Living with the Parshah
Torah of Refuge

"Heh," Sara said as she rubbed her eyes, "what's going on?"

Blue lights were flashing, going round and round, there was a police car on the pavement with its doors open, and a big black police van was waiting at the side of the road, its amber hazard lights winking. There was a whole crowd of policemen standing near the back of the van. Two of the police seemed to be making sure the back door of the van was locked.

"It looks as if someone has been arrested!" Ben said.

"I wonder what the person did…" Sara said. "Maybe he was a robber or a, a…" she shuddered at the thought that there might be a murderer who could be found on the street outside their home. He might even live nearby!

"You know something," Ben said thoughtfully "this week's Torah reading tells us that many years ago if someone killed someone by mistake, but due to negligence, there were special cities where the accidental murderer could run to and be safe."

"That makes sense," Sara said. "I mean even though the person did it by mistake there will still be relatives of the victim who won't see it that way, and they might want to take revenge."

"The funny thing is," Ben said "the Sages tell us that when Moshiach will come there will still be these Cities of Refuge."

"Hmm," Sara said, "that is strange. I thought that people won't do bad things when Moshiach will come and for sure not kill each other, not even by accident—and certainly not because of negligence!"

"Well," Ben said slowly, "the Cities might be for people who had accidentally killed someone before Moshiach came. But also I heard that there's a spiritual significance to the idea of these cities that will be relevant when Moshiach will come, and in fact even now."

"What's that?" asked Sara.

"Torah study!" said Ben. "When we study Torah, in a way, we are going to a City of Refuge, where nothing can disturb us. We shut out everything from the world around us and focus on the Torah teachings we are studying."

"That's true," Sara said, thinking of the times she had been so engrossed in a book that her mother had called and called her, but she didn't hear… "So when we study Torah, not only is it a mitzvah, but it is also a time for ourselves when we can take refuge and enjoy the peace of mind that it offers."

"Let's do that all again!" someone holding a big notebook was shouting. The door of the police van opened and a burly man came out. He was smiling. Then the two children saw the big film camera on someone's shoulder, and a microphone at the end of a thin pole. It was all for a film!

"It's like when you study Torah," said Ben. "No one was killed, not even by accident, but you are still in the City of Refuge, safe and happy".