G‑d then instructed Moses and the Jewish people to designate, among the 48 Levite cities, six specific cities of refuge for people who would commit unintentional murder.
Signs From Above
וְהִקְרִיתֶם לָכֶם עָרִים עָרֵי מִקְלָט תִּהְיֶינָה לָכֶם וגו': (במדבר לה:יא)
[G‑d instructed Moses to tell the Jewish people,] “You must designate [six] cities for yourselves that will act as cities of refuge.” Numbers 35:11

The roads leading to the cities of refuge had to be kept wide and clear, so that anyone who would need to use them could do so easily. Signs were also posted at every crossroads, in order to clearly mark the way to these cities of refuge.

Similarly, G‑d keeps the way to the lifestyle of the Torah (our spiritual “city of refuge”) open, accessible, and clear for each of us. In addition, He sends us signs and signals to help us find the right direction in life.

In order to hear G‑d’s voice more clearly, however, we should help others find the right direction in their lives. We should all consider ourselves “signposts,” whose job it is to point others in the direction of life and goodness. When G‑d sees that we are showing others the way, He will show us our way more clearly.

Ideally, we should try to be more than just inanimate “signposts,” helping only those who come to us in search of the right way. We can be living signposts, reaching out to our fellow human beings and, if necessary, awakening them to the fact that a holy, Divine life should be their highest pursuit.1