In the story of Kayin and Hevel, Hashem accepted the offering brought by Hevel the shepherd, but rejected the offering brought by Kayin the farmer. The Torah says that Kayin was very bothered by this and his expression showed his discontentment. At this point, Hashem speaks to Kayin and asks: “Why are you annoyed, and why has your countenance fallen?” [Bereishis 4:6]
Should it not have been obvious why Kayin was annoyed and why his face showed disappointment? After all, his offering was rejected! No one likes to be rejected, especially not by the Almighty!
We can obtain insight into this question from the following true story: Someone came into the Beis Din [Court] of Rav Chaim Soloveitchik. The person was a shochet who had slaughtered an animal and had a question as to whether the animal was kosher or not. The judge examined the animal and ruled ‘Treif!’ (not Kosher!) In those days, it was not like today where arrangements are made with non-Kosher meat producers to accept the animals that are not fit for the Kosher trade. In those days, hearing that an animal one just slaughtered was ‘treif’ was a real financial setback. But, the shochet took the news stoically. He walked out of the Court without uttering a peep.
Several months later, the same Jew had a ‘Din Torah’ [monetary dispute] with another person. The dispute was over a non-substantial amount of money. Certainly, the sum involved was far less than the loss he sustained when the Court ruled that his animal was ‘treif’. The judge listened to the arguments of both parties and again he ruled against this same person. The shochet heard the ruling and he ‘lost it’. He began cursing the judge. He began cursing Rav Chaim. He became abusive and stormed out of the Court.
Those observers who remembered that several months earlier this person had lost a much greater amount without reacting in the slightest, could not figure out why he was so upset on this occasion. Rav Chaim explained the difference to them: “It was not the amount of money that upset him, it was the fact that now he lost and someone else won.” In the previous case, it was not him against the cow. It was a ritual ‘shaylah’ — is the cow kosher or treif? There was no ‘winner’ vs. ‘loser’ in that ‘shaylah’. However, in the second case, Rav Chaim said, there was a winner and a loser. The fact that the other fellow won is what bothered him. That is what he could not accept.
This, Rav Chaim went on, explains the nature of G-d’s question to Kayin: “Kayin, your offering was rejected and Hevel’s offering was accepted. But, G-d asked him, ‘Why has your countenance fallen?’ Are you angry that your offering was rejected? Or, are you angry because your offering was rejected while your brother’s offering was accepted?”
“If you are upset because I have not accepted your offering, you indeed have something to be upset about. But if what is bothering you is that ‘Hevel won’ — the first game in the history of mankind — that is a very inappropriate reaction.”
This is what Rav Chaim told the Beis Din. It was not the money. It was the fact that there was a winner and a loser, and people cannot stand to lose.
