The son of an Israelite woman went out—and he was the son of an Egyptian man—among the Children of Israel; they fought in the camp, the son of the Israelite woman and an Israelite man. The son of the Israelite woman pronounced the Name and blasphemed—so they brought him to Moses; the name of his mother was Shelomit daughter of Divri, of the tribe of Dan.—Leviticus 24:10-11

Parshat Emor begins with instruction to Aaron and his sons, gives instructions for celebrating the Feasts, then goes back to instruction concerning the Tabernacle—lighting the menorah and placing the showbread on the table. Suddenly there is the story of the blasphemer. It seems out of context! To understand the placement of the story and its importance, we have to go to the Midrash.

Shelomit bat Divri was so called, because she went about smiling, saying “Shalom,” and talking to everyone. Her excessively friendly demeanor attracted the attention of an Egyptian guard, who took advantage of her husband’s absence when he sent him out to the daily slave labor. In the dark of the house, she thought her husband had returned. When he did return (early) he saw the Egyptian leaving. Later the guilty Egyptian beat him, with the intention of killing him. He was the Egyptian that Moses killed by pronouncing the Name of Hashem. Although Shelomit did not intend to have adulterous relations, the child born to her was, nonetheless, a mamzer—a product of a forbidden union—essentially sin made flesh.

This young man had been living outside the clouds of glory with the Egyptian followers of the camp. The fight mentioned in the above quoted passage occurred when he decided to move into the camp of Dan. Yes, his mother was of the tribe, but tribal heritage was determined by the father, not the mother. When he tried to come “among the Children of Israel,” the Israelite man pointed this out to him. Being a mamzer, having no legitimate place in the camp of Israel, he most likely suffered deep rejection. He probably blamed “the system,” the leadership, the other people, and ultimately Hashem for his status.

So, he made the mistake of ridiculing the teachings of Moses concerning the showbread, (mentioned in the passage right before this) saying the bread would surely be stale and therefore a disgrace to give to the priests. He angrily compounded the mistake by pronouncing Hashem’s Name. Both of these acts were blasphemy, for which Hashem commanded that he be stoned. The son of the woman, who had gotten into trouble through her talking, gravely sinned through his own speech.

In the days of King Hezekiah, the Assyrians beseiged Jerusalem (see II Kings 18 & 19). Rabshakeh, emissary of King Sennacherib, called out to the people that it was futile to resist, saying that other nations’ gods had not saved them from the Assyrian empire. His comparing Hashem to the pagan gods of the nations was blasphemy. Hearing those words, the priests and scribes rent their garments. When they conveyed them to King Hezekiah, he, too, rent his garments.

It was not out of despair over the hopelessness of their situation that caused this reaction, but rather hearing blasphemous words against Hashem. Indeed, when the judges in a court would, of necessity, hear the words of curses and blasphemy from the witnesses in order to judge a case, they would tear their clothes in grief that such language came into the world. For a Jew or a non-Jew, blasphemy is a capital crime, for which the death penalty is the most severe. The son of Shelomit was stoned by the community. King Sennacherib was struck down by his own sons while worhipping in the temple of his god in Nineveh (II Kings 19:37). One hundred eighty-five thousand of his invading forces were struck down by the angel of Hashem in one night (II Kings 19:35).

In these two examples, we can see that blasphemy is involved in:

• ridiculing the Law of Hashem given through Moses;
• using Hashem’s Name in vain;
• comparing Hashem to pagan gods and thereby belittling Him.

Upon hearing blasphemy, the people tore their clothes in mourning. This was because of the gravity of the crime, for not only does this injure the guilty individual’s soul, but also the whole of Creation. It produces distance from Hashem, darkness in the world, and thereby damage in Creation itself.

For the cure, we look to the opposite of the negative commandment: “Do not blaspheme Hashem.” The positive implementation of this commandment would be to praise Him. In the story “The Seven Beggars,” told by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, the Beggar with no hands talks about ten types of melody that restore vitality to ten types of pulse and thus have the power to heal. These ten types of melody are represented in the Psalms as: Nitzuach, Nigun, Maskil, Mizmor, Shir, Ashrey, Tehilah, Tefilah, Hoda’ah, and Halleluyah. Rebbe Nachman found all these represented in ten specific Psalms that he called Tikkun HaKlali (the General Remedy): 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, and 150.

A person who blasphemes Hashem is turning away from Him in hopeless despair, expressing belief in the power of evil and of failure. A person who praises Hashem is turning toward Him, sometimes against incredible odds, and expressing faith in Hashem’s will to care for him. The one fosters more darkness in himself and the world, while the other draws down light.

Parshat Emor begins with instruction to the priesthood, which is personification of the sefirah Hod--Splendor. This is thanksgiving, surrender, confession—the very things that defined the function of the priesthood. Within a person who is suffering illness, the Hod aspect in him is damaged. We understand this in the instructions to certain ailing people to go to the priests for examination and for help. When a person would bring an offering for certain sins, the Levites would sing to help him come to repentance. As he progressed through the stages, the songs would change, helping him complete the process joyously. His return to Hashem would have been impossible with a stony, bitter heart that cultivates blasphemy. The praise served to soften his heart and make teshuvah (repentance) possible. He could then turn his whole life to a new direction.

Life can deal a person many disappointments and pains. Many people in our society suffer from depression and illness. Yet how one chooses to relate to those situations is the challenge of his soul’s journey. It can take real effort, especially in the beginning, to change his outlook on life. Perhaps it could be helpful to keep a journal of blessings for which to thank Hashem each day. He can try to look for positive points in himself and others. He should begin each day by thanking Hashem for restoring his soul to him that morning, for the gift of life and of a new day, and each night he can review those things, however large or small, that blessed him that day. Daily reading Psalms and pondering the words is training in how to pray. Then those thanks can turn to songs, with a melody stirred from deep inside the soul. Walking becomes a dance. Sackcloth becomes garments of joy. Ashes become splendor. He is able to soar into new heights in relationship with Hashem, as his mournful spirit is transformed into a healing garment of praise.