The Blasphemer

(10) There came out among the Israelites a man whose mother was Israelite and whose father was Egyptian. And a fight broke out in the camp between the son of an Israelite woman and an Israelite man. (11) The son of the Israelite woman pronounced the Name in blasphemy, and he was brought to Moshe — his mother’s name was Shelomit daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan (12) and he was placed in custody, until the decision of Hashem should be made clear to them.

ויקב — Translate this as the Targum does: ופרש “and he pronounced”, thus ויקב … ויקלל means that he uttered the Tetragrammaton and by so doing blasphemed. It was the “Proper Name” which he had heard on Mount Sinai.

And the son of an Israelite woman came out — From where did he go out?

Rabbi Levi said, “He went out from his eternal life.

R. Berachya said: “he came out with an argument from the above section. He said: it is written 'You shall take choice flour and bake of it twelve loaves (Lev. 24:5-9). Surely it is the way of a king to eat warm bread every day; is it perhaps His way to eat bread that has been cold for nine days?!

Rabbi Chyia taught: “he came out with an argument from the section regarding family connections. He had gone to pitch his tent in the camp of the tribe of Dan. They told him: "what claim do you have to pitch your tent in the camp of Dan?" He replied: "I am from one of the daughters of the tribe of Dan". They said to him: "It is written (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' - and not the mother's!"

He went in to the judicial court of Moshe to have the matter decided and came out declared to be in the wrong. He then stood up and blasphemed.

“And he was the son of an Egyptian man” – the Rabbis and Rabbi Levi: The Rabbis say: Even though there were no mamzerim at that time, he was a mamzer. Rabbi Levi said: He was a full-fledged mamzer. How did it come to pass? The taskmasters were Egyptian, and the foremen were Israelites. A taskmaster was appointed over ten foremen, and a foreman was appointed over ten men. The result is that a taskmaster was appointed over one hundred men. One time, a taskmaster went early to a foreman; he said to him: ‘Go and gather your group.’ When he entered, his wife flirted with him. He said: She is mine. He went and concealed himself behind the ladder. When her husband left, he sinned with her. [The husband] looked behind him and saw [the taskmaster] emerging from his house. Once [the taskmaster] knew that he saw him, he went to him and was beating him that entire day. He said to him: ‘Work well, work well’; he intended to kill him. At that moment the Divine Spirit inspired Moshe. That is what is written: “He turned this way and that” (Exodus 2:12). What is “this way and that”? He saw what [the taskmaster] had done to him in the house and in the field. He said of him: Is it not enough that he sinned with his wife, but he seeks to kill him? Immediately, “he saw that there was no man” (Exodus 2:12)

Rav Huna said in the name of bar Kappara: Due to four matters, Israel was redeemed from Egypt: Because they did not change their name, their language, they did not speak slander, and there was not one among them who was found to be steeped in licentiousness...And there was not one among them who was found to be steeped in licentiousness. Know that it was so, as there was one, and the verse publicized her, as it is stated: “And the name of his mother was Shelomit, daughter of Divri, of the tribe of Dan” (Leviticus 24:11). “Shelomit” – as Rabbi Levi said: She was very talkative in greetings: Greetings to you, greetings to you. “Daughter of Divri” – that she caused a matter [davar] to befall her son. “Of the tribe of Dan” – it is a disgrace for him, a disgrace for his family, a disgrace for the tribe from which he emerged.