Zohar: Genesis: Chapter XXXII.

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This is a passage from the Zohar, the central text of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), presented as a recorded dialogue among named rabbis interpreting Genesis narratives about Cain, Abel, Seth, and related figures in the tradition of midrashic commentary. The rabbis debate why God rejected Cain's offering while accepting Abel's, concluding that offerings reflect their giver's moral nature, and propose that the original quarrel between the brothers concerned Abel's twin sister born alongside him. A notable cosmological claim runs through the discussion: Cain and Abel were not truly Adam's children but were sired by the demonic figure Samael, who appeared to Eve riding a serpent, which is why only Seth — explicitly begotten by Adam — bore Adam's likeness and image, and is identified as a reincarnation of Abel. The text develops an elaborate demonology, describing how Adam, separated from Eve for 130 years after Cain's sin, fathered vast numbers of demons and "elementals" with female spirits, and how the demoness Naamah (sister of Tubal-Cain) and Lilith continue to afflict humanity and infants with disease and lust until the end of days. Distinctively, the passage presents a layered cosmology of multiple earths (Adamah and Arqa), treats reincarnation as fact, and frames moral life as a battle against invisible demonic populations that only the learned can ward off through ritual purification.

Zohar: Genesis: Chapter XXXII.

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