Parashat Bereishit: 10 Surprising Facts About Adam, Cain and Abel

Parashat Bereishit contains some of the most familiar stories in the Torah: the creation of the world, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Knowledge, and Cain and Abel.

But beyond the verses themselves, our sages discuss fascinating details that many readers may never have encountered. What language did Adam speak? How long did Abel live? When did animals begin preying on one another?

Here are 10 surprising teachings about the earliest days of the world.

1. Why Did Hashem Create Creeping and Crawling Creatures?

What purpose do creatures that seem unnecessary have in Hashem’s world?

The Jerusalem Talmud teaches that they themselves become an argument for mercy. When people sin, Hashem can look at these creatures and say, in effect: If I sustain creatures that appear unnecessary, how much more so should I sustain human beings, who have a purpose in the world.

(Jerusalem Talmud, Berachot 9:10)

2. What Language Did Adam Speak?

According to one teaching in the Gemara, Adam spoke Lashon HaKodesh, the Holy Tongue. Another opinion associates Adam with Aramaic.

(Sanhedrin 38b)

3. Which Chapters of Tehillim Did Adam Compose?

According to Midrash Talpiyot, Adam recited four chapters of Tehillim:

“The earth is Hashem’s and all that fills it.”

“The heavens declare.”

“A psalm, a song for the day of Shabbat.”

“For the conductor, upon the inheritances.”

(Midrash Talpiyot, Adam)

4. Would Adam Have Lived Forever if He Had Not Eaten From the Tree of Knowledge?

According to Midrash Talpiyot, citing the Zohar, the answer is no. Adam would not necessarily have lived forever, but he would have enjoyed an extraordinarily long life.

5. Which Was Greater: The Pain of Childbirth or the Struggle to Earn a Living?

After the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, Adam and Eve each faced consequences. Eve was told, “In pain you shall bear children,” while Adam was told, “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.”

Which punishment was considered more far-reaching?

The Da’at Zekenim of the Ba’alei HaTosafot explains that Adam’s punishment of laboring for food does not manifest in the same way for everyone, while the pain associated with childbirth applies broadly to women. The source connects the greater scope of Eve’s punishment with the fact that she both sinned and influenced another person to sin.

There is another fascinating teaching about the comparison between the two forms of hardship. The Gemara in Pesachim discusses the tremendous difficulty of earning a livelihood, drawing on the Torah’s language describing Adam’s struggle to obtain food.

(Da’at Zekenim, Bereishit; Pesachim 118a)

6. How Could Eating From the Tree of Knowledge Have Become a Mitzvah?

One opinion identifies the Tree of Knowledge with the grapevine.

According to a teaching cited in Midrash Talpiyot, Adam squeezed grapes and drank their wine on Friday. Had he waited until nightfall, when Shabbat began, the wine could have been used for Kiddush. Instead of violating Hashem’s command, drinking it would then have been connected with a mitzvah.

(Midrash Talpiyot, Adam)

7. When Did Animals Begin Preying on One Another?

According to the Ramban, before Adam’s sin, animals did not prey upon one another but ate vegetation.

Predatory behavior emerged only afterward.

(Ramban on Vayikra 26:6)

8. Who Were the First Twins?

Cain and Abel may have been the world’s first twins.

According to an opinion cited in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, the two brothers were born together.

(Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, chapter 14)

9. How Long Did Abel Live, and How Did Cain Kill Him?

The Torah tells us that “Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him,” but the sages preserve additional traditions about what may have happened.

According to Midrash Talpiyot, Abel lived for only 17 hours before being killed by his brother.

The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh presents an interpretation connecting Abel’s death with the earth itself, explaining that Cain brought him to marshy ground where he was swallowed by the earth. This is connected to the Torah’s later description of the earth opening its mouth to receive Abel’s blood.

(Midrash Talpiyot, Killing of Abel; Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh on Bereishit 4:8)

10. When Was the World’s First “Tsunami”?

Sefer HaYashar describes a devastating event during the generation of Enosh, a period associated with widespread wrongdoing. According to this account, waters overwhelmed part of the world and a third of its inhabitants died.

In modern terms, such an event might be compared to an enormous tsunami, although that is, of course, modern terminology rather than the language of the original source.

(Sefer HaYashar, Parashat Bereishit)

The Mysterious Properties of Stones

Midrash Talpiyot also records an intriguing collection of traditional beliefs about unusual stones and the properties attributed to them.

Among them is the shamir stone, which the source associates with removing kidney stones. Another stone, said to be found in the forehead of a sea hare, is described as having the ability to separate flesh from bone without causing bleeding.

Other stones are associated in the text with everything from hair growth and eye ailments to memory, wealth, protection, and success.

The Elserik stone is described as jumping out of a vessel filled with strong vinegar. The Topatziao stone is associated with eye ailments and is said to cool very hot water. The Tzafiro is connected with reducing excessive sweating and sadness, while the Yatzinto is associated with honor, wisdom, and wealth.

The Ismaraldo is described as benefiting memory, increasing a person’s love of Torah study, and bringing other forms of benefit. The Kristallo is associated with increasing a nursing mother’s milk supply.

Perhaps one of the most unusual descriptions concerns the Cat’s Eye stone. Midrash Talpiyot associates carrying it with prosperity and also records a tradition that linen wrapped tightly around the stone would not burn in fire.

The Gagati is associated with teeth and the revelation of hidden matters, while the Berilo is said to help its bearer prevail in arguments. The Imatitish is described as having a remarkable reaction to poisoned food, and the Lifri is associated with attracting an animal toward a hunter’s trap.

These descriptions reflect traditional beliefs recorded in Midrash Talpiyot and should not be understood as modern medical advice or scientifically established properties of minerals.

Adapted from the book “Beyond the Famous” on Chumash Bereishit, featuring lesser-known teachings from our sages on the weekly parashot and practical halachot.