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Parshat Shoftim introduces the laws of the Arei Miklat, or cities of refuge, which provide safety for someone who unintentionally kills another. These cities offer protection from family members seeking revenge, ensuring that the person can reach safety without interference. The Torah gives specific instructions about marking the paths leading to these cities to prevent any delays or confusion.
The cities were established in stages: three on the eastern side of the Jordan by Moshe Rabbeinu for the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe, followed by three in the Holy Land, set aside by Yehoshua after the Jewish people settled there. In the future, when Mashiach comes, the Torah promises an expansion of Israel’s borders to include the lands of Amon, Moav, and Edom, and an additional three cities will be added, making a total of nine cities of refuge.
Rashi emphasizes that the expansion is not conditional but inevitable, reflecting Hashem’s promise to Israel. These cities play a crucial role in protecting those who kill unintentionally, ensuring the proper application of justice and compassion in the land of Israel. The establishment of these cities, both in Moshe’s time and in the future, is part of a broader vision of spiritual and societal order in the land.
A key question arises regarding the future need for the Arei Miklat, the cities of refuge, when Mashiach comes. We are taught that the Messianic era will be one of peace, where “the lamb will live with the wolf” and nations will no longer wage war. If peace and harmony will reign, especially among the Jewish people, why would there still be a need for these additional cities of refuge, which are designed to protect those who unintentionally kill another person?
It’s surprising to consider that, in an era of heightened Godliness and clarity, people might still unintentionally harm others. After all, the perception is that in the future, everyone will be on a higher spiritual level, fully aware of Hashem’s presence and acting with pure intentions. Yet, the Torah emphasizes the importance of the Arei Miklat repeatedly, such as when it’s mentioned alongside the Ten Commandments in Va’etchanan, suggesting that these cities play a significant role in the spiritual structure of society, both now and in the future.
The idea of shogeg, or unintentional wrongdoing, remains central here. A person who acts unintentionally, without malice, is not deemed guilty in the same way as someone who acts deliberately. The example given in this week’s Parshah involves someone chopping wood, where an accident leads to a fatal outcome. While the person had no harmful intention, their action was still flawed. They bear responsibility for the unintended result, and the cities of refuge provide a way to atone for this blemish.
Moshe Rabbeinu’s urgency in establishing the Arei Miklat during his lifetime underscores their importance. These cities serve as a crucial mechanism for dealing with the imperfect actions of well-intentioned people. In the future, even when peace prevails, the concept of shogeg will remain relevant. Though people’s intentions may be pure, unintended consequences can still occur, and there must be a system in place to address them.
On a deeper level, the concept of shogeg—unintentional wrongdoing—can be understood as part of a broader spiritual dynamic. Rebbe Nachman, in Lesson 24 of Likutey Moharan, explains that there are people who are intensely focused on doing good and getting closer to Hashem’s Infinite Light. However, because they are too immersed in this light, Hashem purposely causes them to stumble. This seems paradoxical, but it’s a necessary part of spiritual growth.
Rebbe Nachman describes how every Jew aspires to reach the Infinite Light, which represents clarity in life and the revelation of Hashem’s presence in the world. This is the ultimate goal of existence—to bring Hashem’s Infinite Light into the finite world. Yet, this journey toward the light cannot be linear or uninterrupted. If a person were to continually move forward without restraint, they would be consumed by the light. The intensity would cause them to disintegrate.
To prevent this, Hashem introduces what Rebbe Nachman calls a *betisha*—a bounceback. The person must experience setbacks, obstacles, or, in the case of a shogeg, a stumble into unintentional wrongdoing. This stumbling is not a punishment but a form of protection. It serves as a brake, slowing the person’s forward momentum to prevent them from going too far too fast. The person’s intentions may be pure, and they may be acting with the best of motives, but they are moving ahead too quickly for their own spiritual capacity.
The case of a shogeg mirrors this dynamic. A person may have the best intentions—striving to fulfill Hashem’s will—but Hashem allows them to fall into an unintentional sin as a way to slow their progress. It’s a way of rebalancing the intense drive for goodness with the necessary restraint to allow for proper growth. This balance ensures that a person can continue to advance spiritually without being overwhelmed by the very light they seek to reach.
In this light, shogeg is not about guilt or fault; it’s about regulating the pace of spiritual advancement. Hashem’s intervention through an unintentional act of wrongdoing is a way of helping the person maintain balance, preventing them from being consumed by their own aspirations. This concept highlights the complexity of spiritual growth, where both forward momentum and setbacks are essential parts of the journey.
With this deeper understanding of shogeg, we can see why the concept will still exist in the future. In the Messianic era, there will be a profound level of awareness of Hashem—akin to the sea, which appears flat on the surface but conceals great depths below. This elevated awareness of Hashem will be so intense that even as people strive to do good, they may not yet have the capacity to fully contain the light. As a result, they will still face shogeg scenarios, where they unintentionally stumble, driven by their eagerness to do good but overwhelmed by the spiritual intensity.
This explains why, even in the future, three additional cities of refuge will be added to the original six established by Moshe and Yehoshua. The number nine is significant, as Rebbe Nachman connects it to the concept of the nine chambers, or heichalot, which are created when a person experiences these bounce backs. These nine chambers relate to the three intellectual faculties of chokhmah (wisdom), binah (understanding), and da’at (knowledge), which become intertwined and multiplied through the process of spiritual setbacks.
Moreover, Rebbe Nachman emphasizes that in order to reach this level of perceiving the Infinite Light, a person must perform mitzvot with joy. When mitzvot are done with joy, they release the energy of holiness that is trapped in exile. This joyous approach to fulfilling mitzvot not only draws a person closer to Hashem but also helps them navigate the spiritual highs and lows—ensuring that even in moments of setback, they are moving forward in their pursuit of the Infinite Light.
Rebbe Nachman also explains that spiritual growth is a process that occurs in three stages, each corresponding to different parts of the body and their spiritual counterparts. The first stage is represented by the legs—netzach, hod, and yesod—which are associated with movement and momentum. Malchut, which refers to the Shechinah (Divine Presence), is the holiness trapped in exile. When a Jew performs mitzvot with joy, they extract this holiness and elevate it to the level of the legs, giving the mitzvot momentum, much like walking. The energy from these mitzvot allows the person to elevate the world spiritually.
The second stage is associated with the hands – chesed, gevurah and tiferet – which represent blessing. Once the mitzvot gain momentum, they begin to arouse Divine blessing, as the Kohanim do when they raise their hands in Birkat Kohanim. The hands symbolize the spiritual process of channeling the blessings from the higher realms into the physical world. When mitzvot are performed with joy, they bring about these blessings, which then benefit the person and the world at large.
The final stage corresponds to the intellect—chokhmah, binah, and da’at. These are the intellectual faculties through which a person gains clarity and understanding. When the mitzvot have gained momentum and activated Divine blessing, they ultimately lead to the highest level of spiritual insight. This is the ultimate goal: to perceive the Infinite Light and gain deep, Divine clarity in life. The progression from the legs to the hands and finally to the intellect explains how mitzvot performed with joy can bring a person to the highest levels of spiritual perception.
These three stages correspond to the nine cities of refuge (Arei Miklat). Moshe Rabbeinu set aside the first three cities in the diaspora, in the lands of Sichon and Og. Moshe, who represents the joy of performing mitzvot, was uniquely qualified to establish these cities because of his ability to extract holiness from even impure places. Moshe’s joy in doing mitzvot is reflected in the phrase “Yismach Moshe b’matnat chelko” (“Moshe rejoices in the portion of his gift”), which is recited every Shabbat morning. His level of simcha (joy) allowed him to sanctify the first three cities, providing refuge for those who committed unintentional sins (*shogeg*) in the diaspora.
The next three cities were established by Yehoshua Bin Nun, Moshe’s faithful disciple. Yehoshua’s role was to receive the blessings passed down from Moshe and to bring them into the Holy Land. Just as the hands represent blessing, Yehoshua, as the spiritual heir to Moshe, was responsible for setting aside the cities of refuge in Eretz Yisrael, the land that is the source of all blessings. These cities provided refuge in the Holy Land, further extending the spiritual protection offered to those who committed unintentional sins.
Finally, the last three cities will be established by Mashiach in the lands of Keni, Knizi, and Kadmoni (Amon, Moav, and Edom). The intellectual faculties—chokhmah, binah, and da’at—reflect the time of Mashiach, who will fully reveal Divine wisdom and understanding. At that time, the world will be filled with knowledge of Hashem, and these final cities of refuge will serve to protect those who still stumble unintentionally, even in a world filled with heightened awareness of G-d.
These nine cities—set by Moshe, Yehoshua, and Mashiach—symbolize the stages of spiritual growth, from joy in mitzvot to receiving blessings, and finally to achieving divine wisdom. The concept of shogeg, unintentional wrongdoing, teaches us that even when someone falls into sin, as long as they maintain a sincere desire to do good and express their yearning for Hashem, they remain in the category of shogeg rather than meizid (intentional sinner). This distinction highlights the hope that remains for those who strive to do good but stumble. The cities of refuge provide not only physical safety but also spiritual hope, even in extreme cases like unintentional murder, G-d forbid.
Even if someone stumbles or falls into wrongdoing, as long as they sincerely express their desire to do good and strive to avoid sin, they remain in the category of shogeg rather than meizid (intentional sinner). This idea is why the cities of refuge are so crucial—they embody the hope that even in the worst circumstances, there is a path for return and redemption.
This class is based on Likutey Moharan lesson 24. For more on this lesson: https://linktr.ee/breslovtherapy_lesson_24
For a video presentation of this class: https://youtu.be/6NErGzn__h8
This article also appears on the BRI breslov.org website: https://breslov.org/the-cities-of-refuge-and-hope/
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Meir Elkabas
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