Devarim-19-1-21
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which
I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Foreword:
Deuteronomy Chapter 19 focuses on the
sanctity of life, the integrity of the judicial system, and the boundaries that
maintain a civil society!
Introduction:
In this chapter, the Torah transitions from the structure of leadership (priests and kings) to the mechanics of justice. We move into the “Cities of Refuge”, the laws of landmarks, and the requirements for testimony. The underlying theme is boundaries: the boundary between intentional and accidental death, the physical boundary of a neighbour’s land, and the moral boundary of truth in a courtroom. It teaches us that a holy society is not just built on prayer, but on the precise, fair treatment of our fellow man!
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Let us read Devarim - Deuteronomy Chapter 19:1-21: (JPS-1917 version of the Torah).
1. “When
יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ
- The LORD thy Eloheucha (God) shall cut off the nations, whose land יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ
- The LORD thy Eloheucha giveth thee, and thou
dost succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses; 2. thou
shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ
- The LORD thy Eloheucha giveth thee to possess
it. 3. Thou
shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ
- The LORD thy Eloheucha causeth thee to inherit, into three parts, that
every manslayer may flee thither. 4. And this is the case of the
manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso killeth
his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in time past; 5. as when a man goeth into the
forest with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth
a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth
from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that
he die; he shall flee unto one of these cities and live; 6. lest the avenger of blood
pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way
is long, and smite him mortally; whereas he was not deserving of death,
inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. 7. Wherefore I command thee,
saying: ‘Thou shalt separate three cities for thee’. 8. And if יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ
- The LORD thy Eloheucha enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn unto thy
fathers, and give thee all the land which He promised to give unto thy fathers 9. if thou shalt keep all this
commandment to do it, which I command thee this day, to love יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ
- The LORD thy Eloheucha, and to walk ever in His ways--then shalt thou
add three cities more for thee, beside these three; 10. that
innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ
- The LORD thy Eloheucha giveth thee for an
inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. 11. But if any man hate his
neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him
mortally that he die; and he flee into one of these cities; 12. then
the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into
the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13. Thine eye shall not pity him,
but thou shalt put away the blood of the innocent from
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Next is a commentary of the 21 verses of Chapter 19:
The Cities of Refuge (Verses 1-10):
The Torah commands the setting aside of three cities to protect the “manslayer”, one who kills accidentally, “without hate”. The text uses the vivid example of an axe head flying off the handle. This distinguishes between action and intent. It acknowledges that while a life was lost, vengeance (the “blood-avenger”) must be tempered by due process. The instruction to “prepare the way” (v. 3) suggests that justice must be accessible; the roads to these cities were to be kept clear and signposted.
The
Intentional Murderer (Verses 11-13):
Here, the limit of mercy is defined. If a person “hates his neighbour” and lies
in wait, the City of
The
Landmark (Verse 14):
“Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark”. In an agrarian society,
moving a boundary stone was a silent, permanent form of theft. This verse
establishes the sanctity of property.
It reminds us that what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim
(God) has apportioned to another is not ours to take through
stealth or gradual encroachment.
The Law
of Witnesses (Verses 15-21):
To prevent personal vendettas from infecting the court, the Torah requires at
least two witnesses to establish a crime. Verse 16
introduces the “unrighteous witness”. If a person is found to have lied to
frame another, the punishment is poetic and severe: “Then shall ye do unto him,
as he had purposed to do unto his brother”. This is the context of the famous “eye
for eye” (v. 21) clause. It was never meant as a license for physical
mutilation, but as a strict principle of equivalent justice,
ensuring the false accuser bears the exact weight of the harm they intended to
cause.
My Closing Message:
Deuteronomy 19 teaches us that a society is only as strong as its commitment to the Truth. Whether it is the truth of an accident, the truth of a property line, or the truth of a witness’s testimony, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim demands that we do not distort reality for personal gain. Let this chapter be a reminder to act with “equity”, to see the world as it is, to respect the boundaries of others, and to ensure that our words always align with the facts!
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