Moses concluded his first address by reminding the Jewish people that their entry and continued residence in the Land of Israel depends on their loyalty to G-d and His Torah. Moses then designated three cities to the east of the Jordan River as “cities of refuge” for unintentional murderers.
The Torah is our Life
וְנָס אֶל אַחַת מִן הֶעָרִים הָאֵל וָחָי:
(דברים ד:מב)
[Cities of refuge were established so an unintentional murderer] might flee to one of these cities in order that he might live.
Deuteronomy 4:42
Someone who committed murder unintentionally had to remain
in his city of refuge. He was not allowed to leave, for by doing so, he would
expose himself to the vengeance of his victim’s relative, who was legally
allowed to kill him. The unintentional murderer was not allowed outside his
city of refuge even to save someone else’s life.
Similarly, the Torah is our “city of refuge.” Inside the Torah
and the lifestyle that G‑d prescribes for us, we are spiritually alive; if we
venture outside the confines of the Torah’s lifestyle, we expose ourselves to
the risk of spiritual death.
This is true even if it seems that we can save someone’s life by
making some compromise in the Torah’s directives. The Torah is synonymous with
life, so only through loyalty to its principles can we both maintain our own
spiritual vitality and preserve or enhance the spiritual vitality of others.1
