Sibling Rivalry

Sibling rivalry is a predominant theme throughout all of Genesis. Of course every family is different; some siblings may have an amazing relationship, while others despise each other. There is always more to any story; the underlaying causes of sibling rivalry. Why does this happen? Can this rivalry be prevented? In this paper I am going to examine a few stories, some worse than others, and try and go behind the scenes. If the story of Cain and Abel took place today, it may be referred to as ‘The Crime of the Century.’ They were the first siblings on this earth, and their story may possibly be the most tragic case of sibling rivalry of them all. Their parents were the first humans, they had to learn almost everything on their own. The only one guiding them was G-d, and that was all they knew. When they had their children they were absent from their lives much more than they should have been. They were still exploring life and all the earth had to offer. Two offerings were made by the children, G-d only accepted one. According to Elie Wiesel, Cain was the first one to think of doing something nice for G-d by bringing him a gift, and Abel followed his brother. When Cain’s offererings were rejected, he became so upset, he went and murdered his brother. This story is filled with questions; the slaughter happened so quickly and only basic background information was provided. Abel (a keeper of the sheep), offered G-d an animal sacrifice, while Cain (a tiller of the soil) offered fruit. Why did G-d only accept Abel’s offering and was He in any way responsible for the crime? Wiesel wonders if G-d thought that Abel’s offerings were better than that of his brothers. But almost turns down that idea because he believes the value of a gift does not really matter to G-d. Nahum N. Sarna has a slightly different outlook regarding if G-d did in fact accept what Abel brought him. It seemed like Able took the time to chose the best of his flock, while Cain just