lemekh’s ancestor Cain and his own son Tuval Cain, killed in a series of accidents, rather than acts of vengeance (25). Lemekh’s song is seen as a bitter “last testament of a Cainite seer. (26)” Instead of the pride and joy in his family’s accomplishments, Lemekh sees the symbolism of his killing his ancestor and son as representing the failure of the Cainite approach. “Alas, I have not rehabilitated my ancestor, I killed him! I murdered the youth! And in doing so, I inflicted the deepest wound on myself! We have destroyed the past and the future and gained no present.” Lemekh recognised that he was morally damaged, “bruised and wounded (27) ” by the legacy of anger and murder that he inherited from Cain and that shaped him and his weapons-manufacturing son, Tuval-Cain (28).  Lemekh declared: “Cain-ism must be repudiated!”

Lemekh’s lament is a call for us to reject dominance in favour of humble acceptance of that which we cannot control.  His song is about the ultimate painful cost of coercion and threats that far exceed any short-term benefits.  Inflicting or threatening “punishments” can destroy family ties and friendships (29), often with great harm to the perpetrator. Instead, let us affirm the dignity and rights of all people, with assertiveness, forgiveness, patience, tolerance, curiosity and compassion.   

---

[1]Jeffers, S. (2012), Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway, Revised, Vermilion, London, p. 232-233

[2] Genesis 4:1

[3] Genesis 4:3-5

[4] Genesis 4:5-6

[5] Genesis 4:7

[6] Leiner, J, the son of the Ishbitzer, in Beis Yaakov al Hatora, Bereshit, 70, on Sefaria https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.4.23?lang=he&with=Beit%20Yaakov%20on%20Torah&lang2=he  

[7] Liebovitz, N, New Studies In Bereshit Genesis, 6, p. 46, I use the term unethical domination to exclude cases where legitimate authority is exercised eg. by the parent of a young child about to cause harm to themselves or others, or a police officer protecting a vulnerable person from someone seeking to harm them.  

[8] Genesis, 6:2, “the sons of the powerful saw the daughters of man, that they were good and they took women from all that they chose”

[9] R Ephrayim, based on a lost midrash, cited in Azulai, C. Y. D. Chidoh, in Torat Hachido, p. 38- 115 

[10] Medan, Y. The Song of Lemekh – The First Song in the Bible, https://etzion.org.il/en/tanakh/torah/sefer-bereishit/parashat-bereishit/bereishit-song-lemekh-%E2%80%93-first-song-bible

[11] Talmud, Berakhot 7a, as interpreted by Medan, Y. following the approach of Ralbag on the Torah, Shemot 20:1:3, and Leiner,

[12] Exodus 34:7

[13] Rashi, on Genesis 4:22

[14] Genesis 4:22

[15] Hirsch, S.R. on Genesis 4:21

[16] Malbim on Genesis 4:21

[17] Genesis 4:21

[18] Me’am Loez

[19] Hirsch, S.R. on Genesis 4:21

[20] Genesis 4:23

[21] Malbim’s commentary to 4:23, C. Y. D. Chidoh, in Torat Hachido, p. 38- 115, Medan, Y.

[22] Hirsch, S.R. on Genesis 4:23

[23] Medan, Y.

[24] Malbim

[25] Midrash Tanchuma

[26] Hirsch

[27] Genesis 4:23

[28] Leiner, Y, 71

[29] Perhaps there is a difference where relationships fail because people cannot bear to be in the presence of someone and continuing to be together will cause distress or emotional harm, and other situations where such differences can likely be tolerated but the effort is not made due to either a sense – perhaps sub-conscious - that the other person deserves to be punished or of righteous indignation. 

An Angel’s Touch and the Melancholy Murders Rabbi’s Talk at Mosque on Mental Health

An edited version of my talk at Dural Musalah on a panel with Imam Farhan Khalil 10.02.2019

One day, I stood in my school library and looked at the bookshelves. I was not looking for a book. I was just feeling down. A fellow student named Yossi came into the library and asked me what was wrong. I could tell, from the way he talked, from his tone and body language, that he cared. So I blurted out that I was never going to be anyone, I would never end up doing anything exciting in my life, I would be one of the “botched and befuddled, huddled masses” that Robin Williams’ character talked about in the movie “The Fisher King”. Yossi asked me why I thought this. “Because I am a yukel!” (1)I replied. "That’s why!” He said I should not believe that about myself. 

I have never forgotten that very short, caring conversation Yossi and I had, as 15 year old boys, over thirty years ago. He was like an angel sent to me when I needed it. I reiterate Imam Farhan’s guidance in his talk prior to mine: if we see someone who is feeling down and we are approached for moral support, we must make the time to provide it.  

In addition to the support we get from each other, we can also, as the Imam stated, draw strength from our faith. One lesson in my tradition is that God has infinite capacity for forgiveness:  if He can forgive me, surely, I can forgive myself (2). 

We must differentiate between clinical depression and low moods, because these are not identical phenomena; however there is certainly overlap between these states (3). I agree with the Imam that there are situations when professional help is the responsible path to take. However, it is also useful to explore how our mental state is influenced by our spirituality, and how our mental state, in turn, can impact on the spiritual and ethical dimensions of our lives. 

Sadness is quite appropriate and beneficial (4) at certain times. For example, sadness can lead to repentance, reflection, or heightened sensitivity to the plight of others. Being sad or depressed is not shameful. The secondary suffering that comes from people feeling ashamed that they are not upbeat all the time, is terribly harmful and unwarranted. It is ok, sometimes, to not feel ok. Furthermore, if I feel disappointed about my energy levels, I can remind myself that  I am not to blame for my nature because “I have not created myself” (5). However, I need to balance my rejection of shame and guilt about my sadness with recognition of its possible harmful repercussions. 

My community, the Hasidim, say: ”Melancholy is not a sin, but the spiritual damage it can do, no sin can do.” (6) This assertion is explained by using a metaphor of physical wrestlers. If one wrestler is in good spirits and the other is sluggish and sad, the weaker wrestler who is in high spirits, can easily overcome his sluggish, stronger opponent (7). The same is true for the inner jihad, the spiritual struggle with oneself (8). If we are in deep sadness, we have little energy to overcome our evil inclination, the “Nefesh Habehamis”, our animal soul, or, as Muslims might refer to it, the “Nafs” (9). Although depression is not shameful, it is often spiritually inconvenient.
  

The destructive potential of melancholy can be linked to the Genesis account of Cain, the son of Adam and Eve. He brought an offering to God of the fruit of the land. His brother Abel also brought an offering, of the firstborn of his flocks and of their fattest. The Lord turned to Abel and to his offering. But to Cain and to his offering, He did not turn. This angered Cain exceedingly, and “his face fell” (10). Cain was “despising himself” (11) when he saw how God not only rejected his poor quality offering, but him personally, as a lowly person, of poor character (12). 

God invited Cain to reflect on his anger and dejection, but Cain declined. Shortly thereafter, Cain murdered his brother Abel. 

Another example is the story of King Ahab and Naboth:

Naboth had a vineyard next to the palace of Ahab, the king of Samaria. Ahab asked Naboth to sell him the vineyard. Naboth refused to sell the inheritance of his forefathers to the King. “Ahab came to his house sad and upset because of [Naboth’s refusal]. He lay on his bed, turned his face away, and did not eat bread”. Queen Jezebel advised Ahab to frame Naboth. "Proclaim a fast and place Naboth in the forefront of the people. Set up two wicked men opposite him and they will testify [falsely] against him saying, 'You have cursed God and the king.'”  The plan went ahead and Naboth was killed. Ahab then stole the vineyard (13). 

In both of these cases, the murderer was in a poor mental state prior to the crime. Neither man received or, in the case of Cain, accepted help to deal with this. 

A third man was even more depressed. Elijah, the prophet, wanted to die. Terribly frustrated by the ongoing pressures (14) and disheartened, he would not eat. He just lay down in the shade and slept. But he got help. An angel touched him, woke him and urged him to eat. He ate a little bit but went back to sleep. The angel touched him again and urged him to eat (15). 

After the second “angel’s touch”, Elijah rose. Now, two of our stories converge. Elijah was sent to King Ahab with a stinging rebuke about what he did to Naboth, “Have you murdered and also inherited?!” (16).

To look after ourselves and each other emotionally and mentally, is a challenging religious responsibility.  Feeling depressed is not shameful; it is, at least partly, God’s doing. Many of us have experienced depression at some stage of our lives; in fact, it has even afflicted biblical prophets and kings. Sometimes, people need to be alone in their sadness. This must be respected. However, there are other situations where there is a need for, and openness to, being touched by an angel. Let us be that angel for those who are open to it. Further, when need support ourselves, let us find the strength to seek it, when it is right for us. Let us try our best to accept support by those angels who offer a loving touch. 

Notes: 

Thanks for inspiration on this topic to Rabbi Nicole Guzik and her article https://namisanmateo.org/judaism-and-mental-illness/

1)  The Yiddish word “yukel”, as we used it in our subculture, could be translated as a loser, and has connotations of weakness, the opposite of someone charismatic and at the top of the social food chain. 

2) Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, in Tanya, Igeret Hateshuva, chapter 11  

3) Lomas, T. (2016) The Positive Power of Negative Emotions, Piatkus, p. 48

4) Proverbs 14:23, Lomas, T. (2016) The Positive Power of Negative Emotions

5)  Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, in Tanya, chapter 31

6)  R. Aharon 'HaGadol’ of Karlin, cited in HaTomim, (1936) Feigin, R. Y. Vol. 4, Warsaw, Summer (Tammuz) p.58 [in the original publication, 388 in printed version], 

7)   Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, in Tanya chapter 26

8)  Well-known Islamic teaching, about the greater jihad being the battle within oneself. Also cited in R. Bachya ibn Pakuda in Chovot Halevavot, but attributed to an anonymous “pious one”. 

9)  S and Sh sounds are interchangeable in Hebrew, the Hebrew word Nefesh, soul, appears linked to the Arabic word Nafs. 

10)  Genesis 4:3-6 

11)  Midrash Hagadol, cited in Torah Shlaima, p. 312, 44. 

12)  Chasam Sofer commentary to Genesis 4:4-5, he draws attention to the lengthy wording in both verses.  The LORD paid heed to Abel and to his offering, and again, but to Cain and to his offering, He paid no heed.

13)  Kings I, 21:1-16

14)  Targum Yonatan Ben Uziel, on Kings I, 19:4

15)   Kings I, 19:4-8

16)  Kings I, 21:19

Murder in Parramatta: Cain, shame and responsibility – Bereshit

One image has been playing on my mind since the murder of Curtis Cheng: the 15 year old killer waving his gun in the air and shouting. I see a link to the young murderer in Oregon who reportedly wrote that mass killings can get a person “known by no one” into the limelight.1

I do not have access to evidence about these murders. Instead I will tap traditional teachings for some possible insights. Escaping shame is a major factor in the first recorded murder I am aware of, that of Abel by his brother Cain. The vain, honor seeking2 younger brother Abel and his older brother Cain wanted God to settle the question which of them was greater, the shepherd Abel or the farmer Cain. They each brought offerings, but Cain and his offering were ignored while God turned to Abel and his offering3, by sending a miraculous fire4 and by blessing Abel with success while Cain’s crops failed. 5 Cain “was despising himself in his own eyes”6 feeling shamed by God,7 his face “blackened like a coal”.8 Cain’s shame then turned into rage, his face burning like fire.9 

One remedy for deep shame involves recognizing that one has a choice10 about the future as well as opportunity to take responsibility for past failure and come to terms with it rather than blaming others.11 God asked Cain why he was so angry and ashamed.12 God drew Cain’s attention to his ability to choose a path that would make him better than Abel.13 Unfortunately Cain chose not to avail himself of this option, instead allowing his anger to lead him to murder. Is there some similarity to Cain’s craving for status due to his shame,  in a 15 year old murderer holding his arm up as high as he can, waving a gun and shouting a religious slogan?  

A year ago another person, also drawn to Islamist extremism, and perhaps also seeking personal redemption though shedding the blood of others, had been dismissed by some as crazy. He was a criminal who victimized the women in his life. Was he viewed as being outside of human society and not quite human?  In some of our traditions Cain is seen in this way: his ‘breed’ “had two heads and four eyes”.14 We are told that his father was not Adam but the snake that impregnated Eve15, or the evil angel Samael.16 While there are reasons to isolate murderers, and to communicate a high level of disgust with their behaviour, the child’s face of the Parramatta killer reminds us of the chilling truth that killers are people like the rest of us.

We are now hearing incessant demands by some for Australian Muslims to “own this crime”. One Muslim writer expressed frustration that Muslims seem to be expected to prevent events like this, despite the obvious fact that this is not something they can guarantee. Italian people are not expected to prevent all “Italian crime”!

In fact, there are local Muslim community workers, including two amazing Sheiks I know, who are undertaking educational work that will hopefully make violent incidents like the Parramatta murder less likely. Some of these workers believe that, given the kind of public conversation we are having, highlighting their work in the media might be seen as conceding some guilt about or association with the crime.

There is always room for improvement, but I wish the degree of acceptance of responsibility for preventive education among Australian Muslims was better known. At the same time, I believe that non-Muslims have responsibility to do our part in ensuring we develop inclusive communities that preserve the dignity of all, thereby reducing the likelihood of school students feeling so alienated that they can be brain-washed to commit murder. 

Religion is sometimes a contributing factor to hostility; but it can also contribute to solutions. In Genesis we see God feeling aggrieved about the state of the world, and his response is to wipe out civilization.17 He is said to be saddened by the “humans on the earth”18, which one commentary interprets as being too much mixed up with matters of the earth, focused on the material and the body rather than the spiritual.19 In the Torah, God eventually promises never to destroy the world again, because he accepts the reality of human frailty. The symbol of this commitment is the rainbow.

As parents of all faiths do their best to raise good children, so do our multi-dimensional communities - via social institutions providing education, health, welfare and policing and in more personal ways in our everyday activities. , In the wake of another tragic murder, I reaffirm my commitment to continue my own efforts to affirm the dignity of all, to try to ensure that shame, when it appears, can be more successfully harnessed for good, rather than become a driver for rage and violence. As flawed humans, people of all ages need to learn how to pursue excellence and success with patience and resilience, and how to promote justice with courage and compassion in a flawed world

 Notes

1.    https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/essay-refusing-to-say-a-killers-name-is-no-more-than-symbolic-empowerment/2015/10/02/2cd2cf7c-6923-11e5-9ef3-fde182507eac_story.html
2.    Abarbanel. The Hebrew name of Abel, Hevel, means air, which can be linked using modern slang to being ‘full of hot air’, the choice of shepherding sheep and “leading them” is seen as reflecting this pursuit of being important. In contrast to this view of Abarbanel, Ohr Hachayim (starting with the words Vateled et Kain) quotes the sages that Cain was of the aspect of evil and Abel was of the aspect of good. A synthesis of the two views might be found in the Ohr Hachayim’s assertion that Abel soul was also that of Moses, that means that Moses was a reincarnation of Abel and that in the wounds inflicted on Abel by Cain he removed the bad elements from Abel’s soul and the pure good was revealed. This is alluded to in the words in Genesis 4:1, “I have acquired a man, God” referring to Moses the man of God who only reached this level of being with God because of the suffering inflicted on him by Cain. This also links to story cited in Meiri about Moses having a flawed character that he overcame by his working on himself.
3.    Genesis 4:4-5
4.    Midrash Hagadol cited in Torah Shlaima, p. 312, 44, Rashi
5.    Pesikta Zuta cited in Torah Shlaima, p. 312, 45
6.    Midrash Hagadol cited in Torah Shlaima, p. 312, 44
7.    Seforno
8.    Minchat Yitzchak, cited and explained in Torah Shlaima, p. 312, footnote to 42
9.    Beresheet Rabba, 22
10.    Seforno on Genesis 4:6
11.    Abarbanel
12.    Genesis 4:6
13.    Abarbanel, this is based on his interpretation of the ambiguous word “Se-et” שאת in Genesis 4:7, which can be translated as forgiven, but also as uplifted as this word is used in Genesis 49:3
14.    Midrash cited in Torah Shlaima, p. 304, footnote 7
15.    Pirkey Drabi Eliezer, cited in Torah Shlaima, p. 304
16.    Pirush Yonatan citing the Midrash
17.    Genesis 6
18.    Genesis 6:5
19.    Radak