A Song, a Story and a Prayer

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach

World Symposium on Humanity
1976, Vancouver Canada

On the final day of an eight day celebration, December 4, 1976:

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach spontaneously brings through this profound new interpretattion of one of the greatest tragedies:

The story of Cain and Abel.

watch and hear:
live video, produced at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Vancouver BC Canada
time: 4:46

“Again my holy friends, give me permission to say a few more words.

It’s a prayer, but it’s half a story, half a prayer.

Everybody knows the first tragedy in the world: Cain and Abel, Cain and his brother, Abel. The truth is, Cain never wanted to kill Abel.

He just got angry at him.

But he didn’t know there was such a thing as killing somebody: it’s the truth. He didn’t know, he didn’t even know there was such a thing as dying.

1000 people, attending the Closing Ceremonies

“Now listen to what the holy rabbis tell us.

Abel fell to the ground, and Cain regretted already that he hit him.

He fell to the ground next to his brother, and he began to cry from one corner of the world to the other.

He said, “My dear brother, my most precious brother, I’m begging you: please open your eyes. Please forgive me, I’m begging you, I’m begging you a million times, please come back, and open your eyes.”

“For three days — three days — Cain was lying next to Abel, begging him. All of nature, the whole world, was crying with him.

Now my most beautiful friends: on the great day, on that great day we are waiting for, the most unbelievable thing will happen.

All the Cains of the world will lie next to all the Abels they killed.

They will begin to cry. And they will say, “My precious brother, forgive me, forgive me. I am begging you, forgive me for being angry at you. I am begging you: come back. I am begging you, come back.”