The Blasphemer and His Slut of a Mother

Parsha Emor

Parsha Emor Summary: The kohanim (priests) are forbidden to marry harlots or divorcees. G-d also wants it to be known that foul-mouthed women do not make good wives for priests either. Ever controlling, G-d declares widows are out of bounds and only virgins can satisfy the marriage quota. The Parsha concludes with the sordid tale of the Blasphemer.

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The congregation gathered outside at the allocated time. Nobody wanted to be late for this show. Everybody had brought along their favorite hurling rock.

The crowd parted to allow two guards of Judah through, dragging the Blasphemer between them. Struggling to break their grip, the Blasphemer continued a tirade against the injustices of the world. He swore at Moses. He swore at the priests and worse still, he continued to swear at G-d.

The tribal elders tutted. The men sharpened their rocks and the women covered the ears of their children and whispered warnings to their offspring.

“Do you see, Natan?” They said, “This is what happens when you take the Lord’s name in vain!”

The guards tied the boy to a post.

Tears ran freely down his cheeks. A woman tried to break through the crowd but she was forcibly held back. Her wailing was the only sound to be heard. It was Shelomit, the daughter of Divri and mother of the Blasphemer. She couldn’t bare to watch her son slaughtered by the righteous Israelites. She turned and ran away crying.

Moses stepped forward, raised a hand, and called for silence.

“This boy,” began Moses, “has evil in his heart. He has been found guilty by the court of our Lord, of blasphemy. As I, and many more, bared witness to his foul tirade and even NOW, the boy continues to take the Lord’s name in vain.”

“No one more than me likes to take this action but we all agreed to obey G-d and his word. It is His bidding, baruch Hashem, His will, that today we shall stone this boy to the death.”

At ten years of age, Solomon the once-muted child of a single mother, had just enough time to utter one last curse before the rocks began to fly.

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212 days ago, Shelomit, the daughter of Divri, urged her son to pack his bag as fast as he could. They were leaving Egypt and joining the exodus. She was ecstatic. Finally, after all these years, being a member of the Tribe of Israel had some benefits.

Shelomit’s life was no carnival.

Orphaned at a young age, Shelomit fought and scrapped her way through life. Being Jewish in the Land of the Pharaohs meant servitude to the Egyptians. She suffered an endless stream of abuse. Her slavemaster treated her like a piece of meat to be chewed and spat out at will.

Beaten by the system, Shelmiot never caved in.

She bore a child. A boy. Thanks to his half-caste pedigree he escaped the Pharoah’s cull of execution. The boy, who she named Solomon, was preternaturally quiet. He simply observed life.

Shelmiot, a single mother, raped and abused by the Egyptians, managed, against all odds to raise her son and shield him from the prejudices of the surrounding community. They didn’t take kindly to her status and spread rumors. Centuries later, the great Rabbinic scholars continued to utter such claims:

“And his mother’s name was Shelomit the daughter of Divri: It is to praise Israel that her name was publicized, to say that she, and only she, was a harlot.” Rashi (on Leviticus 24:11)

“She was very free with her greetings [to men], saying “Shalom to you,” and “Shalom to you.” Bat Divri, because she brought destruction (dever translates as destruction) on her son.” R.Levi from the Midrash.

But Shelmiot had little choice in her fate until the day of the Exodus. Finally, she was able to break free from the chains of enslavement and be fully accepted into the wandering tribe of the Jews.

Except life has a habit of kicking people when they are down.

In the encampment of the Israelites, they told her she wasn’t wanted. They said to Shelmiot to remove her illegitimate son. He couldn’t set his base in the House of Dan. In this newly formed society of twelve tribes, Shelmiot and her son were second-class citizens. The tribes made it clear they were not wanted. In the eyes of G-d, they were broken.

And then came the argument.

“What are you doing here boy? This section is for true sons of Israel ONLY. Take your skinny ass back to your harlot mother. You don’t belong here.”

A pureblood Israelite chose to make an example of a child.

But Solomon didn’t cry. He refused to speak. Instead, he took his case before Moses, the righteous leader, a man of peace, the elder statesman who ruled the judicial court with an iron fist. Before Solomon had even said a word, Moses decreed in favor of the pureblood. A half-caste child is no son of Israel.

Enraged, Solomon broke.

Ten years of silence exploded in a blasphemous rage forcing G-d into creating a new set of laws.

“And to the Israelite people speak thus: Anyone who blasphemes God shall bear guilt. And one who also pronounces the name Eternal shall be put to death. The entire community shall stone that person; stranger or citizen—having thus pronounced the Name—shall be put to death.” Leviticus 24:15

Moses had no other option but to invoke the death penalty.

Solomon was dragged away and tied to a post. It didn’t take long for the crowd to fulfill the wishes of G-d.