Parshat Va’etchanan is packed with good stuff. We read both the words of the Shema and the Ten Commandments. In the parashah, Moses delineates three cities of refuge on the east side of the Jordan River. A city of refuge was a place to which a person could flee if they accidently killed someone. In those times a family or clan believed in justice through avenging the killing of one of their own. Without a city of refuge, someone who killed another through a mistake would likely be killed. In order to protect the not guilty perpetrator, Moses establishes safe places for someone to go where they will not be killed. In order to ensure the safety of people fleeing, the roads were marked with the word “refuge” and were made to be twice as wide as the normal roads. In establishing these cities, Moses helped to create a just and safe society for all.
What are the ways we can be like Moses in our lives, creating the paths to protect those who need it most?
– Rabbi Avi Fine