Derasha 1 on Bereishis 4:10

TT #163 · Parashas Bereishis · Fourth Aliyah · Passuk 10

Complete Passuk

וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מֶ֣ה עָשִׂ֑יתָ ק֚וֹל דְּמֵ֣י אָחִ֔יךָ צֹעֲקִ֥ים אֵלַ֖י מִן־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

TT points to Sanhedrin 37a (verified).

E-Daf image (Sanhedrin 37a)

Core Text

Core Textקוֹל דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ — דַּם אָחִיךָ לֹא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ, דָּמוֹ וְדַם זַרְעִיּוֹתָיו. מִכָּאן שֶׁלֹּא כְּדִינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת: דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת אָדָם נוֹתֵן מָמוֹן וּמִתְכַּפֵּר לוֹ, אֲבָל דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת דָּמוֹ וְדַם זַרְעִיּוֹתָיו תְּלוּיִין בּוֹ עַד סוֹף הָעוֹלָם.
English of Core Text: “The voice of your brother’s bloods” — it does not say “your brother’s blood” but “your brother’s bloods”: his blood and the blood of his descendants. From here [we learn] that capital cases are not like monetary cases: in monetary cases a person pays money and is atoned; but in capital cases his blood and the blood of his descendants hang upon him until the end of the world.
On the daf / in context: The plural “demei” is the source for the unique gravity of murder: the victim’s unborn progeny are also counted against the killer.
Type of Learning: Custom (plural “bloods” = victim + descendants)
What Is Learned: Murder incurs liability for the victim and for all the potential descendants who will never be born.