For the week of May 2, 2026 / 15 Iyar 5786

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Emor
Torah: Vayikra/Leviticus 21:1-24:23
Haftarah: Ezekiel 44:15-31
Originally posted the week of May 21, 2016 / 13 Iyar 5776 (revised and expanded)

Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death. (Vayikra/Leviticus 24:16)

This week’s parsha (weekly Torah reading portion) includes a very serious injunction to impose violent capital punishment upon a person who “blasphemes the name of the LORD.” We may hear the term “blaspheme” mentioned from time to time, but what does it actually mean? And why is it so serious?

Depending on the English translation, blaspheme is used when translating a variety of Hebrew words that apparently refer to the dishonoring of God in one way or another. The word here is naqav, which has various meanings depending on context. It can mean blaspheme or curse, pierce something with holes, or even select people for something. At first glance, these usages may seem unrelated. In fact, some scholars propose that, while the words may be the same, they may derive from different semantic histories. While that is possible, these usages may actually help us understand what blasphemy really is and why it is so serious.

Whether one is selecting people or boring holes, it presupposes a certain relationship between the person performing the action and the object. Selecting people assumes a level of authority and power on the part of the person doing the selecting. Boring holes assumes superiority and control over an object. It could be that, in a context such as our parsha, naqav describes a person taking a place of superiority over God and treating him like an object to be controlled for one’s own purpose.

The injunction against naqav here was in response to the misuse of God’s name in the midst of a fight between two men. It is possible that the offending party was attempting to utilize God’s name in order to gain the upper hand in the fight. Such a thing was deemed to be so wrong as to warrant the man’s execution.

This is not the same as breaking the third commandment, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain” (Shemot/Exodus 20:7). To take God’s name in vain is to treat it lightly, especially in relation to taking oaths. Naqav, on the other hand, is invoking God’s name to manipulate others for one’s own benefit.

While under the New Covenant, we (as opposed to the state) have no jurisdiction to enact capital punishment, the Torah portion encourages us to take the prohibition against naqav very seriously. Are there ways in which we seek to use God to control others, and thereby commit naqav? We may not realize how easy it is to invoke God’s name so that others will do our bidding. How often do people illegitimately assert their authority over others in God’s name for their personal pleasure? How often do religious leaders call their people to compromise their God-given convictions in the name of some, supposed, greater good? And how often do members of such communities protect their leaders for fear of losing their position or sense of belonging? Do you think God doesn’t notice?

Every individual is ultimately answerable to God. This is something to remember, especially when dealing with those closest to us. Even when our goal is to honor God and accomplish his will, we must never think it is permissible to use God’s name in an attempt to manipulate those we are called to love and to serve.

All scriptures, English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible