Biblical Parallels Index – Vayikra 24/0
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Biblical Parallels Index – Vayikra 24
The Blasphemer & Nadav and Avihu
The story of the blasphemer in Vayikra 24 has been compared to the only other narrative of Sefer Vayikra, the story of the deaths of Nadav and Avihu.
Tools
- Use the Tanakh Lab to compare the stories of Nadav and Avihu and the blasphemer. There are not many linguistic parallels, though one in particular stands out - the bringing of each Nadav and Avihu and the blasphemer outside of the camp ("אֶל מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה"). This might be of symbolic significance as both stories touch on the question of the line between the sacred and profane, and borders between "inside" and "out".
Articles
- Listen to The Two Narratives of Vayikra, by R. Avraham Walfish, for comparison of the stories of Nadav and Avihu and of the blasphemer and analysis of their messages about divine and human justice and appropriate boundaries in religious life.
- See The Blasphemer, by R. Mosheh Lichtenstein, for comparison and contrast of the narratives of Nadav and Avihu and of the blasphemer as two opposite but equally inappropriate approaches to sanctity, which serve to illustrate the proper understanding of sanctifying the mundane. While Aharon's sons sin lay in their attempt to sanctify something that was not worthy of being sanctified, the blasphemer sinned in denouncing the idea that the profane can become holy.
The Blasphemer and Wood Gatherer
The Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the chapter most linguistically similar to Vayikra 24 is Bemidbar 15,1 with the majority of the parallels related to the stories of the blasphemer and wood gatherer. Both stories revolve around a situation in which unnamed person sins, it is initially unknown what his punishment should be, but he is ultimately stoned by the nation outside the camp.
Tools
- Use the Tanakh Lab to compare the two stories and analyze their linguistic parallels.
Articles
- See The Law of the Blasphemer, by R. Amnon Bazak, for comparison and contrast of this story with that of the wood-gatherer in Bemidbar 15, in order to identify the unique message about the danger of assimilation that is conveyed by the narrative of the blasphemer.
- See The Stick-Gatherer by Rabbanit Sharon Rimon who notes several differences between the stories which help shed light on the message of the story of the wood gatherer. While the story of the blasphemer focuses on the individual and his sin, the focus of he wood gatherer story is the nation.
