Difference between revisions of "Arei Miklat – Cities of Refuge or Exile/2"
(Original Author: Neima Novetsky) |
(Original Author: Neima Novetsky) |
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<multilink><a href="TzerorBemidbar35-9" data-aht="source">Tzeror HaMor</a><a href="TzerorBemidbar35-9" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 35:9,25,32,34</a><a href="R. Avraham Saba" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham Saba</a></multilink>, | <multilink><a href="TzerorBemidbar35-9" data-aht="source">Tzeror HaMor</a><a href="TzerorBemidbar35-9" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 35:9,25,32,34</a><a href="R. Avraham Saba" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham Saba</a></multilink>, | ||
<multilink><a href="SefornoBemidbar35-25" data-aht="source">Seforno</a><a href="SefornoShemot21-13" data-aht="source">Shemot 21:13</a><a href="SefornoBemidbar35-25" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 35:25</a><a href="R. Ovadyah Seforno" data-aht="parshan">About R. Ovadyah Seforno</a></multilink>, | <multilink><a href="SefornoBemidbar35-25" data-aht="source">Seforno</a><a href="SefornoShemot21-13" data-aht="source">Shemot 21:13</a><a href="SefornoBemidbar35-25" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 35:25</a><a href="R. Ovadyah Seforno" data-aht="parshan">About R. Ovadyah Seforno</a></multilink>, | ||
− | <multilink><a href="NetzivBemidbar35-34" data-aht="source">Netziv</a><a href="NetzivBemidbar35-34" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 35:34</a><a href="NetzivDevarim19-6" data-aht="source">Devarim 19:6-7</a><a href="R. Naftali | + | <multilink><a href="NetzivBemidbar35-34" data-aht="source">Netziv</a><a href="NetzivBemidbar35-34" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 35:34</a><a href="NetzivDevarim19-6" data-aht="source">Devarim 19:6-7</a><a href="R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin (Netziv)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin</a></multilink></mekorot> |
<point><b>Meaning of "מִקְלָט"</b> – Tzeror HaMor describes the cities as prisons, where the killer is enclosed "בעיר סוגרת ומסוגרת"‎.<fn>Many other commentators similarly refer to the cities as places of punishment and following the language of the <multilink><a href="MishnaMakkot2" data-aht="source">Mishna Makkot</a><a href="MishnaMakkot2" data-aht="source">Makkot 2</a><a href="Mishna" data-aht="parshan">About the Mishna</a></multilink>, consistently refer to the killer as being "exiled" and the cities as a place of exile.</fn> This approach might suggest, as do some modern scholars<fn>See J. Milgrom, Olam HaTanakh Bemidbar (Tel Aviv, 1993): 205, and R. Elchanan Samet, "ערי מקלט – משמעות השם", ‎ עיונים בפרשות השבוע: סדרה שלישית (Tel Aviv, 2012).</fn> that the root "קלט" means to shorten or narrow,<fn>The root only appears once outside the discussion of ערי מקלט, in <a href="Vayikra22-23" data-aht="source">Vayikra 22:23</a>. There it is paired with the word "שָׂרוּע" which is understood to mean spread out, suggesting that "קָלוּט" means the opposite. [See <multilink><a href="IbnEzraVayikra22-23" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a><a href="IbnEzraVayikra22-23" data-aht="source">Vayikra 22:23</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a></multilink> there, who asserts that the paired words are opposites and that the meaning of the root there might be connected to ערי מקלט as well.] In Arabic, the word "קולאט" means a dwarf, further suggesting that the word is related to making something smaller or more narrow. | <point><b>Meaning of "מִקְלָט"</b> – Tzeror HaMor describes the cities as prisons, where the killer is enclosed "בעיר סוגרת ומסוגרת"‎.<fn>Many other commentators similarly refer to the cities as places of punishment and following the language of the <multilink><a href="MishnaMakkot2" data-aht="source">Mishna Makkot</a><a href="MishnaMakkot2" data-aht="source">Makkot 2</a><a href="Mishna" data-aht="parshan">About the Mishna</a></multilink>, consistently refer to the killer as being "exiled" and the cities as a place of exile.</fn> This approach might suggest, as do some modern scholars<fn>See J. Milgrom, Olam HaTanakh Bemidbar (Tel Aviv, 1993): 205, and R. Elchanan Samet, "ערי מקלט – משמעות השם", ‎ עיונים בפרשות השבוע: סדרה שלישית (Tel Aviv, 2012).</fn> that the root "קלט" means to shorten or narrow,<fn>The root only appears once outside the discussion of ערי מקלט, in <a href="Vayikra22-23" data-aht="source">Vayikra 22:23</a>. There it is paired with the word "שָׂרוּע" which is understood to mean spread out, suggesting that "קָלוּט" means the opposite. [See <multilink><a href="IbnEzraVayikra22-23" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a><a href="IbnEzraVayikra22-23" data-aht="source">Vayikra 22:23</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a></multilink> there, who asserts that the paired words are opposites and that the meaning of the root there might be connected to ערי מקלט as well.] In Arabic, the word "קולאט" means a dwarf, further suggesting that the word is related to making something smaller or more narrow. | ||
<p>It is not clear, though, how the adjective connects to the noun, and if one must necessarily conclude that shortening = confinement. See, for instance, Ibn Janach and <multilink><a href="RadakSeferHaShorashim" data-aht="source">Radak</a><a href="RadakSeferHaShorashim" data-aht="source">Sefer HaShorashim s.v. קלט</a><a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About R. David Kimchi</a></multilink>, who also suggest that "קָלוּט" is opposed to "שָׂרוּע" and might mean to shorten, but view it as something which is gathered into itself. They, thus, suggest that ערי מקלט simply means a place in which the killer is gathered. This definition would be much more neutral in its connotation and could work either with an understanding of the cities as places of refuge or of punishment.</p></fn> and the cities are so called because they enclose the killer and confine his existence.</point> | <p>It is not clear, though, how the adjective connects to the noun, and if one must necessarily conclude that shortening = confinement. See, for instance, Ibn Janach and <multilink><a href="RadakSeferHaShorashim" data-aht="source">Radak</a><a href="RadakSeferHaShorashim" data-aht="source">Sefer HaShorashim s.v. קלט</a><a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About R. David Kimchi</a></multilink>, who also suggest that "קָלוּט" is opposed to "שָׂרוּע" and might mean to shorten, but view it as something which is gathered into itself. They, thus, suggest that ערי מקלט simply means a place in which the killer is gathered. This definition would be much more neutral in its connotation and could work either with an understanding of the cities as places of refuge or of punishment.</p></fn> and the cities are so called because they enclose the killer and confine his existence.</point> |
Version as of 13:47, 18 January 2015
Arei Miklat – Cities of Refuge or Exile?
Exegetical Approaches
Overview
Commentators divide in their assessments of both the inadvertent killer's degree of culpability and the worthiness of the institution of the blood avenger. These, in turn, have consequences for their perspectives on the character of the "עָרֵי מִקְלָט" and their laws. Some exegetes, like Abarbanel and Shadal, adopt a more literal reading of the Biblical verses and view the cities as coming almost exclusively to safeguard the unintentional murderer. Others, like the Tzeror HaMor and the Netziv, are more heavily influenced by the Talmudic discussions, and attempt to reinterpret all of the sources to reflect the guilt of the killer and his need for penitence. Finally, many exegetes take a compromise position combining elements of both options.
Safe Haven
The cities are designated to serve as a refuge for the accidental killer, providing him with protection from the wrath of the blood avenger.
- Concession to human nature – Shadal maintains that ideally there would be no institution of blood avenging at all, but at times the Torah makes concessions to human nature. Knowing that relatives of the deceased would not be satisfied in watching his killer go free, the Torah allowed them to pursue him while simultaneously protecting the killer by setting up cities of refuge.5
- Blood avengers were wronged – Abarbanel asserts that though the unintentional killer is not viewed as a criminal by the court, he did nonetheless wrong the blood avenger in killing his relative (albeit accidentally). Thus, if the killer decides to leave the city of refuge, it is viewed as a contemptuous insult to the family of the deceased, making him undeserving of further protection.6
Exile and Rehabilitation
The cities serve a punitive role, effectively becoming a mandatory exile for the killer until the attaining of atonement for the death he caused.
- Levites as teachers and judges – One of the functions of the Levites was to teach the nation. As such their cities might have been chosen so that they could facilitate the rehabilitation of the killer. In addition, in their role as judges they might have been in charge of administering prisons and the like, these cities included.20
- Prevent defilement of land – Tzeror HaMor suggests that the killer needed to be confined to certain cities so that he would not defile the rest of the land by walking upon it. He does not explain why these had to belong to the Levites specifically, but see R. Rivlin,21 who suggests that the Levite cities were not considered to be part of the inheritance of the land and as such were the only sites within Israelite borders22 which were able to tolerate the killer walking upon them.23
- Part of Levite punishment – It is possible that the cities were given to the Levites only after already being designated as cities of exile for the killers, as part of the fulfillment of Yaakov's rebuke and punishment of Levi that he "will be divided amongst Israel."24
- High Priest atones – Tzeror HaMor asserts that a murder or homicide can not be atoned except via "the blood of he who spilled the blood."26 Since the killer acted accidentally, he himself is not culpable enough to deserve capital punishment, so the death of the high priest acts as a substitute.27
- Fair punishment – Seforno maintains that since there is varying culpability amongst inadvertent killers,28 defining a set amount of years for all killers to be in exile would have resulted in unfair punishment. Thus, Hashem leaves the duration of the killer's stay in His hands, as it is determined by the death of the priest,29 which is, in turn, decided by God.30
- High priest and killer are opposite – The Sifre Bemidbar31 suggests that while the high priest serves to lengthen one's life and causes the Divine providence to dwell amongst Israel, the killer does the opposite, and thus it would be inappropriate for him to be set free before the high priest.
- Granting of amnesty – Minchah Belulah suggests that when a new priest assumes office after the death of the previous one, he gives out pardons so as to be liked by the people, much like a new king would do.