Questions tagged [city-of-refuge]

The Cities of Refuge were towns in Ancient Israel to which people who killed accidentally (through negligence) could flee and find asylum. Otherwise, relatives of the victims had the right to claim blood vengeance.

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Goel Dam and the accidental murderer

I was reading Parashat Shoftim and I was wondering why didn't the Torah simply forbade the Goel Dam to take revenge from the accidental murderer. My feeling is that although it is indeed forbidden, it ...
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Do non-Jews have a mitzvah of "blood redeemer"?

B"H Today's Rambam, H. Rotzeich 5:4 says וְעַכּוּ''ם שֶׁהָרַג אֶת הָעַכּוּ''ם בִּשְׁגָגָה אֵין עָרֵי מִקְלָט קוֹלְטוֹת אוֹתוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר לה טו) "לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל": When one ...
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Victim of accidental murder's wife falling to Yibum?

Assuming the following is in a case where Yibum is practiced: If someone accidentally killed his married brother who has no children, does the deceased brother's wife fall to Yibum if the killer wants ...
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Galus - ערי מקלט - by self admittance

If someone comes to Bais Din and says he killed someone Beshogeg and there are no witnesses, Will Bais Din be Mechayev him to go to the עיר המקלט? If yes, can he then after a while say that he only ...
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What if one chos vishalom accidentally kills someone right before techias hameisim?

B"H The Rambam in Hilchos rotzeiach 7:9-12 discuss how one who accidentally kills someone and is exiled to a city of refuge never leaves, until the Kohen Gadol passes away. The question is, what ...
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Please help me understand part of Gemoro Makkos 12b

I do not understand the Gemoro Makkos 12b The Gemoro deals with the case of a “blood redeemer” (BR) and an “accidental killer” (AK). A tree is on the border of the city of refuge; the trunk in one ...
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Why does Rambam mention cities of refuge in separate halacha than Bilaam etc.?

B"H The Rambam in the beginning of the laws of kings chapter 11 brings the proofs from the Torah for how we know Moshiach. The first proof is a verse from the Torah saying Hashem will "...
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Cities of Refuge when Moshiach comes?

Why do we need Cities of Refuge when Moshiach comes if at that time there will be no more death?
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Are there any specific named examples of accidental killers who successfully use an ir miklat?

Are there any examples of specific named individuals who accidentally killed someone and then took refuge in an ir miklat?
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Why does a murderer have to go to an Ir Miklat? [duplicate]

Someone who murdered by accident has to go to the Ir Miklat. I heard that H'shem's intention on commanding so is to put the murderer in contact with the Leviim and to enable him to be positively ...
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Can the Goel Ha'dam (blood avenger) kill the accidental murderer in any way s/he sees fit?

The goel ha'dam has either the right or obligation to kill someone who accidentally killed his/her(?) kinsman (Makkot 2:7) whom I will refer to as the refugee. I would like to understand what ...
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Why was Cheshbon given by the Gadites?

In Bamidbar 32:37 it says that Cheshbon was rebuilt by Reuven - seemingly, it was given to them after they reached the agreement with Moshe on the settlement of the land. In Yehoshua 13:17 it says ...
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42 Levite Cities as Cities of Refuge

Bamidbar 35 discusses the cities that are to be given to the Leviem, and says that in addition to the 6 cities of refuge they are to be given 42 cities. Numbers 35:6 וְאֵ֣ת הֶֽעָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר ...
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Does Bamidbar 35:33 contradict the Torah concerning man-slayers?

I don’t speak Hebrew and have only read Bamidbar 35 in English translations. The JPS Tanakh renders verse 33 as ‘You shall not pollute the land in which you live; for blood pollutes the land, and the ...
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Are there 6 or 9 cities of refuge?

Throughout the Torah and Talmud we see that there are 6 cities of refuge: 3 on one side of the Jordan, and 3 on the other side of the Jordan. In this week's Parsha (Shoftim, Perek 19, Pasuk 9 says ...
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What if the Kohen Gadol accidentally kills someone?

An ordinary person who accidentally kills someone has to go to an Ir Miklat (city of refuge) until the Kohen Gadol dies. But what if it's the Kohen Gadol himself who accidentally kills? He would ...
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Why was Shechem designated as a city of refuge?

The city of Shechem was given to Yosef by Yaakov (Bereshis 48:22) yet when the Jewish people entered Israel Yehoshua designated the city as a city of refuge (Yehoshua 20:7). Why was this done? Doesn't ...
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Source for Ir Miklat used to improve one's character

I heard in a shiur that one purpose for sending an accidental killer to the arei miklat, the cities of refuge, was so that they could improve their character. They would be surrounded by the Leviim, ...
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Connection between accidental murderer and Kohen ha'gadol?

Rashi does note that the Kohen ha'gadon should have prayed that there be no accidental murders. But I'm wondering if anyone has heard of a more direct relationship between the life of the murderer and ...
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How many fled to the Cities of Refuge?

Do we know how many people (accidental murderers) took advantage of the Cities of Refuge (Deuteronomy 4:41-43)? Perhaps the size of the cities would put an upper limit on that number, so do we know ...
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Can an unintentional murderer leave Ir Miklat for Shalosh Regalim?

We learn in Parshas Masei about a person who unintentionally murders another. The halacha is that the unintentional murderer is to flee to one of the Arei Miklat (Cities of Refuge), and stay there ...
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Does an Ir Miklat citizen man have property?

Can (does) one who has murdered and must go to a refuge city own property there? Specifically real estate, this would make a difference regarding his obligation to come to the temple three times a ...
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Philosophically, why does the death of an understudy kohen allow a manslaughterer to leave the City of Refuge?

Rambam, Laws of the Murderer and Preservation of Life 7:9. ואחד כוהן גדול העובד, ואחד הכוהן שעבר [The person guilty of manslaughter -- rotzeach beshogeg -- is no longer exiled to a City of Refuge ...
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How did accidental killers sustain themselves while living in the cities of refuge?

An accidental killer flees to one of the cities of refuge for an indeterminate time (until the death of the kohein gadol, or even longer if the timing is unfortunate). The cities of refuge are cities ...
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Exile the teacher also to the city of refuge?

In Makkot 10a, we learn that if a man is exiled to a city of refuge, his teacher must be exiled with him to continue to teach him Torah there: [The Sages] taught: [If] a student is exiled [to the ...
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If a blood avenger somehow gets into a city of refuge and kills the killer, is he subject to the death penalty?

We know that a Goel haDam (blood avenger) has a special allowance to kill the rotzeach who accidentally killed his family member. The accidental rotzeach can avoid this fate by fleeing to an ir miklat,...
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An accidental killer who needs to leave the city of refuge

It says in makos that a person who kills accidentally goes to a city of refuge. So if a person who killed accidentally is in a city of refuge and the whole city is on fire or an enemy is attacking the ...
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If there's no Goel Hadam (ex: victim was a convert), does the accidental killer still need to go to an Ir Miklat?

Suppose Reuvein was accidentally killed by Shimon. It turns out that Reuvein is a ger who has no halachik relatives. Since Reuvein has no next-of-kin and thus no one who can kill Shimon- does Shimon ...
15 votes
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Is an accidental murderer allowed to stand and fight the Goel HaDam?

As we know, during times when the Sanhedrin is fully operating, an accidental murderer must flee to an Ir Miklat (City of Refuge). If he leaves such a city or does not enter, he is subject to revenge ...
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Does a person who kills someone by accident have to go live in Chevron nowadays?

Someone who kills by accident has to go live in one of the Arei Miklat. The Rambam paskens this halacha and does not specify that it only applies at a particular time, only when there's a Sanhedrin, ...
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Accidental Murder

A person who kills another person by accident must run to a city of refuge. While he's running, relatives of the person he killed may kill him. Why are the relatives allowed to kill in such a case? ...
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Is the Goel HaDam (Blood Avenger) obligated to pursue blood vengeance?

During times when the Torah is the law of the land, if a Jew commits accidental murder against another Jew, he must flee to a Ir Miklat (City of Refuge) or else be subject to revenge killing by the ...
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Will there be murder after the coming of Moshiach? [duplicate]

After reading answers such as this, it seems to me that according to certain opinions, in the time of Moshiach, there will be no death, and none of the human behaviors that lead to murder. But in the ...
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May an accidental murderer choose to leave the city of refuge?

I understand from the Sefer HaChinuch, mitzvah 410, that a person who kills accidentally has a mitzvah to go to a city of refuge. I would like to know if that person is allowed to leave the city of ...
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What if a Goel HaDam (Blood Redeemer) accidentally kills his kinsman's accidental murderer - inside the latter's 'Ir Miklat (City of Refuge)?

Another question asks what happens if someone accidentally kills someone else inside an 'Ir Miklat (City of Refuge) in which the victim and/or his family live, and whether he needs to move to another ...
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Exile if one killed someone extra while in self-defense?

Say Mr. X is pointing his gun and trying to kill me. My friend, happened to be walking by, grabs Mr. X and struggles to tackle him to the ground. I tell my friend, "No, go away; I got him!" I have my ...
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Why is the wording "הערים האל" used? (Deut 4:42)

Devarim 4:42: לָנֻס שָׁמָּה רוֹצֵחַ אֲשֶׁר יִרְצַח אֶת רֵעֵהוּ בִּבְלִי דַעַת וְהוּא לֹא שֹׂנֵא לוֹ מִתְּמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם וְנָס אֶל אַחַת מִן הֶעָרִים הָאֵל וָחָי so that a murderer might ...
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What happens if the Kohen Gadol is replaced while someone is in the Ir Miklat?

During the late Second Temple period, the Roman governors would often sell the position of Kohen Gadol to the highest bidder, sometimes even disposing one before serving a whole year. What if, during ...
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Can the "Go'el Hadam" kill the inadvertent killer if he lives in any refuge city after the Cohen Gadol dies?

Bamidbar 35:25 - 27 state that a person who inadvertantly kills someone must reside in the city of refuge until the Kohen Gadol dies. If that person leaves the refuge city, the "Go'el Hadam" (loose ...
8 votes
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If a king kills accidentally does he go into exile?

The mishna in makkos teaches that even someone who the entire Jewish people have a need for such as Yoav ben Tzrurya would have to go into exile (to a city of refuge) if he killed accidentally. I ...
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What if Someone Accidentally Killed Someone in an Ir Miklat (City of Refuge)?

If someone kills a someone else through gross negligence in an Ir Miklat in which the victim and/or his relatives live, must he leave and seek refuge in another Ir Miklat? After all, surely the victim ...
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What is the law for a Goel Hadam (Avenger of Blood) outside of the Land of Israel?

The halacha is you can only build a city of refuge in Israel. What if someone killed by accident outside of Israel. Can the relative of the guy who was killed go after and try to kill the murderer who ...
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What if anything was the correspondence between mishmarim of kohanim and cities?

There were twenty-four watches (mishmarim) of kohanim. Each worked for a week, from Shabas to Shabas, and then the cycle repeated itself. (Rambam, K'le Hamikdash 4.) There were forty-eight cities in ...
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Were the Cities of Refuge ever built?

Are there any sources saying that the ערי מקלט were really built? I heard once that it was too hard to built the all the roads to them so they were never actually constructed. I know in Yehoshua ...