“So Cain was very angry (vayyichar l’qayin m’od), and his countenance fell.”
More literally, this reads, “Great wrath was to Cain”; or “Cain had great wrath.” Anger here undergoes a kind of substantiation; it appears as something real and substantial. The serpent has gone underground and no longer appears directly to human beings, but instead influences at the periphery of consciousness. God warns Cain about this: “Sin is couching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.” [4: 7] That is to say, we must learn to guard the door of our thoughts and not allow in sinful suggestions. If we are not vigilant, these thoughts become a part of us and seem insurmountable. But this is an illusion based on past negligences.