Rav Etan's D'var Torah for Shabbat Parshat Emor

This week we read of the tragic story of the blasphemer, who is stoned for his transgression of cursing God. I say tragic because when we peel apart the layers of the story and the gaps in the story filled in by the Medrash it becomes clear that the blasphemer, at least according to some interpretations, acted as he did was because of feeling dejected and marginalized by the community, to no fault of his own but rather a result of his lineage. While his response was clearly out of line, we can begin to empathize with him, and at the very least understand what drew him over the edge. 

The verses tell us that the young man was the son of the product of an Israelite mother from the tribe of Dan and Egyptian father, but leaves out so much.  From where did he emerge? And why did he get involved in a fight? Rashi, quoting the Sifra, explains the backstory. The blasphemer had just come out from the judicial court of Moses where Moses ruled against him. Since he had no Jewish father, he had nowhere to camp, so he pitched his tent in the tribe of Dan, where his mother belonged. The men of Dan objected, saying he has no place here. He replied. “I am one of the children of the tribe of Dan”. They said to him, “Scripture states: (Numbers 2:2) “Every man by his own standard, that bears the signs of their father’s house”! He then went in to 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). 

I think we can all understand his frustration – he just wanted a place in the community! And I don’t think the blasphemer is an isolated story or just an incident of an individual sinner, but also the story of a society. While according to the letter of the law they were in the right, imagine how differently the story could have ended had the people of Dan turned to this homeless relative, and treated him as a brother, rather than a stranger. Maybe the subtext of the narrative reveals more about the cracks in society than that of an individual sinner. Especially during this time, when there may be all sorts of conflicts, let’s approach those potential disputes with an eye for being whole, rather than being correct. And especially during these times, when an increasing number of people are becoming vulnerable and at risk for being marginalized, let’s make sure we respond with magnanimity. After all, the test of any society is how it treats the its most vulnerable.  

Shabbat Shalom
Rav Etan