Why does the Torah refer to the sinner as "Ben ha'Yisre'elis"?
Rashi and Targum Yonasan: Refer to 24:10:2:3.
Ramban: To teach us that the child of a Nochri and a Yisre'elis is not a full-fledged Yisrael. 1
Ramban, Moshav Zekenim: Even though the Gemara in Yevamos, 45a is Machshir the child, even if his mother was married, if she is a girl, she is forbidden to marry a Kohen. In any event, the child does not have the status of a Yisrael for lineage (to which tribe he belongs) and receiving a portion in Eretz Yisrael (Refer to 24:10:2:3)
Where did the Ben ha'Yis're'elis go out from?
Rashi #1 (citing R. Levi): He 'went out' from his world 1 [by blaspheming Hashem].
Rashi #2 (citing R. B'rachyah) and Ramban #2: He 'went out' 2 of the previous Parshah. 3 He scoffed at the Pasuk "be'Yom ha'Shabbos Ya'archenu" - and declared 'Surely it is normal for a king to eat fresh bread each day! 4 Does he eat bread that is a week old?' 5
Rashi #3 (citing a Beraisa) and Targum Yonasan: He left Moshe's Beis-Din having lost his case. When he came to pitch his tent in the Camp of Dan, since his mother was from the tribe of Dan, they cited him the Pasuk "Ish al Diglo be'Osos le'Veis Avosam," which the Beis-Din of Moshe Rabeinu corroborated; at which point, he arose and blasphemed Hashem.
Ramban #1 and Moshav Zekenim: The Pasuk means that "he went out (from his home or from wherever he was) into the the camp of Yisrael". 6
Moshav Zekenim: He went out to Tarbus Ra'ah (Aveiros), and returned (repented) to act like Yisrael.
Moshav Zekenim (citing Targum Yonason): He left Mitzrayim.
Riva: It says about Mekalel "Hikareis Tikareis" (Bamidbar 15:30-31) - he is cut off from this world and the world to come. See also Sifsei Chachamim.
I am not sure if this means 'he left his world due to the previous Parshah', or 'he went out from hearing the previous Parshah (PF).
Ramban: Which explains why the Torah inserts it here. He ridiculed the fire-offerings of Hashem and when a man from Yisrael rebuked him, he cursed Hashem.
Daf Al Daf (Chagigah 26b): How could he say so? They used to show everyone that the bread remained hot (refer to 24:6:2:3)! Beis Yisrael (Emor 5718), the Admor of Gur - one clings to Kedushah and it warms him only if he sees it with fervor. (He did not, so he assumed that it is cold. Even though Kohanim eat the Lechem ha'Panim, it is disgraceful for those who serve Hashem to eat old stale bread. Alternatively, he scoffed when he heard Moshe teach about Lechem ha'Panim, before it was actually made. It seems that this is unlike the one who says that he was incarcerated with the Mekoshesh Etzim, for that was before [Matan Torah, and the] command about the Mishkan and Lechem ha'Panim - refer to 24:12:1:1. - PF).
Oznayim la'Torah: Had he had the patience to wait and see what would have transpired, he would have learned the answer to his question when the lloaves remained as fresh as the day when they came out of the oven. See Oznayim la'Torah.
Ramban: As in Esther, 4:1.
Who was the "Ish Mitzri"?
Oznayim la'Torah (citing the Zohar): And the Ish ha'Yisre'eli was Sh'lomis's husband, who married her after Dasan divorced her. According to Targum Yonasan who explains that the Ish Mitzri killed the man and took his wife, the man cannot have been Dasan - who later joined forces with Korach.
Why does the Torah see fit to mention the fact that the Mekalel was Ben Ish Mitzri?
Seforno: Because a Yisrael would not have had the Chutzpah to blaspheme Hashem.
Da'as Zekenim: This caused him to blaspheme - This seems to be an Egyptian trait, since we find that Par'oh too, blasphemed Hashem, when he declared "Lo Yada'ti es Hashem" (in Va'eira Sh'mos, 5:2).
Why does the Torah add the (otherwise superfluous) word "Vayinatzu ba'Machaneh"?
Ramban: To teach us that he caused a rumpus in front of many people, who subsequently siezed him and brought him to Moshe.
What is the significance of the words "be'Soch B'nei Yisrael"?
Rashi (from Sifra): It teaches us that the Mekalel (the son of the Ish Mitzri) converted.
Oznayim la'Torah: Just as Kidush Hashem in public is thegreatest Mitzvah, so too, is Giduf Hashem in public the greatest sin.
What are the ramifications of the Mekalel's conversion?
Ramban #1: Like every other Jew at the time, he became a Jew via B'ris Milah, Tevilah and sprinkling of the blood of the Korban that they brought at Har Sinai. The Sifra means that he chose to follow his mother [and become a Yisrael], and not his father.
Ramban #2 (citing Tosfos): Before Matan Torah, lineage followed the father, 1 and the Pasuk therefore implies that had he not decided to convert, they would not have circumcised him. 2
Hadar Zekenim citing the Riva: Before Matan Torah, even B'nei Yisrael had the Din of B'nei Noach. This man was not at Har Sinai to become a Jew; he was a total Nochri, and only converted now. Moshav Zekenim - Perhaps he left Mitzrayim only now; 3 Targum Yonason implies like this. What were they unsure about how to kill him? The one who obligates a Ben Noach for blasphemy, surely he is killed by the sword! The one who disagrees, he totally exempts! Rather, he converted 4 , so they were unsure whether his law changed.
Moshav Zekenim #2: 'Nisgayer' means that he left his land to go to live in another land.
Ramban: See Yevamos, 78b.
See Ramban's objection to this explanation, and R. Chavel's footnotes.
Tosfos ha'Rosh (Yevamos 76b) implies that all Egyptian men died in Yam Suf. Perhaps he did not go, for Par'oh considered him to be a Yisrael, but Hashem did not consider him a Yisrael, to die during Choshech with those who did not want to leave Mitzrayim (refer to Sh'mos 9:7:151:1 - PF).
Rashi (Sh'mos 2:12) says that Moshe killed the Mitzri only after he saw that none of his descendants would convert proper to convert! Riva (Sh'mos 2:12) - the son was already conceived (and Moshe checked only whether he was destined to father another child who would convert). Moshav Zekenim - the Rashbam says that Moshe saw that none of his descendants will convert and fear Hashem.
What are the implications of "Vayinatzu ba'Machaneh"?
Rashi: It implies that they were quarreling about matters that concerned the camp. 1
Da'as Zekenim: The one with whom he was quarreling 2 told him 'Moshe killed your father through Hashem's name', and then he blasphemed.
Which "Ish Yisre'eli" is the Torah referring to?
Rashi: It is referring to the Yisre'eli with whom the blasphemer was quarreling.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes that Moshe ruled that he may not pitch his tent in the Camp of Dan, How does this cohe wrote (in Pasuk 12) that this episode occurred at the same time as the Mekoshesh Eizim, which occurred before Matan Torah (refer to Bamidbar 15:32:2:1),- before Hashem commanded about the four camps?
Riva: Even before Hashem commanded about the Degalim, they encamped according to the order that Yakov instructed them. 1 Moshe ruled that he may not camp among Dan.
Bamidbar Rabah (2:8): Hashem told Moshe, do not worry tha they may complain about the directions in which you tell them to camp, since they have a tradition that they will camp like the directions in which they carried Ya'akov's bier.
