Parshat Emor: A Person's Title
by Rabbi Lobel

Parshat Emor discusses an altercation between two people in the tribe of Dan. Person A demands equal rights to reside within Dan, his mother's tribe. Person B objects because tribal lineage goes through the father and Person A's father was an Egyptian. Angry over his treatment, Person A blasphemes G-d.

The Kli Yakar (1550 – 1619) asks a simple question – Why does the torah not mention their names?

Simply put, not everybody merits having his name recorded in the Torah. As the Kli Yakar explains, these two individuals had a simple argument that could have been quietly resolved but instead chose to go public. These individuals are disreputable and are not worthy of being referred to by their names.

A name is intended to reflect a person's essence. These two weren't worthy of their names so the Torah doesn't mention them. As the Kli Yakar says, some people are just known as “BliYa'al”, without a name.  The Torah only mentions the blasphemer's ancestry to teach us certain Halakhic principles.

This is not a question of wickedness versus righteousness, as the Torah does record the names of certain wicked people. Rather this is a matter of etiquette. Those who take their disagreements to the streets do not deserve their names' distinction