Don Isaac Abravanel ,sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific
Biblical commentator. A quarrel between two men in the desert quickly escalated. It is duly recorded in
the middle of Leviticus 24. And a horrid interjection it is, one that features blasphemy, cursing using
God’s name.
“And the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went
out among the Children of Israel. And the son of the Israelite woman and
a man of Israel strove together in the camp. And the son of the Israelite
woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed.”
Abravanel asks about the camp’s violent drama, both in terms of the context as well as the particulars of
the ensuing court proceedings. Here, we’ll focus on the court case’s personalities that required Moses to
take a recess from the chamber, as it were, to consult with God.
Fisticuffs erupted in the encampment between two men. Things got worse. They spiraled out of control.
Tempers flared, and “the son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed.” Make no
mistake. Cursing using God’s name is a capital crime.
Abravanel fills in the gaps about the case, enabling Bible students to better grasp the episode featuring a
couple of rowdies. Who was the nameless perpetrator, initially referred to only as a son of a Jewess?
Later we do learn more about his mother’s and his identity: “And his mother’s name was Shelomith, the
daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.” Why, Abravanel asks, are details provided at this later juncture?
Logically speaking, readers should have been apprised of this information when the story broke, not
after it unraveled.
As soon as the culprit uttered blasphemy, he was reported to Moses. “And they put him in ward, that it
might be declared unto them at the mouth of God.” Why was he imprisoned, Abravanel questions? The
law regarding blasphemy had been broached earlier in the Torah. Why hadn’t the death penalty been
applied, subsequent to due process?
The case turned on the question of jurisdiction and culpability. That is, had the blasphemer been born to
a Jewish man and woman, the docket on Moses’ desk would have been straightforward. As stated, a Jew
who invokes God’s name by vocalizing a curse gets the death penalty. But in our chapter, things became
murky owing to the defendant’s shady identity; he was born to an Egyptian. Maybe Jewish law doesn’t
cover instances of Gentiles (or at least Jews born to Gentile fathers).
“And God spoke to Moses saying…let all the congregation stone him.” Clarification descended from
Above. When blasphemy is involved, Jewish law extends its jurisdiction over Jew and non-Jew alike.
Next, Abravanel digs into the mom’s and son’s identity. Who was Shelomith? Who fathered the youth?
Intending to get to the bottom of this, Moses summoned her. Why the mystery surrounding mom, with
hardly any mention of dad: “And the son of the Israelite woman…strove together in the camp?”
In the deposition, Moses discovered, as the progression of our verses show, that Shelomith attempted a
cover-up. That is, she sought to protect and save her ill-tempered son. Her name – Shelomith – implies
as much, since the name resembles the Hebrew word for “peace.”
“No problem. All is good. Leave my son alone”, she insisted. Shelomith was the daughter of Dibri. Her
father’s name supplies another clue. Dibri suggests excessive talking, as the word “Dibri” conveys.
During her deposition, we may say, the lady doth blab too much.
And Moses extracted the truth from Shelomith. Her paramour, indeed, had been an Egyptian. Though
material facts emerged, the law didn’t. In cases of blasphemy, does Jewish law have jurisdiction over
Gentiles, or at least Jews born to Gentile fathers?
“And God spoke to Moses saying…let all the congregation stone him.” Moses, and the Hebrews, got
their answer. In cases involving blasphemy, Jewish law does extend to Jew and non-Jew alike.
