Beraishis 4A Motherhood – The meaning behind the names Kayin, Hevel and Shais

Chava named her first child קין. The root of this word is acquisition (by production). This displayed egotism. Instead of considering her duties to God upon the birth of a child and giving him a name reflecting that, the name Chava chose said “through my sacrificing my strength, with God’s help, I have acquired a male human being. (“This is my child. I earned him” GS)

Hirsch suggests that קין was born in Gan Eden. However the next son, הבל, was born after they were banished from Gan Eden. (but Hirsch does cite another opinion.) With the new troubles of life, her mood wasn’t happy and she projected her worry and feeling of burden when naming her child הבל which means transitoriness -existence whose continuity is held in check.

(This is a more mature understanding of life than previously but Chava was still projecting herself onto her son and not considering her duties to God regarding raising this child. GS)

(See RSRH later in this chapter, verse 25. After Kayin killed Hevel, Chava named the next child שת, meaning “foundation”. She now said ” God has put before me another seed (a new foundation to develop). – Chava had come to the realization of her duty to see her child as put before her by God and to develop and nurture that child to fulfill its duties. No longer was Chava considering her child as “hers” or projecting her experience onto her child. – GS)

Beraishis 4: 1-2
(pages 121-123)

Beraishis 4:25 (page 146)