“The son of an Israelite woman, and he was the son of an Egyptian man, went out among the children of Israel; and the son of the Israelite woman and an Israelite man fought in the camp. The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name and cursed; they brought him to Moses. And the name of his mother was Shelomit, daughter of Divri, of the tribe of Dan” (Leviticus 24:10–11). “The son of an Israelite woman…went out” – Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya: Rabbi Yehuda says: That is what is written: “Around the wicked will walk” (Psalms 12:9) – the righteous walk around the wicked.
How so? When the righteous emerge from the Garden of Eden and see the wicked being judged in Gehenna, their soul is joyous within them. That is what is written: “They will emerge and see the corpses of the people who betray Me” (Isaiah 66:24). At that moment, they give praise and thanks to the Holy One blessed be He for the suffering that He inflicted upon them in this world.1The righteous thank God for having punished them for their sins in this world, so that they can receive reward in the World to Come.
That is what is written: “You will say on that day: I thank You, Lord, that You were angry with me; Your wrath has turned against” (Isaiah 12:1) the nations of the world, and “You comfort me” (Isaiah 12:1) through them. When? “As lowliness is lifted up [kerum]” (Psalms 12:9) – when the Holy One blessed be He will exalt a lowly vineyard [kerem] in His world. The vineyard of the Holy One blessed be He is none other than Israel, as it is stated: “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel and the people of Judah, the plant of His delight” (Isaiah 5:7).
Rabbi Neḥemya said to him: Until when are you going to distort the Bible for us? Rather, the wicked walk around the righteous, as it is written: “Around, the wicked will walk” (Psalms 12:9). How so? When the wicked ascend from Gehenna and see the righteous sitting tranquilly within the Garden of Eden, their soul diminishes within them.2Meaning, they will be consumed with grief.
That is what is written: “The wicked one sees and is angered” (Psalms 112:10). When? “As lowliness is lifted up ” – when the Holy One blessed be He will exalt the mitzvot that are treated with contempt. ‘Why are you going out to be stoned?’ ‘Because I circumcised my son.’3The reality of this world has often caused conversations such as to this to take place between Jews, when one is sentenced to death by the ruling authorities for having observed mitzvot. ‘Why are you going out to be burned?’ ‘Because I observed Shabbat.’ ‘Why are you going out to be beheaded?’ ‘Because I ate unleavened bread.’ ‘Why are you being lashed with a whip?’ ‘Because I made a sukka, because I took a palm branch, because I donned phylacteries, because I placed sky-blue wool [on my garment], because I performed the will of my Father in Heaven.’
That is what is written: “One will say to him: What are those wounds?” (Zechariah 13:6). [He will answer:] ‘These wounds caused me to be beloved to my Father in Heaven.’ Another matter: When is “as lowliness is lifted up [kerum]” – when the Holy One blessed be He will publicize the origin [karman] of the mamzerim.4In this sense, “lifted up” means they will be separated from the rest of the congregation.
They were already publicized by Moses, as it is stated: “Take out the blasphemer” (Leviticus 24:14).5The blasphemer was of illegitimate lineage, and he was eventually executed and thereby removed from the congregation.