The Weekly Shtikle - Shofetim

Towards the end of the parsha we are taught more about accidental killers and the laws pertaining to them. The pesukim (19:8-10) then proceed to explain how more cities will be added in the future when mashiach comes. The pesukim then proceed to deal with the laws pertaining to the sonei, the accidental killer with a predisposed hatred towards his victim. The hatred compels us to consider that there was some ill intent that caused this incident to occur and thus, the regular laws of an accidental killer do not apply. It would seem that these laws are directly pertinent to the rest of the laws of the accidental killer. Why then does the Torah interrupt with the tangential reference to the additional cities in the times of mashiach instead of going directly into the laws of the sonei?

Understanding what life will be like following the ultimate redemption is certainly no simple matter. However, it does seem that in the times of mashiach - may he come speedily in our day - it would still be possible for someone to kill accidentally.  After all, we will certainly add those extra cities. Nevertheless, it should be inconceivable that one Jew would hate his fellow Jew. Therefore, the laws of the sonei will become obsolete. For this reason, the Torah placed the law of the sonei after the reference to the times of mashiach to denote that the extra cities are relevant only to all of the laws mentioned until this point. But the laws of the sonei, written after, will not apply.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Weekly Shtikle: Additional Symbolism of the Shofar

Dikdukian: Two of a Kind

 

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

 

--
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to shtiklelist+unsubscribe@weeklyshtikle.com.