Editing Ir Miklat (City of Refuge) (section)

== 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.