3 Lessons from the Cities of Refuge Lunch and Learn – Parshat Matot-Masei / Rabbi Joel Kenigsberg

בס"ד

1. Parshat Masei (Bamidbar Chapter 35) (ט) וַיְדַ בֵּ ר יְקוָֹק אֶ ל מֹשֶׁ ה לֵּאמֹר: :The LORD spoke further to Moses

(י) דַּ בֵּ ר אֶ ל בְּ נֵי יִשְׂרָאֵ ל וְאָמַרְ תָּ אֲלֵהֶ ם כִּ י אַתֶּ ם עֹבְרִ ים אֶ ת Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When you הַ יַּרְ דֵּן אַרְ צָה כְּ נָעַן: ,cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan

(יא) וְהִקְרִ יתֶ ם לָכֶם עָרִ ים עָרֵ י מִקְ לָט תִּהְ יֶינָה לָכֶם וְ נָס שָׁמָּ ה you shall provide yourselves with places to serve you as ֹר צֵ חַ מַ כֵּ ה נֶ פֶ שׁ בִּ שְׁ גָ גָ ה : cities of refuge to which a manslayer who has killed a person unintentionally may flee.

(יב) וְהָ יוּ לָכֶם הֶעָרִ ים לְמִקְ לָט מִ גֹּאֵ ל וְ לֹא יָמוּת הָ רֹצֵחַ עַ ד עָמְ דוֹ ,The cities shall serve you as a refuge from the avenger לִ פְ נֵ י הָ עֵ דָ ה לַמִּ שְׁ פָּ ט: so that the manslayer may not die unless he has stood trial before the assembly.

(יג) וְהֶעָרִ ים אֲשֶׁר תִּ תֵּ נוּ שֵׁ שׁ עָרֵי מִקְ לָט תִּהְ יֶינָה לָכֶם: The towns that you thus assign shall be six cities of refuge in all.

(יד) אֵת שְׁ �שׁ הֶ עָרִ ים תִּתְּ נוּ מֵעֵבֶר לַיַּרְ דֵּ ן וְאֵ ת שְׁ �שׁ הֶעָרִ ים Three cities shall be designated beyond the Jordan, and תִּ תְּ נ וּ בְּ אֶ רֶ ץ כְּ ָ נ ַ ע ן עָרֵי מִקְ לָט תִּהְ יֶינָה: the other three shall be designated in the land of Canaan: they shall serve as cities of refuge.

(טו) לִבְ נֵי יִ שְׂרָאֵ ל וְלַגֵּר וְלַתּוֹשָׁ ב בְּ תוֹכָם תִּהְ יֶינָה שֵׁ שׁ הֶעָרִ ים These six cities shall serve the Israelites and the resident הָאֵ לֶּה לְמִקְ לָט לָנוּס שָׁמָּ ה כָּל מַ כֵּה נֶפֶשׁ בִּשְׁ גָגָה: aliens among them for refuge, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

Rashi (יג) שש ערי מקלט - מגיד שאע"פ שהבדיל משה בחייו שלש ערים בעבר הירדן, לא היו קולטות עד שנבחרו שלש שנתן יהושע בארץ כנען:

This tells us that although Moses during his life-time set aside three cities on that side of the Jordan (Deuteronomy 4:41), they did not provide refuge until the three had been chosen which Joshua assigned in the land of Canaan on the west side of the Jordan (Sifrei Bamidbar 160:2; Makkot 9b).

2. Pirkei Avot (Chapter 4, Mishna 2) בן עזאי אומר הוי רץ למצוה קלה כבחמורה Ben Azzai said: Be quick in performing a minor commandment as in the case of a major one

Rambam (Commentary to the Mishna) וכבר העירו החכמים, עליהם השלום, על חידוש נפלא בתורה, יש בו זירוז על מעשה המצוות... And the sages, peace be upon them, have already brought attention to a wonderful innovation in the Torah in which there is inducement to the performance of the commandments. And it is its stating (Deuteronomy 4:41), "Then Moshe separated three cities in Transjordan, etc.," while knowing that they would not be effective - as they would not have the [status] of cities of refuge until the three others in the Land of Israel would be separated. They said (Makkot 10a), "Our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him, knew that these three cities in Transjordan do not shelter until the three cities in the Land of Israel would be separated, as it is stated (Numbers 35:13), 'they shall be six cities of refuge.' And he separated these nonetheless, since he said, 'Since a commandment has come to my hand, I will perform it'.”

3. Rashi (Bamidbar Ch. 35) (יד) את שלש הערים וגו' - אף על פי שבארץ כנען תשעה שבטים וכאן אינן אלא שנים וחצי, השוה מנין ערי מקלט שלהם משום דבגלעד נפישי רוצחים, דכתיב (הושע ו, ח) גלעד קרית פועלי און עקובה מדם:

Although in the land of Canaan there were nine tribes and here (on the east side of the Jordan) there were only two and a half, it (Scripture) gives them (the latter) the same number of cities of refuge, because in Gilead (on the east side) murderers were more numerous, as it is written, (Hosea 6:8): “Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, it is covered with footprints of blood” (Makkot 9b; cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 160:2).

Ramban ואף על פי שאין המקלט אלא בשוגגין, היו שופכי דמים במרמה ומראין עצמן כשוגגין, והוצרך להרבות להם ערי מקלט לקלוט את כולן שלא נודע מי המזיד.

Talmud Bavli (Makkot 10b) Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, says: Initially, either one who killed another unintentionally or one who killed another intentionally would hurry and flee to the cities of refuge, and the court in his city would send for him and would bring him from there to stand trial.

4. Parshat Matot (Bamidbar Chapter 32) (א) וּמִקְ נֶה רַ ב הָ יָה לִבְ נֵי רְ אוּבֵן וְלִבְ נֵי גָד עָצוּם מְ אֹד וַיִּרְ אוּ The Reubenites and the Gadites owned cattle in very אֶת אֶרֶ ץ יַעְ זֵר וְאֶת אֶרֶ ץ גִּלְעָ ד וְהִ נֵּה הַמָּ קוֹם מְ קוֹם מִקְ נֶה: great numbers. Noting that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were a region suitable for cattle,

(ב) וַיָּבֹאוּ בְ נֵי גָד וּבְ נֵי רְ אוּבֵן וַיֹּאמְ רוּ אֶ ל מֹשֶׁ ה וְאֶ ל אֶ לְעָזָר ,the Gadites and the Reubenites came to Moses הַ כֹּהֵ ן וְאֶ ל נְשִׂיאֵ י הָ עֵ דָ ה לֵ א ֹמ ר... Eleazar the priest, and the chieftains of the community, and said…

(ה) וַיֹּאמְ רוּ אִ ם מָצָ אנוּ חֵ ן בְּעֵינֶי� יֻתַּ ן אֶ ת הָאָרֶ ץ הַ זֹּאת It would be a favor to us,” they continued, “if this land לַעֲבָדֶ י� לַאֲחֻזָּה אַל תַּ עֲבִרֵ נוּ אֶ ת הַ יַּרְ דֵּ ן: were given to your servants as a holding; do not move us across the Jordan.”

(טז) וַיִּגְּ שׁוּ אֵ לָיו וַיֹּאמְ רוּ גִּדְ רֹת צֹאן נִבְ נֶה ְ ל מִ קְ ֵ נ נ וּ פֹּה וְעָרִ ים לְטַ פֵּ נוּ:

Then they stepped up to him and said, “We will build here sheepfolds for our flocks and towns for our children.

(כד) בְּ נוּ לָכֶם עָרִ ים לְטַ פְּ כֶ ם וּ גְ דֵ ֹר ת לְ צֹנַ אֲ כֶ ם וְהַ יֹּצֵא מִ פִּ יכֶם תַּ עֲשׂוּ:

Build towns for your children and sheepfolds for your flocks, but do what you have promised.

5. Parshat Masei (Bamidbar Chapter 35) (כח) כִּ י בְעִ יר מִקְ לָטוֹ יֵשֵׁ ב עַ ד מוֹת הַ כֹּהֵ ן הַ גָּדֹל וְאַ חֲרֵ י מוֹת הַ כֹּהֵ ן הַ גָּדֹל יָשׁוּב הָ רֹצֵחַ אֶל אֶרֶ ץ אֲחֻ זָּ תוֹ:

For he must remain inside his city of refuge until the death of the high priest; after the death of the high priest, the manslayer may return to his land holding.

6. Mishna (Makkot 11a) אימותיהן של כהנים מספקות להן מחיה וכסות, כדי שלא יתפללו על בניהם שימותו. Therefore, the mothers of High Priests would provide those exiled to cities of refuge with sustenance and garments so that they would not pray that their sons would die.