A powerful image. "The power of His deeds He told to His people" (Psalms 111:6). According to Bamidbar Rabbah, God could have simply created a new land for the Israelites. But instead, God chose to demonstrate divine power by vanquishing their enemies and giving them their land. This, the text suggests, is the ultimate expression of divine strength: "The power of His deeds He told to His people, in giving them the inheritance of nations" (Psalms 111:6). It’s a reminder that God's actions are not just about outcomes, but about revealing divine nature.
Then the narrative shifts, focusing on the concept of cities of refuge. "You shall designate cities for you, cities of refuge they shall be for you, and the murderer who smites a person unwittingly shall flee there" (Numbers 35:11). These cities offered sanctuary to those who had accidentally taken a life. But why this provision?
The text turns to (Psalm 25:8), "Good and upright is the Lord; therefore, He instructs sinners on the way." David, in (Psalm 25:6), pleads, "Remember Your mercy, Lord, and Your kindnesses, [for they are eternal]." The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) connects this to Adam. Adam, who, according to (Genesis 2:17), was supposed to die the day he ate from the Tree of Knowledge. But God showed mercy. Instead of immediate death, Adam was banished from Eden, living for 930 years. This banishment, the Midrash argues, is akin to the unintentional murderer seeking refuge. Adam brought death to humanity, yet was given a form of sanctuary. This act highlights a profound principle: even in the face of transgression, divine mercy seeks a path to redemption.
But how would someone find these cities of refuge? Imagine being in a state of panic and grief, desperately trying to reach safety. God, according to this passage, anticipated this. "Prepare the way for you" (Deuteronomy 19:3), God tells Moses, meaning to create clear paths to the cities of refuge. As the text explains, markers were to be placed, inscribed with "Murderer, to the city of refuge," guiding the way. What does this tell us? That divine justice is tempered with compassion, ensuring that even those who have erred have a chance at atonement. If God makes a path for murderers to find refuge, how much more so for the righteous?
Of course, the cities of refuge were not for intentional murderers. The text makes this crystal clear: "And the murderer who smites a person unwittingly shall flee there – but not intentionally." If someone intentionally killed another and sought refuge, even clinging to the altar, they were to be brought to justice. The example given is Yoav, who fled to the altar but was ultimately killed. Why? Because, as (Exodus 21:14) states, "If a man acts intentionally against his neighbor [to kill him…you shall take him from My altar to die]."
Yoav's story is complex. He knew the law, so why did he seek sanctuary at the altar? The text suggests it was about legacy. Those executed by the court were not buried with their ancestors. Yoav preferred death at the altar, ensuring burial with his family. Moreover, the text points out that David had commanded that Yoav be killed for the deaths of Avner and Amasa (I Kings 2:5). Yoav had followed David’s orders to have Uriya killed (II (Samuel 11:1)5), a deed that haunted David.
The text then delves into the reasons for Avner's death. Some say it was because he treated the lives of young men as a game, citing II (Samuel 2:14): "Avner said to Yoav: Let the lads rise now and play before us." Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi offers another reason: Avner placed his name before David's in a message (II (Samuel 3:1)2). Others suggest it was because Avner failed to reconcile Saul and David, or because he didn't object to Saul's actions regarding Nov.
The narrative concludes with Rabbi Yehuda stating that all the curses David placed on Yoav were ultimately fulfilled in David’s descendants. Each curse—"zav" (discharge), leper, leaners on crutches, falling by the sword, lacking food—is linked to a specific descendant of David.
So, what are we left with? A powerful exploration of justice, mercy, and accountability. The cities of refuge offer a glimpse into God's compassion, providing a path to redemption for those who have erred unintentionally. But the story of Yoav reminds us that intentional acts of violence cannot be excused, even by seeking sanctuary. It's a complex tapestry, woven with threads of law, compassion, and the enduring consequences of our choices. It leaves us pondering the delicate balance between justice and mercy, and the profound responsibility we each bear for our actions.
That which the verse said: “The power of His deeds He told to His people” (Psalms 111:6) – the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘I could have created a new land for you. However, in order to show you My power, I will kill your enemies from before you and give you their land,’ to realize what is stated: “The power of His deeds He told to His people, in giving them the inheritance of nations” (Psalms 111:6).
“You shall designate cities for you, cities of refuge they shall be for you, and the murderer who smites a person unwittingly shall flee there” (Numbers 35:11). “You shall designate cities for you” – this is what the verse said: “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore, He instructs sinners on the way” (Psalms 25:8). “Remember Your mercy, Lord, and Your kindnesses, [for they are eternal]” (Psalms 25:6) – David said: Master of the universe, had it not been for Your kindnesses that preceded Adam the first man, he would not have survived, as it is stated: “For on the day that you eat of it you will die” (Genesis 2:17). But You did not do so to him, but rather, You took him out of the Garden of Eden, and he lived nine hundred and thirty years, and then he died. What did You do to him? You banished him from the Garden of Eden, as it is stated: “He banished the man”’ (Genesis 3:24). Why was he banished? It is because he brought death upon the generations. He incurred liability to die immediately, but You had mercy upon him and banished him in the manner of the unwitting murderer, who is exiled from his place to the cities of refuge. That is why it is stated: “Remember Your mercy, Lord, and Your kindnesses [for they are eternal].” When Moses stood and the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “You shall designate cities for you,” Moses said: ‘Master of the universe, one who unwittingly killed a person in the north or in the south, from where does he know where the cities of refuge are so he could flee there?’ He said to him: ‘“Prepare the way for you” (Deuteronomy 19:3) – direct the way for you, so that they will not be mistaken and the blood redeemer will find him and kill him; “there is no death sentence for him”’ (Deuteronomy 19:6). He said to Him: ‘How?’ He said to him: ‘Position stone markers directing to the cities of refuge so he will know how to go there. On each marker, inscribe on it: Murderer, to the city of refuge,’ as it is stated: “Prepare the way for you.” That is why it is stated: “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore, He instructs sinners on the way” (Psalms 25:8). If for murderers he made a path and a way for them to flee and be saved, for the righteous, all the more so: “He guides the humble with justice, and He teaches the humble His way” (Psalms 25:9). “And the murderer who smites a person unwittingly shall flee there” – but not intentionally. If one kills intentionally and says: I killed unwittingly, and flees to cities of refuge, the Holy One blessed be He said: Even if he flees and enters upon My altar, kill him, as it is stated: “If a man acts intentionally against his neighbor [to kill him…you shall take him from My altar to die]” (Exodus 21:14). Who was it who fled to the altar and was killed? It was Yoav, as it is stated: “The tidings came to Yoav…[Yoav fled] to the Tent of the Lord [and grasped the corners of the altar]” (I Kings 2:28). And it says: “A Taḥkemonite, head of the officers” (II Samuel 23:8).17A reference to Yoav, indicating that he was wise, as Taḥkemonite is an expression of wisdom [ḥokhma]. Did he not know that it is written in the Torah: “If a man acts intentionally against his neighbor…” that he went and grasped the corners of the altar? Rather, he said: Those executed by the court are not buried in the graves of their ancestors, but rather by themselves. It is preferable for me that I die here and be buried in the graves of my ancestors. “Benayahu brought back word to the king, saying: So said Yoav.… The king said to him: Do as he said: Strike him down, and bury him, and remove the innocent blood that Yoav shed from upon me and from upon my father’s house” (I Kings 2:30–31). Why was he killed? It is because David his father commanded him so: “You too know what Yoav son of Tzeruya did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Avner son of Ner and to Amasa son of Yeter; he killed them” (I Kings 2:5). What did he do to him?18What did Yoav do to David? You find when David wrote to Yoav: “Place Uriya at the front of the fierce battle, and retreat from behind him, and he will be smitten and die” (II Samuel 11:15); he [Yoav] did so and he died. All the heads of the army gathered around Yoav to kill him, as he [Uriya] had been the head of the mighty, as it is written in his regard: “Uriya the Hittite. Thirty-seven in all” (II Samuel 23:39). He showed them the letter. That is why it is written: “What Yoav son of Tzeruya did to me.” “What he did …[ to Avner son of Ner… he killed them]”: All of Israel thought that David had commanded to kill him19Avner son of Ner. because Avner was the son of Saul’s uncle. That is why it is written: “May there not be eliminated from the house of Yoav one who suffers from discharge [zav] or a leper” (II Samuel 3:29). David stood and cursed Yoav, and all Israel knew that it20The decision to kill Avner. had not been from David, and they reconciled.21David and the tribes of Israel reconciled. He commanded his son Solomon to kill him, as Yoav was the son of David’s sister and he [David] sought to ensure his entry into the World to Come.22Yoav's death at the hands of Solomon would serve to atone for his sin of killing Avner. When Solomon sought to kill him, Yoav said to Benayahu: ‘Go and say to Solomon: Do not sentence me to two sentences; if you kill me, remove the curses that your father David cursed me from upon me. If not, leave me with the curses.’ Immediately, “the king said to him: Do as he said: Strike him down and bury him” (I Kings 2:30–31). Rabbi Yehuda said: All the curses that David cursed Yoav were fulfilled in David’s descendants. “Zav” – on Reḥavam son of Solomon, as it is stated: “King Reḥavam hastened to mount the chariot [hamerkava]” (I Kings 12:18), and it is written regarding the zav: “Any saddle [hamerkav] on which the zav will ride will be impure” (Leviticus 15:9). “Leper” – on Uziyahu, as it is stated: “King Uziyahu was a leper until the day of his death. He lived in the isolation house” (II Chronicles 26:21). “Leaners on crutches” (II Samuel 3:29) – on Asa, as it is written: “However, in his old age he ailed in his feet” (I Kings 15:23) – he suffered from gout. “One who falls by the sword” (II Samuel 3:29) – on Josiah, as it is stated: “The archers shot King Josiah” (II Chronicles 35:23). Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: They stabbed him with iron spears until they rendered him like a sieve. “One who lacks food” (II Samuel 3:29) – on Yehoyakhin, as it is stated: “His allotment, a regular allotment, was given to him from the king, each day’s portion on its day, all the days of his life” (II Kings 25:30) – from the table of Evil Merodakh.23He was dependent on somebody else for his food. You find that as long as Yehoyada was alive, Yoash performed the will of his Creator, as it is stated: “Yehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, as Yehoyada the priest instructed him” (II Kings 12:3). “After the death of Yehoyada the princes of Judah came and prostrated themselves to the king. Then the king heeded them” (II Chronicles 24:17) – he accepted to render himself a god. Therefore, “they administered punishments to Yoash” (II Chronicles 24:24). Why was Avner killed? It is because he made the lads’ blood a game, as it is stated: “Avner said to Yoav: Let the lads rise now and play before us” (II Samuel 2:14). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: It is because he had his name precede David’s name, as it is stated: “Avner sent messengers to David from his place [taḥtav],24Obviously he sent it from his place. The word taḥtav is expounded to mean that he placed David’s name beneath [taḥat] his own. saying: Whose is the land?” (II Samuel 3:12). The Sages say: It is because he did not allow Saul to reconcile with David, and because he had the ability to object to Saul regarding Nov, but he did not object.
