By Rabbi Shulamit Ambalu

“They shall be cities of refuge from the avenger, so that the killer shall not be killed [in revenge] before he stands trial before the assembly”. Numbers 35:12

Before the Israelites even reach the Promised Land, God tells the people to establish cities of refuge, so that whoever commits manslaughter is sheltered from the dead person’s relative, who has the right to pursue and kill him in revenge. These six cities have names that resonate frightfully; Shechem, Hebron and Golan, to name just three. Our Torah portion this week explains that these Levitical cities are for the protection of the accidental killer, the true murderer must be put to death. How is accidental killing defined? Through a combination of the killer’s behaviour and the weapon.

Does the Torah suggest violence always lies ahead? Are the cities of refuge a necessary protection against the inevitable? Accidental killing can happen, but what is essential is the prevention of violence through cycles of revenge.

Words and thoughts with a dreadful power today. Living in such dangerous times, it is vital to remember the role of society in holding the line against untrammelled violence. The six (or according or Maimonides, 48) cities of refuge are a guarantee of safety until there is a trial, or the death of the current High Priest. But only if the accidental killer observes the boundary and stays within the city limits. Once they leave, even for a moment, there is no protection. The avenger may kill without any consequence. It is not the city limit itself that offers protection, but rather what it contains, the city’s population, the assembly, in Hebrew, the eidah. It is the people’s presence, and capacity for witness, that makes for law.

These are days of terrible vengeance. The cities of refuge are an imperfect analogy to the complexity in Israel and beyond today. But nevertheless, it the rule of law and the power of the assembly, the commitment to boundaries and the recognition of limits, that will shift the balance in this conflict towards life, and away from vengeful death.

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