“The congregation shall return him [the murderer] to the
city of refuge…and he shall remain there until the Kohen Gadol (High
Priest)…dies.” (Bamidbar/Numbers 35:25)
In this week’s Torah portion the six cities of refuge are
established. These are intended as places of asylum for those who have accidentally
killed someone. The murderer had to remain in the city of refuge until the
death of the Kohen Gadol.
The Mishna (Makkot 11a) notes that the
mother of the Kohen Gadol would bring food and clothing to the accidental murderers/refugees.
Why would she do this?
The Mishna explains that she would do this so that the
refugees would not pray for the death of her son. But what would keep the
refugees from enjoying the care packages and then praying for the Kohen Gadol’s
death?
Rabbi Ozer Alport on aish.com cites the explanation of Rabbi
Shlomo Eisenblatt: “Her [the mother’s] focus was not to guarantee that nobody
would pray for the death of her son, which would have been unrealistic, but
rather to ensure that even if they did pray, their petitions would be denied…The
power of a pure and truly heartfelt prayer is so great that even if it is
uttered by somebody whose carelessness resulted in the death of another Jew,
and even if his request is for something as audacious as the death of the Kohen
Gadol, if he cries out to G-d with all his heart, he may well be answered.”
“Although the feelings of gratitude that the accidental
murderers felt toward the mother of the Kohen Gadol may not have been
sufficient to stop them from praying altogether, they were enough to ensure
that they would be unable to pray with their entire hearts, and the smallest
reduction in the purity and intensity of their petitions was enough to prevent
them from being answered.”
Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky on
torah.org provides further explanation. ”The mission of the Kohen Gadol’s
mother was not just to distribute food. It was to develop a bond with those
people whose carelessness spurred a death. They saw the love a parent had for
her son as she subconsciously pled with the inmates to spare her child. They
saw how a total stranger, despite her great esteem, would make sure that their
needs in the city of refuge were cared for…After developing an awareness of
life, they would never be able to pray for the death of anyone, even if it
meant their own freedom.”
As parents, we must constantly
demonstrate to our children our care and concern for others. We should make kiddushei
hashem (sanctifications of G-d’s name) by reaching out non-judgmentally to
people society often neglects. In caring for others, we may change people’s
lives and positively influence their impression of Jewish people.
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