What does ‘blasphemy’ mean in Judaism?
Piero Stefani, University of Ferrara 21 February 2014

The discussion on cursing is dealt with in other and more detailed fundamentals. To better acquaint oneself with these, one should refer to The Book of Divine Commandments by Moses Maimonides (Italian translation by Carucci-Dac, Rome, 1980). The chapter that concerns us is found at the sixtieth place among the negative precepts. It says:

«The prohibition of saying the Great Name is the issue that is called “cursing.” The punishment is being stoned to death (Leviticus 24:16). But as far as the prohibition is concerned, there is no special prohibition in the text for this sin alone, but there is a prohibition that concerns this and other issues, in other words, “You shall not revile God, nor curse a prince of your people” (Exodus 22:27).»

Leviticus basically states that blasphemy must be punished with death, however, based on the principle that punishment can only take place where it the prohibition in question has been explicitly established, one must refer to another passage where the prohibition is explicit. Hence the reference is to the passage in Exodus that goes, “Elohim lo’ taqqel” (“Do not curse God”). The generic term Elohim is used, which refers to all that is divine. Leviticus, however, speaks of explicitly cursing “the name of YHWH”, an unpronounceable tetragram. These two references indicate that in rabbinical law, the death penalty (theoretical inasmuch as it is no longer applicable since the destruction of the Sanhedrin in 70 AD) is reserved for Jews who publicly revile the name of YHWH. It is the perfect antithesis of another point specifically reserved for the people of Israel, which is the “sanctification of the Name.”

The issue is clarified again by Maimonides, in a passage in which he refers to a Noahide, a non-Jew, who according to the rabbinical perspective, is subject to the seven laws revealed by God to Noah and valid for all peoples.

“The Talmud of the Sanhedrin says, ‘Does a Noahide have the duty to sanctify the Holy Name or not? Listen, seven laws were given to the Noahides, and if we also include this one, there would be eight. It is clear that this is a law imposed only on Israel and it is proven here; “and do not profane my holy name; in the midst of the Israelites I, the Lord must be held as sacred.” (Leviticus 22:32).”

The seven laws do not include the sanctification of the holy Name, but they include blasphemy. To understand this, it is enough to list them; they forbid blasphemy, murder, robbery, adultery, eating the flesh of an animal while it is still alive, and there is also an obligation to establish punishment (see S. Ferrari, Lo spirito dei diritti religiosi, il Mulino, Bologna 2002, pp. 137ss.).

How is the law on blasphemy for non-Jews understood from a Jewish point of view? The answer also depends on the perspective from which the seven laws are considered. According to Maimonides these are considered laws revealed by the God of Israel, therefore from this point of view a Noahide is blasphemous only when cursing the name of God. The main Biblical passage dealing with blasphemy by non-Jews is once again found in Leviticus, chapter 24, verses, 10-16, which speaks of a guilty person put to death by divine instruction revealed to Moses was an Egyptian, indicating that the same punishment is valid for Jews and non-Jews. On the basis of this logic, there is no prohibition for a non-Jew to curse his own gods.

Translated by Francesca Simmons

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