Blasphemy

The body of an executed criminal is hanged but must be buried on the same day, כִּי קִלְלַת אֱלֹהִים תָּלוּי, “because a hanged body is a cursing of God” (Deuteronomy 21:23). What does this phrase mean?

A struggling ex-slave and single mother labors against all odds to raise her son and shield him from the prejudices of the surrounding community.

The story of the half-Israelite half-Egyptian man’s cursing God highlights the larger concerns of Parashat Emor regarding the rights of gerim(strangers) and the need to maintain the holiness of the camp.