{"id":61468,"date":"2019-08-20T10:29:30","date_gmt":"2019-08-20T07:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=61468"},"modified":"2023-03-14T12:10:48","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T10:10:48","slug":"on-the-lam-at-the-altar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/on-the-lam-at-the-altar\/","title":{"rendered":"On The Lam At The Altar"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[679,900,547],"acf":{"old_id":"61468","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33692,"related_cahpter":"289","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"The authority of the king has no place in the palace of the King of Kings","content":"

When he realizes that his life is in danger, Joab flees to the altar, as Adonijah does in Chapter 1. What is the origin of this act, and how does it work?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Torah instructs: “And if a person comes maliciously against his fellow to kill him with guile, you shall take him from My altar to die” (Ex. 21:14). It seems that this is a reference to an ancient tradition which perceived the sacrificial altar, a classic instrument of atonement, as able to offer protection to fugitives from the law. The law in Parashat Mishpatim explicitly rejects this arrangement of asylum, stating that even when criminals seek protection at the altar, they will be taken from there to their deaths.<\/span><\/p>\n

If Jewish tradition rejects this practice, why do Joab and Adonijah run to the altar?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rambam applies the law of “take him from My altar to die” in a particular context:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An individual who is afraid to be killed by order of the king or by emergency order of the court, and escapes to the altar and leans on it, even if he is not a priest, he is saved. We do not ever take him from the altar to die, unless he is liable for the death penalty by the court with complete testimony and forewarning, like others who are executed by the court at all times. (Laws of the Murderer and Protection of Life 5:14)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, the right of asylum is not extended to criminals liable in a court of justice; it applies exclusively to people who are entangled with the ruling powers. A murderer will be tried in court, and the altar offers no protection, but fugitives from the king on account of treason have the advantage of the protection of the Temple.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the logic behind this distinction? Perhaps the Temple, the altar, is in some way extraterritorial: Torah law may apply at the altar (the Sanhedrin, after all, sits adjacent to the altar), but the authority of the king has no place in the palace of the King of Kings. By fleeing to the altar, Joab seeks to declare that his offense is a crime against the king alone; he is not guilty of murder in the standard sense. Solomon, however, insists that he be treated like a willful murderer; he is guilty as a criminal and must pay for his crimes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alex Israel, 1 Kings: Torn in Two<\/em>, Maggid Books, 2013, <\/span>Race to the Throne<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":61437,"id":61437,"title":"alex israel - kings 1","filename":"alex-israel-kings-1.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/adonijahs-scheme-to-ascend-the-throne\/alex-israel-kings-1\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"alex-israel-kings-1","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":61414,"date":"2019-08-19 12:13:44","modified":"2019-08-19 12:13:53","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1020,"height":1304,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-235x300.jpg","medium-width":235,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-768x982.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":982,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-801x1024.jpg","large-width":801,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1020,"1536x1536-height":1304,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1.jpg","2048x2048-width":1020,"2048x2048-height":1304,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-939x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":939,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/alex-israel-kings-1-329x420.jpg","home_baner-width":329,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"Excerpts from: 1 Kings - 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