A Safe Place
Do you remember playing tag as a child? You run around and either attempt to “tag” or avoid being “tagged.” Inevitably, either when establishing the rules or in the middle of the game, someone will call out “base!” meaning the place where they are standing or the object they are holding protects them from being “tagged.”
The Torah, too, establishes a safe base, though it has little to do with being tagged. In Matot-Mas’ei, we learn of the cities of refuge established in Levite territory. If a person kills another, they can escape to a city of refuge to avoid immediate retaliation. If the death was an accident, they can return home safely, and if not, they will be punished. The cities of refuge provided a safe zone for people to cool their emotions and for justice to be carried out.
Where do you feel most safe?
What would it look like to create a base, a place of refuge, to allow people to emotionally settle in your life?
How can each of us carry compassion for others while also ensuring the safety of people in our society?