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<td valign="top" width="50%">GEMARA. It has been taught: [The blasphemer is not punished] unless he 'blesses' the Name, by the Name.<ref>As in the Mishnah, 'Jose strike Jose'. 'Bless' is here a euphemism for curse, and is so in the whole of the ensuing discussion.</ref> Whence do we know this? — Samuel said: The Writ sayeth, And he that blasphemeth [nokeb] the name of the Lord … when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death.<ref>Lev. XXIV, 16. The repetition shows that the Divine Name must be cursed by the Divine Name.</ref> How do you know that the word nokeb<ref>[H]</ref> [used in the Hebrew] means a 'blessing'? — From the verse, How shall I curse [Ekkob]<ref>[H]</ref> whom God hath not cursed;<ref>Num. XXIII, 8.</ref> whilst the formal prohibition is contained in the verse, thou shalt not revile God.<ref>Ex. XXII, 27.</ref> But perhaps it means 'to pierce,'<ref>I.e., it is a capital offence to pierce the Divine Name, written on a slip of parchment, and thus destroy it.</ref> as it is written, [So Jehoiada the priest took a chest,] and bored [wa-yikkob]<ref>[H]</ref> a hole in the lid of it,<ref>II Kings XII, 10.</ref> the formal injunction against this being the verses, Ye shall destroy the names of them [idols] out of that place. Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God?<ref>Deut. XII, 3f. The interpretation is based on the juxtaposition of the two verses; v. Mak. 22a.</ref> — The Name must be 'blessed' by the Name, which is absent here. But perhaps the text refers to the putting of two slips of parchment, each bearing the Divine Name, together, and piercing them both? — In that case one Name is pierced after the other.<ref>The knife passes successively from one slip to the other, but one Name does not pierce the other.</ref> But perhaps it prohibits the engraving of the Divine Name on the Point of a knife and piercing therewith [the Divine Name written on a slip of parchment]? — In that case, the point of the knife pierces, not the Divine Name. But perhaps it refers to the pronunciation of the ineffable Name, as it is written, And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed [nikkebu]<ref>[H]</ref> by their names;<ref>Num. 1, 17.</ref> the formal prohibition being contained in the verse, Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God?<ref>Deut. VI, 13, which is interpreted as a prohibition against the unnecessary utterance of His Name.</ref> — Firstly, the Name must be 'blessed' by the Name, which is absent here; and secondly, it is a prohibition in the form of a positive command, which is not deemed to be a prohibition at all.<ref>The statement, Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, though implying abstention from something, is nevertheless given as a positive command, but punishment is imposed for the violation only of a direct negative precept.</ref> An alternative answer is this: The Writ saith, [And the Israelitish woman's son] blasphemed wa-yikkob<ref>[H]</ref> [and cursed],<ref>Lev. XXIV, 11.</ref> proving that blasphemy [nokeb] denotes cursing. But perhaps it teaches that both offences must be perpetrated?<ref>I.e., only he who both blasphemes, that is, utters the ineffable Name, and curses it, is executed.</ref> You cannot think so, because it is written, Bring forth him that hath cursed,<ref>Ibid. XXIV, 14.</ref> and not 'him that hath blasphemed and cursed', proving that one offence only is alluded to.</td>

<td align="right" valign="top"><div dir="rtl" lang="HE"><big> תנא עד שיברך שם בשם מנהני מילי אמר שמואל דאמר קרא (ויקרא כד) ונוקב שם וגו' בנקבו שם יומת ממאי דהאי נוקב לישנא דברוכי הוא דכתיב (במדבר כג) מה אקב לא קבה אל ואזהרתיה מהכא (שמות כב) אלהים לא תקלל ואימא מיברז הוא דכתיב (מלכים ב יב) ויקב חור בדלתו ואזהרתיה מהכא (דברים יב) ואבדתם את שמם לא תעשון כן לה' אלהיכם בעינא שם בשם וליכא ואימא דמנח שני שמות אהדדי ובזע להו ההוא נוקב וחוזר ונוקב הוא ואימא דחייק שם אפומא דסכינא ובזע בה ההוא חורפא דסכינא הוא דקא בזע אימא פרושי שמיה הוא דכתיב (במדבר א) ויקח משה ואהרן את האנשים האלה אשר נקבו בשמות ואזהרתיה מהכא (דברים ו) את ה' אלהיך תירא חדא דבעינא שם בשם וליכא ועוד הויא ליה אזהרת עשה ואזהרת עשה לא שמה אזהרהואיבעית אימא אמר קרא (ויקרא כד) ויקב ויקלל למימרא דנוקב קללה הוא ודילמא עד דעבד תרוייהו לא סלקא דעתך דכתיב (ויקרא כד) הוצא את המקלל ולא כתיב הוצא את הנוקב והמקלל שמע מינה חדא היא</big></div></td>

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<td valign="top" width="50%">Our Rabbis taught: [Any man that curseth his God, shall bear his sin.<ref>Ibid. XXIV, 15.</ref> It would have been sufficient to say], 'A man, etc:' What is taught by the expression any man?<ref>Lit., 'A man, a man', Heb. ish ish, [H].</ref> The inclusion of heathens, to whom blasphemy is prohibited just as to Israelites, and they are executed by decapitation; for every death penalty decreed for the sons of Noah is only by decapitation.<ref>The only place where death is explicitly decreed for non-Israelites is in Gen. IX, 6: Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed. It is a general law, applicable to all, having been given in the pre-Abrahamic era; his blood shall be shed must refer to the sword, the only death whereby blood is shed.</ref></td>

<td align="right" valign="top"><div dir="rtl" lang="HE"><big>ואיבעית אימא אמר קרא (ויקרא כד) ויקב ויקלל למימרא דנוקב קללה הוא ודילמא עד דעבד תרוייהו לא סלקא דעתך דכתיב (ויקרא כד) הוצא את המקלל ולא כתיב הוצא את הנוקב והמקלל שמע מינה חדא היא תנו רבנן איש מה ת"ל איש איש לרבות את <העובדי כוכבים> {הגוים} שמוזהרין על ברכת השם כישראל ואינן נהרגין אלא בסייף שכל מיתה האמורה בבני נח אינה אלא בסייף</big></div></td>

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