The Torah next recounts an incident that occurred a month after the Tabernacle was erected. In Egypt, the Jewish people carefully preserved the purity of their family life. The only woman who was violated by an Egyptian taskmaster was named Shelomit. Her son, fathered by this Egyptian, attempted to camp together with his mother Shelomit’s tribe of Dan. He was refused on the grounds that tribal membership follows the father’s tribal lineage, not the mother’s. The case was taken to the court, who ruled against Shelomit’s son, upon which he cursed G d. Thus, this section of the Torah closes with G d informing Moses of the laws regarding blasphemy and its punishment.
Finding the Positive in the Negative
וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ שְׁלֹמִית בַּת וגו': (ויקרא כד:יא)
His mother’s nickname was Shelomit bat Dibri. Leviticus 24:11

Although the Torah only mentions this woman’s nickname, it still identifies her, thereby apparently shaming her in public. Needless to say, this seems inconsistent with the Torah’s rule against shaming people publicly.

In truth, however, the Torah is actually praising her by mentioning her name in connection with this incident. She was singled out by Divine providence to be one through whom the exemplary character of the rest of the Jewish women was demonstrated.

This, in fact, is one of the ways through which misdeeds can be transformed into merits – by serving as the impetus for proper behavior. The negative example set by Shelomit inspired future generations of Jewish women to live up to the example set by our ancestors in Egypt.1