Cain's Wife

Q. By Genesis chapter 4, after Adam and Eve were kicked out, they had kids, and by chapter 4 verse 17, Cain had a wife. I can’t find a single verse in the Torah that says God made others after Adam and Eve that Abel and Cain could marry. Does the Mishna or Gemara explain when other humans came about after Cain and Abel?

A. Thanks for your question. According to the Midrash, Cain and Abel were born with three sisters, at least one of whom Cain married. The fact that the sisters aren't mentioned isn't unusual because they play no role in the narrative. (Similarly, Yaakov also had daughters but only Dina is mentioned by name because she's the only one who plays a role in the narrative.)

Q. Why aren't the sisters mentioned at all?

A. When people point out that the Torah doesn't include some thing or other, I always respond, "The Torah also doesn't mention Abraham using the restroom, but I assume that he did." In a book that covers several thousand years of history, certain things will have to be left out, especially if readers can put the pieces together for themselves. From the fact that Cain married and had kids, we can easily infer that Adam and Chava must have had daughters. (As noted, the Midrash confirms this.)

Q. If Cain was allowed to marry his sister, when did God make it a sin?

A. Leviticus 20:17 says, "a man who takes his sister...it is a shameful act." The word translated as "shameful" (chesed) literally means a kindness. Rashi on this verse cites the Midrash that it was a kindness that God permitted sibling marriage to the first generation in order to populate the world. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 58) makes the same point. After that first generation, however, no exception to the general prohibition would have been necessary.

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