Numbers 35 - Cities for Refuge?
Daily Verse for July 30th 2022
Verse 11:
וְהִקְרִיתֶ֤ם לָכֶם֙ עָרִ֔ים עָרֵ֥י מִקְלָ֖ט תִּהְיֶ֣ינָה לָכֶ֑ם וְנָ֥ס שָׁ֙מָּה֙ רֹצֵ֔חַ מַכֵּה־נֶ֖פֶשׁ בִּשְׁגָגָֽה׃
you shall provide yourselves with places to serve you as cities of refuge to which a man who has slain a person unintentionally—may flee.
These are people who accidentally killed someone.
Fleeing to this particular city makes the person safe from revenge feelings of the family members. Although taking revenge is forbidden, G-d knows people's emotions and in this way provides for safety.
We will hopefully not face such situations in our personal lives. However, we can learn a lesson from this verse for today.
When we disgrace someone it is equivalent to murder. This sin is akin to murder; just as blood is spilled in the act of murder, so too when one is shamed the blood drains from his face. One who publicly embarrasses his fellow loses his share in the World to Come.
But sometimes we can also accidentally embarrass someone by a wrong remark. It is good to apologize, but we can learn from this verse that it may also be good to stay away from that person for a while afterwards. So that he is not reminded of your words every time he sees you and the memory will wear off with time.
Brought By Angelique Sijbolts
Angelique Sijbolts is one of the main writers for the Noahide Academy. She has been an observant Noahide for many years. She studies Torah with Rabbi Perets every week. Angelique invests much of her time in editing video-lectures for the Rabbis of the Academy and contributes in administrating the Academy's website in English and Dutch. She lives in the north of the Netherlands. Married and mother of two sons. She works as a teacher in a school with students with special needs. And is a Hebrew Teacher for the levels beginners en intermediate. She likes to walk, to read and play the piano.
Sources
Sefaria
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