Becoming a City of Refuge

I'd like to offer a followup to yesterday's topic wherein I introduced the Cities of Refuge.

For those who have an interest in reading the specific Bible passages, the Cities of Refuge are mentioned several places in the Torah and further elucidated in many places in the Talmud. The Shoftim passage to which I referred yesterday wherein we read the Cities of Refuge specifically is found in Deuteronomy 19:1-13 (which I did not directly quote in my post). That particular Deuteronomic passage gives a more cursory mention to the Cities, assuming that they've already been set up, commanding that additional cities be established. The main commands of the initial setting up of the Cities of Refuge are found in the Book of Numbers, most specifically in chapter 35. As the population expanded, more cities of refuge were to be added, with additional responsibilities.

To recap very briefly, a person accused of accidental killing another could flee to a city of refuge, where they could not be harmed by the family members of the victim. They were still brought to trial, and if they were found to be guilty of deliberate, premeditated murder, they were then punished accordingly. If it was deemed to be an innocent accident, that person was assured of protection as long as they remained in the city of refuge at all times.

Rabbi Levi Meier, PhD, z'l, 1946-2008, was a dearly loved Jewish Chaplain at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for over 29 years. He served as a catalyst in the healing process of patients and their families, focusing on pastoral counseling and medical ethics. Rabbi Dr. Meier wrote about the paralyzing guilt that can torment someone who may have some responsibility in another’s death. For example, the doctor who makes a mistake, a driver who doesn't see the figure crossing the street at night, the person who didn’t see the warning signs of suicide in a friend or family member, the family member who has to make a terrible decision to end life support. These are all rough situations, and it is easy to see how one might feel devastated by such events. One might even despair to the point of thinking they deserve to be rejected by the community and by G!d. It was to this which Rabbi Meier wrote most movingly.

He drew a parallel between the designation of a city of refuge and the building of the wilderness sanctuary in the midst of the people, both Torah passages found in the book of Numbers. In his book, Ancient Secrets: Using the Stories of the Bible to Improve our Everyday Lives, Rabbi Meier writes,

"The most significant aspect of a City of Refuge was that it was, in every meaning of the word, a sanctuary. A sanctuary is, of course, a place of protection. But a sanctuary is also a temple to G!d — designed and built according to G!d’s instructions and cared for by priests." (pp. 198-199)

He notes that Moses had been instructed in Exodus to "build for Me [G1d] a sanctuary so that I may dwell among them [the Israelites]." Rabbi Meier reminds us that the sanctuary was not meant as a house for G!d. This is a common misunderstanding today, wherein places of worship are often referred to as "the house of G!d." This was not at all the meaning of the wilderness sanctuary. G!d had not said, “And build for Me a sanctuary so that I may dwell in it,” but rather, “And build Me a sanctuary so that I may dwell among them.”

Rabbi Meier wrote, "A sanctuary — be it a temple of marble and gold or a City of Refuge to which criminals flee — is a powerful, concrete symbol of G!d’s constant presence among people. G!d dwells with people, whoever they are, whatever they have done. ... No matter who you are and what you have done, G!d does not abandon you. G!d recognizes that people make mistakes [and] always gives us another chance. And this is what the hapless offender — ridden with guilt and remorse — was to learn in the City of Refuge." (pp. 198-199)

What does this mean to us today, especially as we begin our sincere soul work of Elul?

The cities of refuge serve as a reminder that, while an extreme case, even the one who might commit accidental manslaughter that person is not rejected by G!d, but can in fact still find empathy, safety, and the possibility of reconnection to the wider community.  How much more does that apply to the everyday mistakes we all make? Nothing puts us beyond the reach of G!d, or beyond the reach of forgiveness. At least in theory, there is no rift that can’t be at least partially healed or forgiven.

In the Torah, by providing the people with Cities of Refuge, even the family "blood avenger" was no longer excused for holding onto the anger after a certain amount of time.

Perhaps the deepest lesson of the the ir miklat, the City of Refuge, to us today is that the process of healing takes time, community, and a deep spiritual connection. With these elements, we can build sanctuaries wherever we are.

Elul reminds us that if none of us are beyond the reach of forgiveness, what might we be holding onto with the significant and even not so significant others in our lives?

THIS is the work of Elul. Let us all learn how to be Cities of Refuge.