“…because he must stay in his city of refuge until the death of the cohen hagadol. But after the death of the cohen hagadol the killer may return to the land he owns. These things shall constitute your standard for judgment through all your generations, wherever you live.”-Numbers 35:28-29
From verse 22, we are presented a short list of sample circumstances in which a victim’s life has been taken accidentally.
Here are the examples given:
-Someone loses his temper and shoves another person but without the intention of killing him (I guess the unfortunate victim died because he was shoved off of a steep cliff or something like that).
-Someone gets angry and hurls a fairly heavy object at another person. There was no intent to severely injure let alone kill the target but as circumstances would have it, the person struck by the object ended up dying.
-Someone strikes another person with his hand. Again, he didn’t intend to kill the other person but as unfortunate fate would have it, the victim ends up dying anyway.
In every one of these cases, the person who caused the death of another has to be brought before a council where it will be determined if there was malicious intent behind the perpetrator’s actions or if it really was accidental or unintentional.
In America, if unintentional, we categorize this type of accidental killing as “negligent homicide” or “negligent manslaughter“.
Now what do you think happens to the perpetrator if his actions are deemed accidental or unintentional.
That’s right, you guessed it!
He is to be immediately ushered into one of the six Levitical cities of sanctuary where he will be protected from the DAM GA’AL or the Blood Avenger.
There are two things I want you understand about this whole situation that makes it a bit more complex than it may seem at first glance.
Read verses 26-27.
“But if the killer ever goes beyond the limits of the city of refuge he fled to, and the next-of-kin avenger finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger kills the killer, he will not be guilty of the man’s blood.”
Based on these verses, we see that…
…first, the guilt still remains on the person who committed the accidental killing AND second, the duty of the DAM GA’AL to avenge the perpetrator of the accidental killing still remains.
We see this uncomfortable tension existing between the two parties that will continue on forever UNLESS…
…THE HIGH PRIEST DIES!
Read verse 28.
“…because he must stay in his city of refuge until the death of the cohen hagadol. But after the death of the cohen hagadol the killer may return to the land he owns.”
This is absolutely fascinating.
The one who committed the accidental killing remains guilty.
Yet, once the High Priest dies (whether it’s one day or 30 years after the perpetrator has been sent into exile), the perpetrator is freed from his blood guilt caused by his accidental killing.
Let me rephrase this in simpler terms so you’ll really get the picture.
The death of the High Priest ATONES for the one who unintentionally killed another person.
He is no longer under the curse of the law.
He is free of his sin and may leave the asylum city he was exiled to and return to his former life in whatever city he originally came from.
His is now innocent Before HASHEM and the whole world.
He is a FREE man!!!
And the DAM GA’AL is now forbidden from taking vengeance on that person under any circumstances.
In fact, if the DAM GA’AL does take vengeance on the man whose guilt has just been cleared, he will in turn be convicted of intentional manslaughter and given the death penalty.
This is absolutely mind-blowing!
The ONLY WAY a man can be freed from the blood guilt of manslaughter is the death of the High Priest.
The death of the High Priest is the only acceptable ATONEMENT before God for manslaughter.
The messianic overtones are so astounding I’m about to pop a blood vessel in excitement while just typing these words.
Interestingly, you should know that this Torah instruction did create a unique problem, one that is detailed for us in the Mishnah.
Here’s the predicament that arose.
From the perspective of the one who had committed unintentional manslaughter and had been exiled to a sanctuary city, obviously for him, it was a huge benefit if the High Priest died.
Because the sooner the High Priest died, the sooner he would be freed from his blood guilt and be able to leave the sanctuary city to which he had been confined.
In other words, secretly desiring for the High Priest to keel over as soon as possible is not the most Godly of thoughts to be harboring on a daily basis.
In order to prevent perpetrators in exile from becoming impatient and praying for the High Priest to die as soon as possible, we’re told that the mothers of the High Priests started bringing foods and other gifts to those in exile so they would be satisfied and happy enough in the sanctuary city to which they were confined.
Let’s move one by taking a look at verse 30.
“If anyone kills someone, the murderer is to be put to death upon the testimony of witnesses; but the testimony of only one witness will not suffice to cause a person to be put to death.”
This is clear enough I think.
There must be more than one witness before one can be declared guilty of intentional manslaughter.
Onward.
Let’s finish up Numbers 35 by taking a look at verse 33.
“In this way you will not defile the land in which you are living. For blood defiles the land, and in this land no atonement can be made for the blood shed in it except the blood of him who shed it.”
The principle established here is clear.
Blood unjustly spilled on God’s holy property will defile His land.
On the other hand, blood that is supposed to be justly spilled but is not spilled also serves to defile the land.
Again, that is why a murderer MUST BE PUT TO DEATH.
If the accumulation of defilement becomes too much, the Lord will no longer be able to dwell in the land.
NEXT TIME WE BEGIN NUMBERS CHAPTER 36
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