Ir Miklat (City of Refuge)

Ir Miklat is a city to which, according to the Torah, a person who killed another person accidentally must flee. The stay in the city serves two purposes: protecting the killer from revenge by the blood redeemer (goel hadam), and punishment for killing a person due to carelessness. For the second reason, fleeing to a city of refuge is an obligation, even when there is no threat to the killer. According to the poskim and those who count the mitzvos, establishing cities of refuge in Eretz Yisroel is a positive commandment.

In the Geulah, three additional cities will be added.

Source in the Torah

It is a positive commandment from the Torah to designate cities of refuge. And so it is written in the Torah:

"When Hashem your G-d cuts off the nations whose land Hashem your G-d gives you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, you shall separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land, which Hashem your G-d gives you to possess. You shall prepare the road, and divide the territory of your land, which Hashem your G-d gives you to inherit, into three parts, so that any manslayer may flee there. And this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, without having hated him in the past. As when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips from the wood and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live, lest the avenger of blood, while his heart is hot, pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated the victim in the past. Therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall separate three cities for yourself.'" — Parshas Shoftim, Chapter 19:1

How a City of Refuge Functions

The cities of refuge were inhabited by Kohanim or Leviim. A murderer, whether intentional or unintentional, would flee immediately after the murder to one of the cities of refuge. The purpose of the flight was to prevent the blood redeemer from coming to avenge the death of his relative. If the blood redeemer killed the murderer outside the cities of refuge, he was exempt from punishment.

When the murderer arrived at the city, the elders of the city would investigate the nature of the murder. If the murder was intentional, the elders would hand the murderer over to the beis din to judge and punish him appropriately. However, if the murder was unintentional, as the verse states: "without knowledge he struck his fellow and did not hate him previously," the murderer had to settle in the city of refuge until the death of the Kohen Gadol of that period, and it was forbidden to kill him. After the Kohen Gadol died, the murderer was permitted to return to his city. (Therefore, it is related in the Talmud that the mothers of the Kohanim Gedolim would distribute food items to those staying in the cities of refuge, so they would not pray for the death of their sons). If the murderer left his city before the time was up, the blood redeemer was permitted to kill him without trial. The punishment of staying in the city of refuge is called "galus" (exile).

According to the Talmud, the punishment of exile applies only to someone who acted with reasonable caution and still killed a person. A person who acted negligently is called "shogeg karov l'mezid" (unintentional but close to intentional) and cannot find refuge in the city of refuge. On the other hand, a person who took all precautionary measures and still killed a person is exempt from exile because he is called "anuss" (forced) or shogeg karov l'oness (unintentional but close to forced).

Discussion of the laws of cities of refuge is found in the Talmud in Tractate Makkos, chapter two. The laws of an unintentional murderer and cities of refuge are described in the Rambam's Sefer Nezikin, Hilchos Rotzeach U'Shmiras Nefesh chapters 5-8.

Laws of the City of Refuge

Regulations of the City of Refuge

In the cities of refuge, many precautionary measures were taken to enable a manslayer to arrive quickly so that the blood redeemer would not overtake him.

There is an obligation to straighten and mark the road to the cities of refuge with clear signs to allow for the fastest possible escape to the city of refuge. Every year on the 15th of Adar, toward the end of winter, the court is commanded to repair the roads to enable quick escape to the cities of refuge.

Allocation of Cities of Refuge

In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 4, it is told that Moses set aside three cities of refuge in the eastern side of the Jordan: Betzer in the territory of the tribe of Reuben, Ramot in the territory of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in the territory of the tribe of Menashe.

In the book of Joshua (20:1-9), it is told that Israel dedicated three additional cities of refuge: Kedesh in the mountains of Naphtali, Shechem in Mount Ephraim, and Kiryat Arba (Hebron) in the territory of the tribe of Judah.

According to Abaye's opinion in the Babylonian Talmud (Tractate Makkot, page 10a), all forty-eight Levite cities were cities of refuge, except that the six cities provided protection even for one who fled to the city without knowing that it was a city of refuge for him, which is not the case with the remaining forty-two. The Rambam also ruled this way, as he wrote, "All the Levite cities provide refuge and each one of them is a city of refuge. As it is said, 'And you shall add forty-two cities to them... all the cities that you shall give to the Levites, forty-eight cities' - Scripture linked them all together for refuge" (Laws of Murder and Preservation of Life, chapter 8, law 9). However, the Ramban already noted that this interpretation contradicts the plain meaning of the verses, according to which there were only six cities of refuge. According to the Radbaz, his words align with the law described in the Jerusalem Talmud.

Cities of Refuge in the Redemption

In the Redemption, three additional cities will be added to the six, as appears in Scripture: "And if Hashem your G-d enlarges your territory, as He swore to your forefathers, and gives you all the land that He spoke of giving to your forefathers; if you keep all these commandments to do them, which I command you this day, to love Hashem your G-d, and to walk in His ways all the days, then you shall add three more cities" in addition to these three.

The additional cities will be established in the lands of the Keni, Kenizi, and Kadmoni.

The Need for Cities in the Redemption

The commentators discuss the question of why cities of refuge will be needed in the redemption era, a time about which it is said "nation shall not lift sword against nation," implying there won't be murderers even by accident.

The Rebbe explains this by stating that the flight to cities of refuge will be for those who committed murder during exile, and the pursuit by the blood redeemer isn't because "his heart is heated," but rather because the pursuit by the blood redeemer is a commandment from the Torah.

Cities of Refuge as Proof of Redemption

The Rambam in the Laws of Kings brings the commandment of cities of refuge as additional proof for the redemption. The Rebbe explains the need for this additional proof since it strengthens the case against one who denies the redemption, because regarding a commandment in the Torah, one cannot say it will change or that it isn't meant literally.

The connection between this specific commandment and redemption: Just as a city of refuge absorbs in space, so too there is absorption in time. The time of redemption will absorb all the problems of exile, and then the absorption and atonement of the Jewish people will be completed.

Further Reading

• The Need for Cities of Refuge in the Redemption, Likutei Sichos Vol. 24, p. 107.

See Also

• Kuntres Torah Chadasha Me'iti Teitzei

External Links

• Nechama Greisman, Spiritual Refuge
• What is the obvious question that no one asks?
• Why does the Torah command to add cities of refuge in the redemption?, Lecture by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Chadad
• Cities of Refuge in the Future Era, HaTamim Issue 55, p. 32