The book of Vayikra has few examples of narrative, being concerned mostly with commandments. One – among the strangest incidents in the Torah – appears near the end of our portion:
And there went out (VAYETZEI) the son of an Israelite woman, and he was the son of an Egyptian man, in the midst of (BETOCH) the Children of Israel, and they fought in the camp, the son of the Israelite woman and an Israelite man. And the son of the Israelite woman uttered the Name and he cursed (VAYEKALLEL). And they brought him to Moshe. And his mother’s name was Shelomit daughter of Divri, of the tribe of Dan. And they placed him in the holding cell, to be explained to them by the command of Hashem (Vayikra 24:10-12).

It was not clear what punishment to give him. Consequently, the laws of blasphemy are taught, and the unnamed blasphemer is executed by stoning.

The commentaries are concerned with the background of this disgraceful act. We, however, shall deal with its placement in the book of Vayikra. According to Rashi (on 24:12; see also on Bamidbar 15:32), this event occurred early in the first year in the wilderness. If so, why did the Torah intentionally place the story of the blasphemer here, out of sequence?

We have called Vayikra the book of the sanctified society. It presents a program for achieving and maintaining holiness (kedushah) within the people of Israel, a community in which Hashem is not only close, but also an active Member. If we examine Vayikra to this point, we derive a number of general principles of this program:
• Hashem is brought close through proper service, namely the various sacrifices (Chapters 1-7);
• The Kohanim are invested and authorized to aid in bringing Israel into intimate connection with Hashem, both by offering the sacrifices and by teaching Israel the laws of sanctity (Chapters 8-10, 16-17);
• The entire people of Israel strives for holiness by withdrawing from the impure and by exercising self-discipline in the most basic areas of self-preservation, food and sexual relations (Chapters 11-15, 18);
• Ultimately, the ideals of holiness pervade every aspect of life (Chapters 19-20).

What emerges from this program is that kedushah has both a negative and a positive side: firstly, our Sages identify kedushah with abstinence (Torat Kohanim), and then built on that restriction is devotion:
“Kedushah is the product of the most complete mastery by the god-like free-willed human being over all his forces and natural tendencies, with the allurements and inclinations associated with them, and placing them at the disposal of G-d’s Will” (Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, 1808-1888, commentary to Vayikra 19:2).

Furthermore, kedushah is an all-encompassing goal, meant for the totality of the nation, everywhere and for all times:
And you shall be holy to Me because I am holy, and I shall separate you from the nations to be Mine (20:26).

So far, very little differentiation has been made within the spatial, temporal and personal parameters of kedushah. The sanctity of the Mishkan has mostly been phrased in positive terms; laws of drinking wine are not inherent to Kohanim, but apply also to anyone who renders halachic rulings; and even the chapter on the Yom Kippur service mentions the day as an afterthought.

Beginning with our portion, however, the focus of kedushah changes. Additional prohibitions are taught that devolve on holy places, holy persons, holy objects and holy times. As Sforno (R. Ovadia ben Yaakov Sforno, c. 1470-c.1550) points out throughout EMOR, the Torah starts to delineate these distinctions within holiness:
(Chapter 21:1-22:16) — Because Kohanim are innately holier than the rest of Israel (which endows them with more privileges), more prohibitions apply to them in the realms of withdrawing from impurity and self-discipline in food and sexual relations. As Hirsch says, “their priesthood is not due to any special qualities of their own, but it is only thanks to their birth.” Behavior or physical imperfections can disqualify born Kohanim. The Kohen Gadol must observe still more prohibitions.
• (Chapter 22:17-33) — Animals designated for sacrifice are subject to greater restrictions than those marked for personal consumption.
• (Chapter 23) — The full yearly cycle of festivals – which is predicated on the concept that special times impose special laws – is presented.
• (Chapter 25, in BEHAR) — The laws of the Shemittah and Yovel – particular to the land of Israel – are itemized.

Before BEHAR we have the lighting of the Menorah and the arranging of the Show-bread (24:1-9), which Hirsch says symbolize spiritual enlightenment and material blessing. These national achievements of the Torah’s program for kedushah, in a sense, bring the book of Vayikra full circle.

But then the episode of the blasphemer interrupts. Hirsch says that the phrase
And there went out (VAYETZEI) … in the midst of (BETOCH) the Children of Israel
indicates a departure from a norm. Abravanel (Don Yitzchak Abravanel, 1437-1508) adds that the blasphemer “went out” from preserving the honor and care due to the sanctity of Hashem and His nation. The blasphemer is the antithesis of Vayikra; the incident is placed here as a counterpoint to the honor and sanctity that surround it.

We would like to suggest taking this a step further. Sforno (22:2) says that the Kohanim must observe all the restrictions of the sacrifices
“So that they will not think that, due to their exalted status, the holy things of the people are like unconsecrated things for them, along the lines of ‘forbidden to the student, but not forbidden to the master’ (Moed Katan 16a).”

The blasphemer too may have felt so “at ease” with Hashem that he felt no qualms about treating His Name lightly (and he cursed – VAYEKALLEL – from KAL, light).

There is a danger inherent to sanctity: that closeness to G-d means entitlement without discipline, leading to over-familiarity and laxity. The incident of the blasphemer stands as a warning against the mistaken feeling that sanctity conveys privilege.

Indeed, kedushah bestows upon us great responsibility.