(י) וַיֵּצֵא֙ בֶּן־אִשָּׁ֣ה יִשְׂרְאֵלִ֔ית וְהוּא֙ בֶּן־אִ֣ישׁ מִצְרִ֔י בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּנָּצוּ֙ בַּֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה בֶּ֚ן הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִ֔ית וְאִ֖ישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִֽי׃ (יא) וַ֠יִּקֹּב בֶּן־הָֽאִשָּׁ֨ה הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִ֤ית אֶת־הַשֵּׁם֙ וַיְקַלֵּ֔ל וַיָּבִ֥יאוּ אֹת֖וֹ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וְשֵׁ֥ם אִמּ֛וֹ שְׁלֹמִ֥ית בַּת־דִּבְרִ֖י לְמַטֵּה־דָֽן׃ (יב) וַיַּנִּיחֻ֖הוּ בַּמִּשְׁמָ֑ר לִפְרֹ֥שׁ לָהֶ֖ם עַל־פִּ֥י ה'׃ (פ)
(יג) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (יד) הוֹצֵ֣א אֶת־הַֽמְקַלֵּ֗ל אֶל־מִחוּץ֙ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וְסָמְכ֧וּ כָֽל־הַשֹּׁמְעִ֛ים אֶת־יְדֵיהֶ֖ם עַל־רֹאשׁ֑וֹ וְרָגְמ֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ כָּל־הָעֵדָֽה׃ (טו) וְאֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל תְּדַבֵּ֣ר לֵאמֹ֑ר אִ֥ישׁ אִ֛ישׁ כִּֽי־יְקַלֵּ֥ל אֱלֹקָ֖יו וְנָשָׂ֥א חֶטְאֽוֹ׃ (טז) וְנֹקֵ֤ב שֵׁם־ה' מ֣וֹת יוּמָ֔ת רָג֥וֹם יִרְגְּמוּ־ב֖וֹ כָּל־הָעֵדָ֑ה כַּגֵּר֙ כָּֽאֶזְרָ֔ח בְּנָקְבוֹ־שֵׁ֖ם יוּמָֽת׃...
(כג) וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר מֹשֶׁה֮ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ וַיּוֹצִ֣יאוּ אֶת־הַֽמְקַלֵּ֗ל אֶל־מִחוּץ֙ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וַיִּרְגְּמ֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ אָ֑בֶן וּבְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל עָשׂ֔וּ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה ה' אֶת־מֹשֶֽׁה׃ (פ)
(10) There came out among the Israelites one whose mother was Israelite and whose father was Egyptian. And a fight broke out in the camp between the son of the Israelite woman and a certain Israelite. (11) The son of the Israelite woman pronounced the Name and cursed, and they brought him to Moses - now his mother’s name was Shelomit daughter of Divri of the tribe of Dan - (12) and they placed him in custody, until the decision of the Eternal should be made clear to them. (P)
(13) And the Eternal spoke to Moses, saying: (14) Take the curser outside the camp; and let all those who heard lay their hands upon his head, and let the whole community stone him. (15) And to the Israelite people speak thus: Anyone who curses their God shall bear their guilt; (16) if they also pronounce the name YHVH, they shall be put to death. The whole community shall stone him; stranger or citizen, if they have thus pronounced the Name, they shall be put to death....
(23) Moses spoke thus to the Israelites. And they took the blasphemer outside the camp and pelted him with stones. The Israelites did as the Eternal had commanded Moses. (P)
But this seems personal or even vindictive.
Questions that will drive our inquiry into this enigmatic and often overlooked passage:
- What’s going on here?
- Why are we introduced to this nameless man before we see his crime?
- What is he so angry about?
- And why does God make such a point of having him killed in this public ceremony?
Let’s turn to Rashi, who will give us some backstory, bit by bit.
Warning: each step we take with Rashi
will bring us deeper and deeper into dark places…
(א) ויצא בן אשה ישראלית. מֵהֵיכָן יָצָא?...וּמַתְנִיתָא אֲמַרָה מִבֵּית דִּינוֹ שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה יָצָא, מְחֻיָּב, בָּא לִטַּע אָהֳלוֹ בְתוֹךְ מַחֲנֵה דָן, אָמְרוּ לוֹ מַה טִּיבְךָ לְכָאן? אָמַר לָהֶם מִבְּנֵי דָּן אֲנִי, אָמְרוּ לוֹ "אִישׁ עַל דִּגְלוֹ בְאֹתֹת לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם" כְּתִיב (במדבר ב'), נִכְנַס לְבֵית דִּינוֹ שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה וְיָצָא מְחֻיָּב, עָמַד וְגִדֵּף (ספרא, ויקרא ל"ב):
(1) ויצא בן אשה ישראלית And the son of the Israelite woman went out — From where did he go out?...A Baraitha states [that ויצא means, he] from went out from the judicial court of Moses, [where he had been pronounced to be] in the wrong [in the following matter]: he came to pitch his tent in the camp of the tribe of Dan [to whom his mother belonged (cf. v. 11)]. [The men of Dan] said to him, “How is it your right to be here?" He replied. “I am of the children of the tribe of Dan." Thereupon they said to him, [Scripture states:] (Numbers 2:2) “Every man [of the children of Israel shall encamp] by his own standard, that bears the signs of their father’s house”! He entered the judicial court of Moses [to have the matter decided] and came forth (יצא) [declared to be] in the wrong. He then stood up and blasphemed (Sifra, Emor, Section 14 1; Leviticus Rabbah 32 3).
וינצו במחנה They quarreled in [or concerning] the camp, about the matters connected with the camp (i. e. as to where was his proper place in the camp; Sifra, Emor, Section 14 1; cf. Rashi on יתישראל אשה ויצא בן).
הישראלי ואיש The Israelites man — this was his opponent (Sifra, Emor, Section 14 1) who had prevented him from pitching his tent in the camp of Dan.
(3) בתוך בני ישראל Among the children of Israel — This teaches us that he had converted (Sifra, Emor, Section 14 1).
(1) ויקב — And he pronounced - As in the Aramaic translation: "he pronounced”, means that he uttered the Unique Name [of God; YHVH] and blasphemed. It was the “Proper Name” which he had heard from Mount Sinai (cf. Sifra).
(2) בן איש מצרי The son of an Egyptian man — It was the Egyptian whom Moses had killed.
(יא) וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֗ם וַיִּגְדַּ֤ל מֹשֶׁה֙ וַיֵּצֵ֣א אֶל־אֶחָ֔יו וַיַּ֖רְא בְּסִבְלֹתָ֑ם וַיַּרְא֙ אִ֣ישׁ מִצְרִ֔י מַכֶּ֥ה אִישׁ־עִבְרִ֖י מֵאֶחָֽיו׃ (יב) וַיִּ֤פֶן כֹּה֙ וָכֹ֔ה וַיַּ֖רְא כִּ֣י אֵ֣ין אִ֑ישׁ וַיַּךְ֙ אֶת־הַמִּצְרִ֔י וַֽיִּטְמְנֵ֖הוּ בַּחֽוֹל׃
(11) Some time after that, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his kinsfolk and witnessed their labors. He saw an Egyptian man beating a Hebrew man, one of his kinsmen. (12) He turned this way and that and, seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
(4) מכה איש עברי Striking a Hebrew man — beating and flogging him. [The Hebrew was] the husband of Shelomit, bat Divri (see Leviticus 24:11), and [the Egyptian taskmaster] had set his eye upon her. And during the night, [the Egyptian] made [her husband] get up and leave his house, and then [the Egyptian] returned, entered the house, had sex with [the man's] wife, she believing he was her husband. The man returned to his house and became aware of the matter, and when the Egyptian saw that he was aware of the matter, he beat him and flogged him the entire day (Exodus Rabbah 1:28).
(2) ושם אמו שלמית בת דברי And his mother's name was Shlomit bat Divri [of the tribe of Dan] — it is praiseworthy of Israel that Scripture publicly mentions her name [exposes her], telling us (implicitly) that [of all the women of Israel] she alone was a harlot (Leviticus Rabbah 32:5).
(4) בת דברי - bat Divri (from the root דבר “to speak”) — she was talkative — talking with any man, and this is how she got into trouble.
(5) למטה דן Of the tribe of Dan — [This mention of the parent and tribe of the woman] teaches that the wrong doer brings shame upon themself, shame upon their parent, shame upon their tribe. Similarly [we find the name of the tribe Dan mentioned to express praise]; (Exodus 31:6) “Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan”, praise for him, praise for his parents and praise for his tribe (Sifra, Emor, Section 14 4).
(14) Take the blasphemer outside the camp; and let all who were within hearing lay their hands upon his head, and let the whole community stone him.
(1) השמעים They that heard — This refers to the witnesses.
(3) את ידיהם Their hands — They said to him: your blood is upon your head; we do not deserve punishment on account of your death, for it was you yourself who brought it about (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 19 2).
(21) Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the Israelites, whatever their sins, putting them on the head of the goat; and it shall be sent off to the wilderness through a designated man. (22) Thus the goat shall carry on it all their iniquities to an inaccessible region; and the goat shall be set free in the wilderness.
וסמכו כל השמעים. השומעים. אלו העדים. כל. אלו הדיינים [והא דצריכי השומעים והדיינים סמיכה כמו גבי קרבן דבעי סמיכה כדי שישא עונו עליו וכן גבי שעיר המשתלח דכתיב וסמך אהרן את שתי ידיו עליו ונשא השעיר עליו את עונותיה'
וה"נ העדים והדיינים עשו העבירה בשבילו העדים שאמרו ג"כ והדיינים ששמעו מהעדים לכך סומכין עליו כדי שישא הוא את עונותיהם) את ידיהם. ידי כל אחד ואחד (פי' שתי ידיו של כל א' וא' היינו הדיינים והעדים) ידיהם על ראשו. סומכין ידיהם עליו ואומרים לו דמך בראשך שאתה גרמת לעצמך:
"Those who heard." These are the witnesses. "All." These are the judges. Because those who heard and the judges must lay on their hands like on the back of an offering that calls for laying on of hands, so that it will bear their sins upon it. And so too on the back of the scapegoat, as it is written: And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and transgression of the Israelites, whatever their sins, putting them on the head of the goat. (Vayikra 16:21).
As mentioned above, the witnesses and the judges transgressed because of him - the witnesses who also said [what the curser said], and the judges who heard from the witnesses. For this reason they lay their hands on him so that he will carry their sins. The hands of each and every one (of the judges and witnesses) would be on his head. They laid their hands on him and said to him: Your blood in on your head, and you caused this yourself.