Leviticus 24:10

וַיֵּצֵא֙ בֶּן־אִשָּׁ֣ה יִשְׂרְאֵלִ֔ית וְהוּא֙ בֶּן־אִ֣ישׁ מִצְרִ֔י בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּנָּצוּ֙ בַּֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה בֶּ֚ן הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִ֔ית וְאִ֖ישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִֽי׃

There came out among the Israelites a man whose mother was Israelite and whose father was Egyptian. And a fight broke out in the camp between him and a certain Israelite.

While the Torah is sparse on details, the midrash fills in the missing pieces of this story. This man’s mother was of the tribe of Dan, but his father was Egyptian. He went to the tribe of Dan, and asked to pitch his tent there. Given that his father was not part of the tribe, they refused to admit him to their camp. He took the matter to court, and explained his situation to Moses and the tribal elders. The verdict was that the tribe of Dan did not have to admit him. Upon leaving the court, in intense anger, this man cursed God and because of that was sentenced to capital punishment.

We often talk about the importance of welcoming. When someone comes to synagogue for the first time, their being welcomed at the door makes the difference in their deciding to come back or not. When someone moves to town, their being embraced by the community makes them feel like their new city is their home. Welcoming must be a core value for a community to thrive.

This story is told as a warning. Of course a community needs boundaries, and a sense of “in” and “out.” Without that, there is no community in which to welcome somebody. However, if the focus is how to keep people out rather than how to welcome them in, we not only lose the opportunity to help someone find a home, a place to pitch their tent, but become responsible for the consequences. This story teaches that it’s not just this man who is responsible for cursing God, and bringing about the terrible situation described in the Torah. It’s the whole tribe, and even Moses himself for pushing him away.