The Blasphemer: On Parents, Curses & the Name of God
In this week’s parsha, Kedoshim, there is a verse
כִּֽי־אִ֣ישׁ אִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְקַלֵּ֧ל אֶת־אָבִ֛יו וְאֶת־אִמּ֖וֹ מ֣וֹת יוּמָ֑ת אָבִ֧יו וְאִמּ֛וֹ קִלֵּ֖ל דָּמָ֥יו בּֽוֹ׃
If anyone curses his father or mother, that person shall be put to death; that person has cursed father and mother—and retains the bloodguilt.
There are a lot of questions that naturally arise when it comes to this pasuk. What kind of curse is meant? Modern readers might think this refers to an expletive but actually it refers to a curse using God’s name. Then there is the question regarding the efficacy of the curse. Is this action forbidden because we believe the curse will actually take effect, or simply because it is disrespectful? And what if the parent has behaved in a way that we deem abusive; is there ever a time such a curse is justified?
There’s an excellent article by Rabbi Mark Dratch in Hakira that deals with honoring abusive parents. That’s beyond the scope of what I am discussing today.
Let’s instead focus on what causes a child to want to curse their parents. Seforno has a fascinating take.
כי איש איש אשר יקלל והאות על שאני מקפיד כל כך שתהיה הקדושה בזרע שהרי ענשתי מיתת בית דין את המקלל הוריו שזה יקרה על הרוב בהיות פסול בזרע כי אז הוא בלתי מוכן אל מה שכתוב שמע בני מוסר אביך וכו'. ואיש כזה לא ישמור חוקים ומשפטים כי לא יקבלם מאביו ומאמו כלל:
כי איש איש אשר יקלל, proof that I, G’d, am so insistent that your sanctity be manifest by your seed being genealogically pure is that the penalty for non observance is the execution of the person who curses his parents (via Beit Din). The normal scenario which leads to a son or daughter cursing their parents has to do with legitimacy or otherwise of their offspring. When a son or daughter are the product of unions forbidden under the laws of forbidden relations, children of such unions have little reason to practice the commandment to honour their parents as it was from their parents that they learned to ignore Torah legislation. Solomon’s well known instruction שמע בני מוסר אביך ואל תטוש תורת אמך, “heed the moral instruction of your father, and do not ignore the teachings of your mother” (Proverbs 1,8) are most difficult to honour because it is clear their own parents did not accept these laws upon themselves at all.
Reading this take made me think of a different scenario that involves an individual cursing someone. See Leviticus 24: 10-16.
וַיֵּצֵא֙ בֶּן־אִשָּׁ֣ה יִשְׂרְאֵלִ֔ית וְהוּא֙ בֶּן־אִ֣ישׁ מִצְרִ֔י בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּנָּצוּ֙ בַּֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה בֶּ֚ן הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִ֔ית וְאִ֖ישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִֽי׃ 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 that son of an Israelite woman and a certain Israelite.
וַ֠יִּקֹּ֠ב בֶּן־הָֽאִשָּׁ֨ה הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִ֤ית אֶת־הַשֵּׁם֙ וַיְקַלֵּ֔ל וַיָּבִ֥יאוּ אֹת֖וֹ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וְשֵׁ֥ם אִמּ֛וֹ שְׁלֹמִ֥ית בַּת־דִּבְרִ֖י לְמַטֵּה־דָֽן׃ The son of the Israelite woman pronounced the Name, and he cursed, and he was brought to Moses—now his mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan—
וַיַּנִּיחֻ֖הוּ בַּמִּשְׁמָ֑ר לִפְרֹ֥שׁ לָהֶ֖ם עַל־פִּ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃ {פ}
and he was placed in custody, until the decision of יהוה should be made clear to them.וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ And יהוה spoke to Moses, saying:
הוֹצֵ֣א אֶת־הַֽמְקַלֵּ֗ל אֶל־מִחוּץ֙ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וְסָמְכ֧וּ כׇֽל־הַשֹּׁמְעִ֛ים אֶת־יְדֵיהֶ֖ם עַל־רֹאשׁ֑וֹ וְרָגְמ֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ כׇּל־הָעֵדָֽה׃ Take the blasphemer outside the camp; and let all who were within hearing lay their hands upon his head, and let the community leadership stone him.
וְאֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל תְּדַבֵּ֣ר לֵאמֹ֑ר אִ֥ישׁ אִ֛ישׁ כִּֽי־יְקַלֵּ֥ל אֱלֹהָ֖יו וְנָשָׂ֥א חֶטְאֽוֹ׃ And to the Israelite people speak thus: Anyone who curses his Elohim shall bear the guilt;
וְנֹקֵ֤ב שֵׁם־יְהֹוָה֙ מ֣וֹת יוּמָ֔ת רָג֥וֹם יִרְגְּמוּ־ב֖וֹ כׇּל־הָעֵדָ֑ה כַּגֵּר֙ כָּֽאֶזְרָ֔ח בְּנׇקְבוֹ־שֵׁ֖ם יוּמָֽת׃ and one who pronounces the name יהוה shall be put to death. The community leadership shall stone that person; stranger or citizen—having thus pronounced the Name—shall be put to death.
The midrash, which Rashi cites, has a particular rendering of what happened here. Here’s a summation I found online.
The Mekalel (the Blasphemer) is the son of an Egyptian taskmaster. And not just any Egyptian taskmaster but the very one that Moshe Rabbeinu killed by uttering the ineffable name of God! How did an Egyptian man come to have relations with a Jewish woman? In general the Jewish women were exceptionally modest, taking care not to be noticed by their Egyptian masters. The one exception to this rule was Shelomit bas Dibri whose name gives us an insight into her sin. Shelomit indicates that she would say Shalom even to the Egyptians and bas Dibri tells us that she was overly talkative (outgoing). As a result of her lack of modesty the Egyptian taskmaster took note of Shelomit and devised a plan to have relations with her. The Egyptian woke the husband up very early in the morning and told him that he was late for his work. The husband departed and the Egyptian went to Shelomit. Upon arriving at work the husband realized that is was too early to begin his work and so he returned to his house. He discovered his wife together with the Egyptian (Shelomit thought it was her husband). The child of this union is the Mekalel in our Parsha.
But the Egyptian now finds himself in a bind. Pharaoh had decreed that no Egyptian should defile himself by having relations with a Jewish woman. According to Egyptian law, lineage was determined by the mother’s nationality. Why should the Egyptians increase the numbers of Jews? The Egyptian taskmaster feared that the husband would get word to Pharaoh that he had relations with a Jewess and began striking the husband in an attempt to kill him. And exactly at this moment, Moshe Rabbeinu leaves the Egyptian palace, sees what is happening and kills the Egyptian with ineffable name of God.
[…]
The story comes full circle when the son of this illicit union attempts to find his place within Klal Yisrael. With nowhere else to turn, he attempts to encamp with Shevet Dan, the tribe from which his mother descends. But a Jewish man (by birth) stands in his way. The man argues that the pasuk says "The children of Israel shall encamp such that each man be near the flag of the insignia of their father's houses." (Bamidbar 2:2) Only someone whose father hails from Shevet Dan can encamp with them. The fact that Shelomit bas Dibri descended from Dan is of no consequence.
[…]
And so the son of the Egyptian (the son of Shelomit) and the Jew (the son of Dasan) go to Moshe Rabbeinu to resolve their dispute. Moshe Rabbeinu paskens [makes a legal judgment] that the son of Shelomit may not encamp with Shevet Dan at which point he "went out" of Moshe Rabbeinu's court and blasphemes, becoming known to us as the Meklalel.
But here’s a suggestion. There are two different statements being made here. Read carefully.
וְאֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל תְּדַבֵּ֣ר לֵאמֹ֑ר אִ֥ישׁ אִ֛ישׁ כִּֽי־יְקַלֵּ֥ל אֱלֹהָ֖יו וְנָשָׂ֥א חֶטְאֽוֹ׃ And to the Israelite people speak thus: Anyone who curses his Elohim shall bear the guilt;
וְנֹקֵ֤ב שֵׁם־יְהֹוָה֙ מ֣וֹת יוּמָ֔ת רָג֥וֹם יִרְגְּמוּ־ב֖וֹ כׇּל־הָעֵדָ֑ה כַּגֵּר֙ כָּֽאֶזְרָ֔ח בְּנׇקְבוֹ־שֵׁ֖ם יוּמָֽת׃ and one who pronounces the name יהוה shall be put to death. The community leadership shall stone that person; stranger or citizen—having thus pronounced the Name—shall be put to death.
Someone who curses Elohim- which doesn’t only mean God, but can also mean “lord” or “authority figure,” will “bear his guilt.” In contrast, one who pronounces the name of God will actually receive the death penalty.
Da’at Zekenim picks up on this and understands Elohim in this context as referring to “judge.” Note that if a judge is cursed, one receives lashes, but is not put to death.
איש איש כי יקלל אלהיו. אפילו המקלל הנשיא ונשא חטאו במלקות שנאמר אלהים לא תקלל וגו' ונוקב שם ה' מות יומת מברך את ה' כמו מה אקב לא קבה אל אותו יומת שפשט ידו בעיקר:
איש איש כי יקלל אלוהיו, “any man who curses his G–d, etc.;” the reason why the attribute אלהים is used here for G–d, is that this law includes anyone cursing a Jewish judge. In the latter case the penalty would a 39 strokes by the person appointed to administer this by the court. Compare Exodus 22,27:אלהים לא תקלל, “you must not curse a judge, etc.”
So now let’s read this verse again.
וַ֠יִּקֹּ֠ב בֶּן־הָֽאִשָּׁ֨ה הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִ֤ית אֶת־הַשֵּׁם֙ וַיְקַלֵּ֔ל וַיָּבִ֥יאוּ אֹת֖וֹ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וְשֵׁ֥ם אִמּ֛וֹ שְׁלֹמִ֥ית בַּת־דִּבְרִ֖י לְמַטֵּה־דָֽן׃ The son of the Israelite woman pronounced the Name, and he cursed, and he was brought to Moses—now his mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan—
Who did the Mekalel curse? Most people assume it was God. But what if it wasn’t?
What if the Mekalel cursed his Egyptian father (who was dead)? And he used the name of God to do it? Among other things, this would explain the relevance of mentioning the fact that he had an Egyptian father, and that his mother was an Israelite, and who she was.
This also might explain why Moses was not clear on the law. We know from this week’s parsha that if “anyone curses his father or mother he shall be put to death.” What we don’t know is the method of punishment. How do we execute them? One could also suggest that perhaps we do not know if it still applies in a context like this one, where the individual being cursed is the Egyptian father- he’s not a member of the Israelite people, so perhaps it doesn’t matter if his son curses him?
God ultimately ruled that someone who pronounces the name of God “shall be put to death.” So even though perhaps this man did not owe his Egyptian father the kibud av v’eim [honoring of one’s father and mother] that is mandated by the Torah for Israelite parents, it is still inappropriate to curse him using God’s name, and thus he deserves to be stoned to death. If so, that’s a very powerful lesson that references the idea of how a forbidden relationship (as referenced by the Seforno) can lead to a child cursing their parents.
Here we have an individual who is of mixed birth- his father, a hated Egyptian overseer, and his mother, an Israelite. Even in those times, pre-Sinai, the two groups did not intermarry. Does the Mekalel know the circumstances of his birth, and that his mother was misled and believed the Egyptian to be her husband? Perhaps. But perhaps not. Perhaps he believes she consented to sleep with this man, which leads him not to respect her, or perhaps he blames her for the difficulties that ensued in his life as a half-Israelite regardless. Frustrated over the situation in which he is forbidden to camp in Shevet Dan, or his half-status in general, he curses his wretched father, the cause of all his misery. And he does it using God’s name.
Even though perhaps he could have gotten off on a technicality- yes, we are forbidden to curse our parents, but after all, the parent he is cursing is an Egyptian- the issue here is that he also used God’s name to do it. And that’s the part that ultimately causes him to lose his life.
In which case, this story is a sad, tragic example of how the behavior of parents ultimately affects their children- whether they intend it or not. According to the Midrash, Shelomit had no idea the man she was sleeping with was not her husband. But despite her innocence in this regard, her son suffered, was frustrated, cursed his parent with God’s name, and ultimately lost his life.
~
(I haven’t seen this interpretation of the Mekalel episode attested anywhere. It’s clearly not the mainstream take. But I do think it is a possible take. I welcome your comments, critiques and feedback!)
