Villains - Cain/Qayin

(1) ויהי הבל רועה צאן And Hevel was a herder of sheep, for this was a more skilled labour than the labour of working the earth.

...Isn't it true that, if you improve your deeds, it will be forgiven you? But if you don't improve your deeds, your sin is preserved until the Day of Judgment. For in the future you will be called upon to settle accounts if you do not repent. But if you repent, it will be forgiven you.

...Sin crouches - ...There are also those who interpret [this] as "your wrongs will crouch at the grave's opening/petakh on the day of judgment," and they interpret the vav [possessive suffix] of "his yearning / tshuqato" as [referring to] Hevel, and its meaning is: "Why should you get angry that I accepted Hevel's offering, when he moves as you direct and you are like a ruler to him?" And others said [that this refers] to the [evil] impulse/yetzer but this is not [supported in the] text. And these said that "at the gate/petakh of your house your sin crouches" and it goes with you. And some say [that this refers to] the opening / petakh of the mouth, according to the meaning of "Guard your mouth's openings" [Micah 7:5]. But what's correct in my eyes is that sin is apposite and the impulse of the human heart crouches with it...

(1) ויאמר קין אל הבל And Cain spoke to Abel — He began an argument, striving and contending with him, to seek a pretext to kill him. There are Midrashic explanations of these words, but this is the plain sense of the text.

(2) And Cain spoke unto Abel, his brother (Gen. 4:8). What did he say to him? "Let us divide up the world, and I as the elder son will take twice as much." Hevel said to him: "Maybe." Qayin said to him: "If so, I will take as an extra portion to my portion the place where your offering was accepted." Hevel said to him: "You will not take it!" And from this matter the quarrel fell between them, as it says: And it came to pass while they were in the field that Cain arose (ibid.), and it says elsewhere: Zion shall be plowed as a field (Jer. 26:18).

(3) And some say that Qayin said to Hevel: Let us divide the world. And he said to him: Yes. Hevel took his flock and Qayin the earth to work, and they set conditions between them that neither would have any claim against the other. When Hevel took his flock, he began to pasture the sheep, and Qayin chased after him from mountain to valley and valley to mountain, until they grabbed each other, and Hevel overcame Qayin and he fell beneath him. And when Qayin saw it was thus, he began shrieking: "Hevel my brother, do not do evil against me!" And he took pity upon him and set him down, and he stood up and killed him. As it is said: And Qayin arose, on the assumption that he had fallen.

(8) And Qayin said to Hevel his brother, Come, and let us both go forth into the field. And it was that when they both had gone forth into the field, Qayin answered and said to Hevel, I observe that the world was created with mercy, but it is not conducted according to the fruit of good works, for there is respect to persons in judgment. That is why your offering was accepted, and mine not accepted with good will. Hevel answered and said to Qayin, In mercy was the world created, and according to the fruit of good works is it governed; and there is no respect of persons in judgment; but because the fruits of my works were better than yours, my offering was accepted with good will before yours. Qayin answered and said to Hevel, There is neither judgment nor Judge, nor another world; nor will good reward be given to the righteous, nor will accounts be taken from the wicked. And Hevel answered and said to Qayin, There is a judgment, and there is a Judge; and there is another world, and a good reward given to the righteous, and accounts taken from the wicked. And because of these words they contended upon the face of the field; and Qayin arose against Hevel his brother, and plunged a stone into his forehead, and killed him.

...When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Where is Abel, your brother? he replied: “I don't know; am I my brother’s keeper? (Gen. 4:9). You are the guardian of all creatures, yet You are asking for him from my hands!” A parable: To what is this similar? To a thief who steals vessels during the night but is not caught. In the morning, the gatekeeper catches him. He asks him: “Why did you steal those vessels?” He said to him: “I am a thief and I did not set aside my craft. But you - your job is to keep watch at the gate. Why did you set aside your craft, and now you speak to me thus!?” Even so Cain said: “I killed him, but You created the evil inclination within me. You are the guardian of all, why did You let me kill him? It is You who killed him, You who are called the I - [I am the Lord your God (Exod. 20:2)] for if You had accepted my sacrifice like his, I would not have been jealous of him.” Immediately He replied: What have you done? The voice of your brother’s bloods cry out (ibid., v. 10). From here you learn that that he inflicted numerous wounds and blows upon him.

(1) גדול עוני מנשוא My sin is too great to be borne — [This is said] in perplexity: You bear the worlds above and below. and is it impossible for You to bear my sin?! (Genesis Rabbah 22:11).

...My sin is too great to be borne! And the explanation by all the commentators' idea is that he acknowledged his sin. And the explanation of "borne"/n'so is that it is like the meaning of "forgiven"/slo'akh, as in forgiving wrong / nosei 'avon....

...And Qayin went out. As soon as the word of God was concluded, immediately he began to move and left the place where he had been standing until he came to the land of Nod.

...And God said to him: Therefore anyone who kills Qayin (Breishit 4;15). [A dispute between] R. Yehudah and R. Nekhemiah. R.Yehudah says: Beast, animal, and fowl came in to demand the blood of Hevel. He said to them: Therefore I say that any who kills Qayin will be killed. R. Levi said: The primeval serpent came to demand the judgment of Hevel. The Holy One (blessed be He) said to him: Therefore I say that any who kills Qayin will be killed. R. Nekhemiah said: The judgment of Qayin was not like the judgments of murderers. Qayin killed but he had no one from whom to learn; from now forward any who killed Qayin would be killed. (Breishit 4:15.)...