Measuring the Place of Refuge by a Word's Echo

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 324:1

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"And one who did not lie in wait" - this excludes one who intended to throw a stone two cubits and threw it four [an unforeseeable distance, which is treated differently]. "And I will appoint for you a place" - but I have not heard where. You may reason thus: a refuge is mentioned for the moment and a refuge is mentioned for the generations; just as the refuge mentioned for the generations means the cities of the Levites take in the killer, so the refuge mentioned for the moment means the camps of the Levites take him in. Issi ben Yaakov says: "And I will appoint for you a place" - why is this said? Because it says "let each man stay in his place" and so forth - this means two thousand cubits; or perhaps only four cubits? You may reason thus: it says "place" here and it says "place" further on; just as the "place" mentioned further on means two thousand cubits, so the "place" mentioned here means two thousand cubits.

Themes

Oral TorahHoly LandCommandments

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