A Vort From the Rebbe Parshas Vaeschanan, Rabbi Leibel Schapiro - 5786

A word from the Rebbe in this week's parsha, parshas V'Eschanan. In parshas V'Eschanan, the Torah talks about orei miklot. Orei miklot were cities that if somebody killed another person b'shogeg, unintentionally, would have to go, run to one of these cities and there he would be protected. There were six such cities, three in Eretz Yisrael proper, three in this side of the other side of the Arnon, which we call Ever HaYarden, where Reuven and Gad and half of Menashe settled in the lifetime of Moshe Rabbeinu yet. And Moshe Rabbeinu was the one that chose and separated and put aside three of the cities in Ever HaYarden. And the other three were set aside later after they had crossed the Yarden, etc., etc. And the din is, as Rashi says, that the three that Moshe Rabbeinu set aside did not take effect, did not work yet, till the other three were set aside later on when they crossed the Yarden. But nevertheless, Moshe Rabbeinu separated them. Now, I'll read what the pasuk says and what Rashi says. The pasuk says, "O si avdal Moshe sholosh arim b'Ever HaYarden." That Moshe Rabbeinu separated three cities in Ever HaYarden. And this is what Rashi says. "Nosa l'vavli es chared l'davar she'avdilam." Moshe Rabbeinu put his heart, which means put his mind, decided with fear to separate them, to put them aside. Which means Rashi is like saying that Moshe Rabbeinu thought had to think about it. Moshe Rabbeinu hesitated from doing this. And he did it with fear. He nevertheless did it. And then Rashi continues, "Af pe she'einu koltin es acheihem b'vo ha lashon she'ba'aretz Kena'an." And even though the three that he chose would not absorb the people to protect them till after those on the other side of the Yarden were put aside, "Amar Moshe, still Moshe said, "Mitzvah she'efshar l'kayma akainena." Any mitzvah that I could do and I'm able to do it, I will do it. But the bottom line is, we see from here that Moshe Rabbeinu, when he did this, he hesitated to do it. Almost he was afraid to do it. That's what Rashi learns, he was afraid, he hesitated from doing it. And the question that Rebbe asked, why did Moshe Rabbeinu hesitate from doing it? What was the fear here that he had from putting aside Arei Miklat? And the Rebbe says, we'll explain it based on another question. Why target did the Torah make that the Arei Miklat on the other side of the Yarden would not work till after they separated the ones the other side of the Yarden, that's Canaan and Eretz Yisrael? After all, but they got but they Reuben and half of Menashe already settled in this place at that time. So, there were people living there already. So, don't they need protection in case someone killed somebody bishogeg? So, why did they have to wait to work till after the other three on the other side of the Yarden were later on put aside? And the Rebbe explains because as long as Moshe Rabbeinu was alive, you didn't need Arei Miklat. You didn't need Arei Miklat. Since they were so close connected to the Aibishter, that held them back to make this thing of maybe killing somebody even bishogeg. We know that if a person is na'i madregah, he won't even do an aveirah bishogeg. So, as long as Moshe Rabbeinu was alive, there was no chashash that Moshe that he should kill somebody bishogeg. As the pasuk says, Moshe Rabbeinu himself said, "Ve'atem madvekim ba'Shem Elokeichem chaim kulchem hayom." You are connected to Hashem, so you're alive. If you're connected to Hashem, there is life. So, only after Moshe Rabbeinu passed away and entered into Eretz Yisrael, then there was a possibility that somebody might kill somebody, and therefore you need Arei Miklat. And that's why only needed Arei Miklat that it should work only after the Eden crossed the other. So, now we understand why measure of Eden when he did this when he was involved in preparing the order Miklot, he was afraid. He felt bad. He hesitated because since this Indian is shows that the Eden will go down to a lower level. This whole idea of a possibility that somebody should kill somebody is because the Eden being a whole level lower level. So, measure of Eden when he got involved in making the order Miklot, this brought out with him the feeling that the time will come that the Eden will lower their level and there will be a possibility for somebody to kill somebody the shaking and that's what you learn in Miklot. So, he did it. He nevertheless did it because he knows that whatever I could do to help a Eden no matter how low he is, measure of Eden did his share to be able to help even though it didn't work yet, but it started the process of helping. So, measure of Eden did it, but he did it together with fear, with hesitation because he felt that this is one of the things that represents that there will be a be a you ready in the Eden. And that's what Rashi means not only with all the cities, not only with all the cities, but the double she have the limb. He put his heart to be afraid. He was afraid. He was hesitating to do it because this represented this idea of the Eden lowering their level, but nevertheless, measure of Eden did it because that's the idea of a leader by Eden that he does whatever he can to help other Eden no matter what level they are in.