While I have deep respect for the writings of the Sages, some of their ideas are more than a little “out there.” Take for example this teaching on the parentage of Kayin, (better known in English Bibles as Cain).
At least some of the Sages teach that Kayin was born by a post-fall of man encounter between Ishah (Eve) and the serpent. After being driven from the Garden, the serpent allegedly bedded Eve, with Kayin the result of their coupling, while Adam’s first child with Eve was Hevel (Abel). While that makes a fine alibi for the first murder (I can’t help it, the devil was my father!), my real problem with the tale is that nowhere in the B’reshit text is there any room or hint for such a thing to be even suggested.
Quite to the contrary, the text of B’reshit says that Adam and his wife had sexual relations and Kayin was their firstborn. Doesn’t get much more straight-forward than that. The rabbinic traditions surrounding the Torah is a rich tapestry of traditions, but not all traditions are created equal. Some are very nice insights into possibilities, while others – like this one – are flights of fancy that flat-out ignore the Torah text itself. Perhaps these ancient sages would have been helped by nice, modern dash kits to improve the lighting by which they read the Torah?