Parashat Bereishit: When Avodat Hashem Becomes Selfish

“And Hevel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their choicest parts, and Hashem paid heed to Hevel and to his offering” (Bereishit 4:4).

Why did Hashem accept Hevel’s offering but not Kayin’s?

The Midrash Rabbah (Vayikra, Emor) offers an explanation that raises a fascinating question. The Midrash teaches that HaKadosh Baruch Hu sides with the pursued against the pursuer. As an example, it points to Kayin and Hevel: Hevel was pursued by Kayin, and Hashem therefore chose Hevel, as the Torah says, “And Hashem paid heed to Hevel and to his offering.”

But the timing seems puzzling.

Kayin did eventually pursue Hevel and kill him, but that happened only after Hashem accepted Hevel’s offering and rejected Kayin’s. At the time the offerings were brought, the Torah had not yet described Kayin pursuing his brother.

How, then, can the Midrash point to Kayin’s pursuit as a reason Hashem chose Hevel?

Rav Ben Zion Brook, ztk”l, offers a remarkable answer. Kayin’s pursuit of Hevel began earlier than we might think.

Kayin and Hevel were the only two brothers in the world. Kayin conceived the idea of bringing an offering to Hashem as a way of drawing closer to his Creator. It was a beautiful idea and a genuine opportunity for avodat Hashem.

But once Kayin had that idea, Rav Brook explains, he had a choice. He could have turned to Hevel and said, “I have an idea. Let us both bring an offering to Hashem.” He could have shared the opportunity with his brother so that they could serve and honor Hashem together.

Instead, Kayin kept it to himself.

The problem was not that Kayin wanted to come closer to Hashem. The problem was that he wanted to be closer to Hashem than Hevel. His spiritual achievement was not only about his own growth; it was also about standing above his brother.

That is where Rav Brook finds the beginning of Kayin’s redifah.

We usually think of Kayin’s pursuit as beginning later, when jealousy led him to murder Hevel. But its roots were already present when Kayin sought spiritual elevation for himself while deliberately leaving his brother behind. Before he ever pursued Hevel physically, he was already pushing him away spiritually.

This explains the Midrash. Hevel could already be considered the pursued when the offerings were brought because the flaw was present in Kayin’s avodat Hashem from the beginning. An offering meant to bring a person closer to Hashem had become a way for Kayin to place himself above his brother.

The lesson is both subtle and deeply practical.

A person can be doing something genuinely good—learning more Torah, becoming more careful in a mitzvah, joining a shiur, strengthening his tefillah, or taking on a new area of avodat Hashem—and still need to ask himself: Is my growth only about me?

When we discover something that can bring us closer to Hashem, we should think about whom else we might bring along. Perhaps a friend would benefit from the shiur. Perhaps a family member would be inspired by the idea. Perhaps someone is simply waiting to be invited or encouraged.

Helping another person grow does not take anything away from our own avodat Hashem. On the contrary, it can make that avodat Hashem greater.

Kayin teaches us that even a sincere desire for spiritual growth can become distorted when it turns into spiritual competition. Our goal is not to become closer to Hashem than someone else. It is to become closer to Hashem—and, when we have the opportunity, to help another Jew come closer as well.

True avodat Hashem is not about standing above another person. It is about serving Hashem with ahavah, achvah, and humility, while caring about the spiritual growth of those around us.

Kayin wanted to bring an offering to Hashem. The tragedy began when he forgot to bring his brother along.

Based on a teaching of Rav Ben Zion Brook, ztk”l, as presented in Al HaParashah.

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Rabbi Leeor Dahan, a graduate of Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim/RSA, is a noted scholar and teacher, well-versed in halachah. He currently leads Kehilat Avodat Hashem in Hillcrest, Queens, inspiring his congregation to delve into Torah study and embrace its eternal teachings.