What is the law to be applied to someone who committed manslaughter? The Torah tells us that this manslayer must flee to the cities of refuge and settle there until the death of the High Priest.1 While the High Priest was alive, it was forbidden for the manslayer to leave the city, and only after the High Priest died was he allowed to return home.<\/p>\n
This connection between the punishment of the unintentional killer and the life of the High Priest requires explanation. What is the relationship between the murderer and the prolongation of the High Priest's days?<\/p>\n
Rashi responds: "The High Priest comes to make the Divine Presence dwell in the 'People of Israel' and lengthen their days, and the murderer comes to shorten their days; it is not fitting that he should be before the High Priest."2 "A PUNISHMENT FOR WHOM?"<\/p>\n
But Rashi is not satisfied with this and offers a further explanation: "Since the High Priest should have prayed that such a tragedy would not occur among the people of Israel during his lifetime." This explanation, at first glance, is completely incomprehensible. Isn't the punishment for the murderer, not the High Priest? What, then, is the meaning of the words "should have prayed?".<\/p>\n
However, here Rashi comes to explain the profound relationship between the two topics. The very fact that the Torah links the punishment of the unintentional killer with the death of the High Priest proves that this is not merely a "technical" distinction between two different subjects, but rather that an essential, intrinsic connection exists between them.<\/p>\n
DEATH ATONES<\/p>\n
The man who commits manslaughter is forbidden to leave his city of refuge while the High Priest lives because he has not yet atoned for his sin. Only with the death of the High Priest does he obtain forgiveness for his action. Just as "the death of the Tzaddikim (righteous) atones"3 for the generation, so too the death of the High Priest atones for the sin of unintentional manslaughter.<\/p>\n
And here the question arises: Why is it precisely the death of the High Priest that atones for an unintentional murder and not the death of another tzadik?<\/p>\n
Rashi answers this by saying, "Because he should have prayed." In other words, the High Priest's spiritual role is to radiate such holiness to the Jewish people that such actions are no longer possible. And since this event occurred during his lifetime, it is, to some extent, his responsibility. Therefore, the Almighty decreed that his death would specifically atone for the murderous act.<\/p>\n
LOVE FOR THE JEW<\/p>\n
From this we learn an extraordinary lesson regarding Jewish love of neighbor: the High Priest and the murderer represent the most opposite poles\u2014the zenith of holiness and purity on the one hand, and the deepest baseness and sin on the other (since the unintentional killer is at the most serious level among sinners not eligible for capital punishment). Despite this, they both depend on each other, since these two extremes are also part of one people.<\/p>\n
The High Priest\u2014the successor of Aaron the Priest, who was \"a lover of creatures\"4\u2014is required, on the one hand, to \"lengthen the days\" of Israel, and on the other, to pray that no harm will befall even the least among them. This is the function of the High Priest of every generation, and his prayer is accepted, so that only good and benevolence may befall the People of Israel, forevermore.<\/p>\n
(Likutei Sichot Volume 33, Page 206)<\/p>\n
NOTES: 1. Numbers 35:25 2. Rashi on the verse 3. Rashi's explanation of Numbers 20:1 4. Avot Chapter I, Mishnah 12. And see Tanya Chapter 32 (Spanish version, Kehot Edition, Tanya I)<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What is the law applicable to someone who committed manslaughter? The Torah tells us that this manslayer must flee to the cities of refuge and remain there until the death of the High Priest. While the High Priest was alive, it was forbidden for the manslayer to leave the city, and only after his death\u2026 Read More \u00bbThe High Priest<\/span><\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5831,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[971,967,954,962,998,942],"series":[],"class_list":["post-1090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-masei","tag-hombre","tag-israel","tag-judio","tag-ley","tag-perdon","tag-tora"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Kohen-Gadol.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/avatar1400.jpeg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"castbox":{"key":"castbox","url":"","label":"CastBox","class":"castbox","icon":"castbox.png"},"rss":{"key":"rss","url":"","label":"RSS","class":"rss","icon":"rss.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/en\/feed\/podcast\/rabino-tuvia-serber","embedCode":"El Sumo Sacerdote<\/a><\/blockquote>