{"id":54274,"date":"2018-07-09T17:42:31","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T14:42:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-207\/"},"modified":"2022-11-21T13:53:10","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T11:53:10","slug":"wall-207","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-207\/","title":{"rendered":"chapter-Prophets-Joshua-20"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"chapter","wall_id":"207","date":"20260615","book":"Joshua","chapter":"20","chapter_main_number":"207","books_group":"Prophets","hide_acf":true,"home_image":false,"home_posts":false,"home_posts_title":"","posts_home":[],"posts":[{"order":1,"id":"54165","color":"#f8ebe3","size":"1","name":"Joshua Chapter 20 - Read by Lisa Kirsch ","post_title":"Joshua Chapter 20 - Read by Lisa Kirsch","slug":"joshua-chapter-20-read-by-lisa-kirsch","old_id":"54165","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34686,"post_title":"Soundcloud","slug":"soundcloud","old_id":"34686","first_name":"","last_name":"","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34656,"alt":"","title":"491","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","width":300,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium_large-width":300,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","large-width":300,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","1536x1536-width":300,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":300,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","post_full_size-width":300,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","home_baner-width":300,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"207","type_929":"4","show_author_image":true,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"JPS Audio Bible","tile_main_caption":"Joshua 20","tile_main_caption_size":"2","tile_sub_caption":"read by Lisa Kirsch","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/929-bible\/JPS_Audio_Bible_Joshua_Chapter_20_read_by_Lisa_Kirsch","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"Joshua","chapter":"20","chapter_main_number":"207","date":"20260615","wall_id":"207"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"109323","color":"#f6edf6","size":"1","name":"Hilltop Refuge ","post_title":"Hilltop Refuge","slug":"hilltop-refuge","old_id":"109323","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":78133,"post_title":"Josh Blechner","slug":"josh-blechner","old_id":"78133","first_name":"Josh ","last_name":"Blechner ","description":"Josh first finished the Tanach during Yeshiva in Mevaseret Zion. He and his daughter studied the Tanach again for her bat mitzvah. Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group. When not studying for 929, Josh works as an in-house lawyer in New Jersey.","short_description":"Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group, and is an in-house attorney in New Jersey. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":78134,"alt":"","title":"josh blechner","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","width":276,"height":351,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-236x300.jpg","medium-width":236,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","medium_large-width":276,"medium_large-height":351,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","large-width":276,"large-height":351,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","1536x1536-width":276,"1536x1536-height":351,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","2048x2048-width":276,"2048x2048-height":351,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","post_full_size-width":276,"post_full_size-height":351,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","home_baner-width":276,"home_baner-height":351}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"207","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"The intriguing choice of location for the cities of refuge\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

Moses set aside three cities of refuge in Deuteronomy and now Joshua completes the project. The three established by Moses could not function without the three inside the land that Joshua establishes. The text lays out the exact locations of the cities:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

So they set aside Kedesh in the hill country of Naphtali in Galilee, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba\u2014that is, Hebron\u2014in the hill country of Judah. And across the Jordan, east of Jericho, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness, in the Tableland, from the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh (verses 7-8).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The three in the trans-Jordan are easy to split. Each of the three tribes gets one city. This allows someone who needs to flee a close place no matter where they are. Inside Canaan, things would be more complicated with nine and half tribes. The cities are evenly spread out there as well, with one in the far north in Naftali, one in the center in Ephraim and one in the south in Judah. There is a geographical note that the text mentions- all three cities of refuge in Canaan were in hilltop cities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Why would the text need to emphasize that the cities were on hilltops?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Perhaps there was a strategic reason for the cities to be on hills. A city full of accidental murderers would be a target for the vengeful relatives, despite the decree of safety; the strategic hilltop location would provide extra security.\u00a0 Perhaps the high elevation also allowed the city elders and watchmen to be on the lookout for refugees. The ability to see someone running from afar would allow those in the city to quickly prepare for the arrival of a potential inhabitant in case a decision needed to be made post-haste. Perhaps the cities were high up to make it difficult to get to the cities. One could not \u201caccidentally\u201d approach one of the cities. One needed to exert the effort that only one fleeing for their life would exert. The cities could have been high up so as to be readily visible to those from afar. Because the cities in Canaan were only in a few tribal lands, unlike those in the Trans-Jordan, perhaps those fleeing from other tribal lands would not be as familiar with the terrain. It would be helpful then to be able to see these cities from far away. Finally, perhaps it was more symbolic. The cities of refuge represented the desire for law and order despite what local custom would be. Such symbols of a just society should be placed up high for all to see and remember.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":109324,"alt":"","title":"-63790abc081c0--63790abc081c1jo20-castle hill 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Deliberate And Otherwise ","post_title":"Murders, Deliberate And Otherwise","slug":"murders-deliberate-and-otherwise","old_id":"109326","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":62571,"post_title":"Yaakov Bieler","slug":"yaakov-bieler","old_id":"62571","first_name":"Yaakov ","last_name":"Bieler ","description":"Rabbi Yaakov Bieler has been involved in Jewish education and the synagogue Rabbinate in New York, NY and Silver Spring, MD since being ordained by Yeshiva University in 1974. He has lectured and written extensively on Modern Orthodoxy, and blogs daily at https:\/\/yaakovbieler.wordpress.com ","short_description":"Rabbi Yaakov Bieler has been involved in Jewish education and the synagogue Rabbinate in New York, NY and Silver Spring, MD since being ordained by Yeshiva University. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":62572,"alt":"","title":"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","width":141,"height":180,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler-141x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":141,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","medium-width":141,"medium-height":180,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","medium_large-width":141,"medium_large-height":180,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","large-width":141,"large-height":180,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","1536x1536-width":141,"1536x1536-height":180,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","2048x2048-width":141,"2048x2048-height":180,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","post_full_size-width":141,"post_full_size-height":180,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/yaakov-bieler.jpg","home_baner-width":141,"home_baner-height":180}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"207","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"And where does God figure in?\u00a0\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

Although the laws regarding the cities of refuge are outlined earlier \u2014see Num. 35:10-28\u2014the verses in Joshua 20 augment them in several ways:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

a) The cities officially take effect following the completion of the conquest of Canaan and its inheritance by the tribes of Israel which has now been completed under the leadership of Joshua;<\/span><\/p>\r\n

b) V. 4 describes the fact that the accused will never pay rent or be required to purchase a residence, but is provided free accommodations by the city to which he flees for as long as he is exiled;<\/span><\/p>\r\n

c) V. 5 explains how the inadvertent murderer is to be returned to the city unto which he first flees, assuring that the blood avenger does not get an opportunity to kill him. And:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

d) V. 7 lists the cities in Israel proper designated as cities of refuge, in addition to the three on the far side of the Jordan River previously established by Moses (see v. 8 and Deut. 4:41-3).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

An additional case where God sees to it that murderers do not \u201cgame the system\u201d and end up getting away with the taking of human life, whether deliberate or accidental, is mentioned by the Amora, Resh Lakish (Midrash HaGadol on Deut. 19:3). Concerning the verse in Exodus 21:13 \u201cIf he did so but not by design\u2014it came about by an act of God\u2014I will assign you a place to which he can flee\u201d, i.e., a city of refuge, Resh Lakish posits the following:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

What is the verse discussing? Two individuals that were murderers, one who took life inadvertently and another who killed deliberately, and both of them carried out their deeds without witnesses, (<\/span>thereby escaping this-worldly punishment<\/span><\/i>). The Holy One, Blessed Be He, invites them to an inn; the one who murdered deliberately, sits under a ladder, while the other uses the ladder to descend, resulting in his falling upon the one sitting beneath it, and killing him (<\/span>before witnesses<\/span><\/i>.) The result is that the deliberate murderer dies and the inadvertent murderer is exiled.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cThe act of God\u201d in Reish Lakish\u2019s story operates on two levels. God orchestrates that the deliberate murderer pays with his own life at the hands of a \u201cfalse step\u201d on the part of the inadvertent perpetrator. Moreover, the inadvertent murderer has now taken two lives, the individual that he origjnally killed, as well as the deliberate murderer\u2019s. Just as the second was engineered by God, it ought to be assumed that the first was as well.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

While laying the blame at \u201cGod\u2019s feet\u201d can explain how an accident can lead to such a gruesome result, it then raises the question: why should this individual be punished at all, if what has happened is all attributable to God? Apparently, the individual chosen to be God\u2019s representative in this transaction, is in need of a modicum of rehabilitation under the aegis of the Levites, taking place while he is exiled to a \u201ccity of refuge.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":109327,"alt":"","title":"-63790cfb5998f--63790cfb59990jo20-murder victom 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\u201cAccidental\u201d Deaths ","post_title":"Today\u2019s \u201cAccidental\u201d Deaths","slug":"todays-accidental-deaths","old_id":"54450","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":53706,"post_title":"Gabe Cohen","slug":"gabe-cohen","old_id":"53706","first_name":"Gabe ","last_name":"Cohen","description":"Gabe Cohen is a rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, where he is also pursuing his MA in Jewish Education. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Deb. ","short_description":"Gabe Cohen is a rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, where he is also pursuing his MA in Jewish Education. \r\n","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":70092,"alt":"","title":"gabe cohen2","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/gabe-cohen2.jpeg","width":481,"height":561,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/gabe-cohen2-150x150.jpeg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/gabe-cohen2-257x300.jpeg","medium-width":257,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/gabe-cohen2.jpeg","medium_large-width":481,"medium_large-height":561,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/gabe-cohen2.jpeg","large-width":481,"large-height":561,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/gabe-cohen2.jpeg","1536x1536-width":481,"1536x1536-height":561,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/gabe-cohen2.jpeg","2048x2048-width":481,"2048x2048-height":561,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/gabe-cohen2.jpeg","post_full_size-width":481,"post_full_size-height":561,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/gabe-cohen2-360x420.jpeg","home_baner-width":360,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"207","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"For instance - who should be held responsible for a fatal accident caused by a self-driving car?","post_main_content_content":"

In Joshua 20, we read about the implications of accidental murder and what happens to the person who commits manslaughter. Those individuals are sent to an <\/span>ir miklat<\/span><\/em>\u2014one of six cities of refuge\u2014for two reasons: first, the refuge cities serve as a prison system to ensure these individuals don\u2019t accidentally kill again, and second, being in a city of refuge protects those guilty of manslaughter from family members of the slain party who might be seeking revenge. In Deut. 19:5, we are given the example of a person whose axe flew off the handle and accidentally killed a passerby. It is easy to imagine a refuge city populated with these kinds of clumsy people who are constantly putting the lives of others at risk, but it is more relevant to think about the real dangers that exist in our world that lead to accidental deaths.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

A recent discussion that I took part in about halakhic questions regarding autonomous vehicles\u2014in which nobody can take direct blame for an accidental death\u2014left me thinking about the implications of what happens to those involved in light of this chapter. Who should be held responsible for a fatal accident caused by a self-driving car? Or an airplane whose controls fail the pilot? Surely, we couldn\u2019t place a car or airplane in a refuge city for concern over somebody wanting to kill the car. Do we place blame on the company or the technology behind the self-driving cars?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Regarding the Torah example of the faulty axe, the Rabbis discuss, in <\/span>Masekhet Makkot<\/span><\/em>, what happens if the axe has been thoroughly inspected and an accident leading to death still occurs. Perhaps the case in which a car accident occurs despite a car\u2019s software appearing to be completely safe, is comparable to the axe example. As our world evolves, we will be forced to grapple with the questions of what happens when things go awry with our new technologies, and we can still look to the Tanakh for guidance, regardless of how much technology changes our lives.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

image by: Ian Maddox\u00a0 \/ wikimedia<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":54451,"alt":"","title":"jo20-Tesla_Autopilot","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot.jpg","width":800,"height":600,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot-300x225.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":225,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot-768x576.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":600,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot.jpg","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":600,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot.jpg","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":600,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":600,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot-560x420.jpg","home_baner-width":560,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Today\u2019s \u201cAccidental\u201d Deaths","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"For instance - who should be held responsible for a fatal accident caused by a self-driving car?","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":54451,"alt":"","title":"jo20-Tesla_Autopilot","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot.jpg","width":800,"height":600,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot-300x225.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":225,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot-768x576.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":600,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot.jpg","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":600,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot.jpg","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":600,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":600,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Tesla_Autopilot-560x420.jpg","home_baner-width":560,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"Joshua","chapter":"20","chapter_main_number":"207","date":"20260615","wall_id":"207"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"383","name":"Death","old_id":"783"},{"term_id":"412","name":"Responsibility","old_id":"812"},{"term_id":"662","name":"Halacha","old_id":"1062"},{"term_id":"867","name":"Refuge","old_id":"1267"}]},{"order":5,"id":"54453","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Refuge & Rehabilitation ","post_title":"Refuge & Rehabilitation","slug":"refuge-rehabilitation","old_id":"54453","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34243,"post_title":"Moshe Sokolow","slug":"moshe-sokolow","old_id":"34243","first_name":"Moshe","last_name":"Sokolow","description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University, and teaches a weekly class in parashat hashavu`a at Lincoln Square Synagogue. He is the author of TANAKH: An Owner\u2019s Manual (Jerusalem: Urim\/Ktav, 2015).\r\n\r\n","short_description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34244,"alt":"","title":"sokolow","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","width":302,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-300x298.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":298,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","medium_large-width":302,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","large-width":302,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","1536x1536-width":302,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","2048x2048-width":302,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","post_full_size-width":302,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","home_baner-width":302,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"207","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"When even the Torah and its scholars might need to seek shelter","post_main_content_content":"

God instructed Moses to allocate six Levitical cities as cities of refuge (Numbers 35). Moses set aside three such cities in Trans-Jordan (Deut. 4 and 19), leaving the balance to be determined later. Now, with the conquest and apportionment nearing their conclusion, Joshua completed the assignment by allocating three additional cities of refuge west of the Jordan. Detailed principles of asylum were developed in talmudic tractate Makkot (Chapter Two) and canonized by Maimonides in Mishneh Torah. I should like to cite one singular aspect of those laws here.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Our chapter prescribes that the unpremeditated killer \u201cshall reside (<\/span>yashav<\/span><\/em>) in that city until he stands trial\u201d (v. 6, cf. Numbers 35:25). Elsewhere, the Torah qualifies that residence as \u201cthat he might live\u201d (<\/span>vahay<\/span><\/em>; Deut. 4:42, 19:5) One of the points taken up in the Maimonidean exposition pertains to the nature of that dwelling and living. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

If a disciple [of the Sages] is exiled to a city of refuge, his teacher is exiled, too. To wit: \u201cthat he might live;\u201d enable him to live, and the lives of scholars bereft of wisdom is akin to death. Likewise, if a teacher is exiled, so is his academy (Laws of Murder and the Preservation of Life, 7:1).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Imagine, an entire academy forced to reside in a city of refuge because their master killed someone without premeditation! None of them shares his guilt; indeed, even he, strictly speaking, is not guilty; yet they are all obliged to seek asylum in order that their collective Torah learning should not be compromised.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

One would be entitled to conclude from this, and similar laws, that Maimonides would support the position taken by many contemporary penologists that the principal purpose of incarceration is to provide opportunities for rehabilitation\u2014spiritual and psychological, too\u2014as it is implied in the name of the agency that oversees prisons: The Department of Corrections. <\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":54472,"alt":"","title":"jo20-exit","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit.png","width":1920,"height":1219,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit-300x190.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":190,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit-768x488.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":488,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit-1024x650.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":650,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":975,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit.png","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1219,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit-1200x762.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":762,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit-662x420.png","home_baner-width":662,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Refuge & Rehabilitation","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"When even the Torah and its scholars might need to seek shelter","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":54472,"alt":"","title":"jo20-exit","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit.png","width":1920,"height":1219,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit-300x190.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":190,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit-768x488.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":488,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit-1024x650.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":650,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":975,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit.png","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1219,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit-1200x762.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":762,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-exit-662x420.png","home_baner-width":662,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"Joshua","chapter":"20","chapter_main_number":"207","date":"20260615","wall_id":"207"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"662","name":"Halacha","old_id":"1062"},{"term_id":"851","name":"City\/cities","old_id":"1251"},{"term_id":"867","name":"Refuge","old_id":"1267"}]},{"order":6,"id":"54474","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Cities For (Accidental) Killers ","post_title":"Cities For (Accidental) Killers","slug":"cities-for-accidental-killers","old_id":"54474","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":53309,"post_title":"Michael Hattin","slug":"michael-hattin","old_id":"53309","first_name":"Michael ","last_name":"Hattin ","description":"Rabbi Michael Hattin teaches Tanakh at Pardes in Jerusalem and serves as the Director of the Beit Midrash for the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators. 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The commandment concerning the designation of special cities of refuge was comprehensively presented in the Torah at the very end of the Book of Numbers (Num. 35:9-34). At that time, God told Moses to command the people concerning these six cities, so that they might fulfill the injunction after they had secured their place in Canaan. The mention of the matter in the Book of Joshua now, towards the very end of the book, emphasizes that Israel achieved God's promise of possessing the land, and Joshua accomplished the daunting task of taking Moses' place. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

There is no question that the Torah's legislation, while acknowledging existing cultural norms, at the same time attempted to moderate and to eventually replace them with more advanced models of morality and justice. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

It is instructive to note that \"avenging the blood,\" by taking the life of the killer (innocent though he may have been of intent to murder) before law enforcement authorities can intervene, happens in many Middle Eastern societies today. Blood feuds, honor killings, and clan infighting are not uncommon in tribal societies; the cities of refuge are the Torah's response to these phenomena, a demand over three thousand years ago to replace cruel frontier justice with a functioning and impartial judiciary. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

These cities of refuge were associated with the Levites, whose own forty-eight designated cities included these six. The exile of the killer to the city of refuge was therefore not simply an act of justice and compassion, but one of absolution as well. The killer had to not only experience the anguish of banishment from his own town but also make the acquaintance of the Levites, whose special role was to provide spiritual instruction and guidance in ancient Israel. In this way, the killer could achieve pardon by serving his \"sentence\" of expulsion until the death of the High Priest, for that landmark event would usher in a new era of religious leadership. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

In cases of premeditated homicide, however, the Torah makes it very clear that there can be no sanctuary from justice. In the bold language of Parashat Mishpatim: \"If a man schemes against his fellow and kills him intentionally, then even from My altar you shall take him to die!\" (Ex. 21:14). The institution of the cities of refuge was a sensible middle ground, preserving from harm those undeserving of death while at the same time brooking no compromise with murderers. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Joshua: The Challenge of the Promised Land<\/em> <\/span>(Jerusalem: Koren, 2015); <\/span>Chapter: \u201cCities of Refuge and Levitical Cities\u201d <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Image: <\/span>Cities of Refuge, illustration from a Bible card published 1901 by the Providence Lithograph Company \/ wikimedia<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":54475,"alt":"","title":"jo20-Cities_of_refuge","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge.jpg","width":443,"height":500,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge-266x300.jpg","medium-width":266,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge.jpg","medium_large-width":443,"medium_large-height":500,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge.jpg","large-width":443,"large-height":500,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge.jpg","1536x1536-width":443,"1536x1536-height":500,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge.jpg","2048x2048-width":443,"2048x2048-height":500,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge.jpg","post_full_size-width":443,"post_full_size-height":500,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge-372x420.jpg","home_baner-width":372,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Cities For (Accidental) Killers","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"But no refuge for murderers","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":54475,"alt":"","title":"jo20-Cities_of_refuge","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge.jpg","width":443,"height":500,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge-266x300.jpg","medium-width":266,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge.jpg","medium_large-width":443,"medium_large-height":500,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge.jpg","large-width":443,"large-height":500,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge.jpg","1536x1536-width":443,"1536x1536-height":500,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge.jpg","2048x2048-width":443,"2048x2048-height":500,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge.jpg","post_full_size-width":443,"post_full_size-height":500,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo20-Cities_of_refuge-372x420.jpg","home_baner-width":372,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"Joshua","chapter":"20","chapter_main_number":"207","date":"20260615","wall_id":"207"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"762","name":"Murder","old_id":"1162"},{"term_id":"851","name":"City\/cities","old_id":"1251"},{"term_id":"867","name":"Refuge","old_id":"1267"}]},{"order":7,"id":"109361","color":"#f6edf6","size":"1","name":"The Tanakh Podcast-20","post_title":"The Tanakh Podcast-20","slug":"the-tanakh-podcast-20","old_id":"109361","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33692,"post_title":"Alex Israel","slug":"33692-2","old_id":"33692","first_name":"Alex","last_name":"Israel","description":"Alex Israel teaches Tanakh at the Pardes Institute, Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi and Matan, Jerusalem. 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\u201cCities of Refuge\u201d<\/span><\/a> by Robyn Fryer Bodzin: Explore Jewish texts about these cities. <\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Go deeper into the chapter....","tile_main_caption":"Sefaria Source Sheets - Joshua 20","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Click to get links to learning resources","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":42232,"alt":"","title":"sefaria-words-sunburst","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","width":608,"height":395,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst-300x195.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":195,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","medium_large-width":608,"medium_large-height":395,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","large-width":608,"large-height":395,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","1536x1536-width":608,"1536x1536-height":395,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","2048x2048-width":608,"2048x2048-height":395,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","post_full_size-width":608,"post_full_size-height":395,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sefaria-words-sunburst.png","home_baner-width":608,"home_baner-height":395}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"Sefaria word sunburst visualization","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"Joshua","chapter":"20","chapter_main_number":"207","date":"20260615","wall_id":"207"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":10,"id":"54477","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Points to Ponder - Chapter 20 ","post_title":"Points to Ponder - Chapter 20","slug":"points-to-ponder-chapter-20","old_id":"54477","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":38102,"post_title":"929-English","slug":"929-english","old_id":"38102","first_name":"","last_name":"929-English","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":38333,"alt":"","title":"\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5.png","width":1513,"height":860,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-300x171.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":171,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-768x437.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":437,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-1024x582.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":582,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5.png","1536x1536-width":1513,"1536x1536-height":860,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5.png","2048x2048-width":1513,"2048x2048-height":860,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-1200x682.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":682,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d5-739x420.png","home_baner-width":739,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"207","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"

    \r\n\t
  1. Only in the Torah! (and here\u2026)<\/span><\/i>. The formulation: \u201cThe Lord said to\u2026 saying, \u2018Speak to the Israelites\u2026\u2019\u201d appears only in the Torah - and in verse 1 of our chapter.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  2. Take the legal challenge<\/span><\/i>. For the advanced reader: how are the laws from the Torah expressed in verses 3-6. Which parts come from Exodus? From Numbers? And which from Deuteronomy?<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  3. Gimme refuge<\/span><\/i>. Cities of refuge are regular cities. The accidental manslaughterer (after he has been received, and after having been judged and found that his act was indeed unintentional and thus he his deserving of protection) lives in a completely normative environment.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  4. How long?? <\/i>The city of refuge was both a form of protection - and of prison. Until when? \u201cHe shall live in that city ...until the death of the high priest who is in office at that time. Thereafter, the manslayer may go back to his home in his own town, to the town from which he fled\u201d (verse 6).<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>","post_main_content_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Chapter 20","tile_main_caption":"Points to Ponder","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Insights and questions for personal reflection and group discussion","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"Joshua","chapter":"20","chapter_main_number":"207","date":"20260615","wall_id":"207"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false}],"static_cube_title":"","static_cube_brief":"","static_cube_color":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall\/54274"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wall"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}