This Gnostic element in the reevalutation of Cain's soul, which is now perceived as a "great soul," is one of the most remarkable and one of strangest parts of Luria's doctrine, within a system that was stricktly Jewish. It is also among the most interesting ideas in Lurianic thought, for which there is no precedent in earlier Kabbalah. This innovation demonstrates the possibilities for the development of Gnostic ideas within the context of strictly Jewish traditions. Chapter 21 of Hayyim Vital's Sepher ha-Gilgilum (The Book of Transmigrations) is extremely revealing in this respect: the image of Cain is whitewashed there to the extent that he is now seen as a prophet. The interpretation by the author (or of his teacher, Luria) of the passages about Cain and Abel in the Tikkunei Zohar, which emphasizes entirely different points and employs a completely new tone in reading, are indicative of a very strange process deserving of the closest attention. The transmigration of the soul sparks originating in Cain and Abel play a central role in Lurianic discussions, and we can clearly discern the fascination of these Kabbalists with the idea that many of the noblest souls participated in the first murder. The secret interconnections among the sparks whose root is Cain's soul, among whom he includes many of the noblest and most important firgures in Jewish history (including himself), are developed by Vital in great detail. Cain's soul stems from the side of the judging powers (Adam's "left shoulder", Din), while Abel's came from his father's right shoulder (Hesed). In the present situation of the world, the powers of Hesed, the giving and out-pouring of grace, enjoy a higher status than the receiving and constricting powers of Din; but some day, when all the souls shall be restored, "Cain will be infinitely higher than Abel."



Gershom Scholem, On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead, Schocken, 1991, p.236