Mei HaShiloach · Volume I, Prophets, Joshua, Chapter 20
1
וידבר ה' אל יהושע לאמר דבר וכו' תנו לכם את ערי המקלט אשר דברתי אליכם ביד משה. הענין שנשנו ערי המקלט בספר יהושע, כי משה רבינו לקח מחלקו של יהושע במה שכבש ארץ סיחון ועוג והנחיל ארצם לישראל שזה שייך ליהושע הכיבוש והחילוק, ונגד זה השיג יהושע מחלק מרע"ה, וגם במאמר הזה נאמר ליהושע בלשון שנאמר למרע"ה, וידבר ה' אל יהושע לאמור. וזה ענין שמבאר הגמ' בפרק כיצד מעברין (עירובין נ"ב:) בית נכנס בית יוצא, פגום נכנס פגום יוצא, שזה מדבר בהתקשרות נפשות, בית נכנס בית יוצא רומז על כי מעלת ומדרגות הטוב שבזה נכנס לזה ושמזה לזה ובזה מתקשרים, ופגום נכנס מורה על ההיפך כי גם בהחסרון יכנוס אחד באחד קצת, והנה ענין שהיה מצות ערי מקלט שייך למשה הוא מבואר בזוה"ק בפ' משפטים [קי"ד:] ע"פ ושמתי לך מקום, בגין דקטלית להאי בלא זמנא וכו', וגם יהושע היה קרוב לאביזריהו דהורג נפש בשגגה, לאשר חשק תמיד להשיג עומק בד"ת ולעומק האמיתי שהשיג לא היה באפשר שישיג בחיי מרע"ה, וע"י גודל התאמצותו בחשקו ותפלתו היה יכול לפעול מיתת מרע"ה, אך כאשר השיג מרע"ה את זאת, אז האיר לו הש"י עצה שאף הוא בעצמו יבקש רחמים בעד יהושע שגם הוא חפץ בטובתו מאד וממילא לא יוכל לעשות לו שום דבר נגד חייו, כמ"ש בתורה שהתפלל בעדו. ומתוך מבוכה שהיה למרע"ה כשהשיג זאת, האיר לו הקב"ה עצה הלזו, כי כל ד"ת שנתגלו למרע"ה לא נתגלו אלא ע"י מבוכה שהזמין לו הש"י שיהיה נצרך לזה.
“God spoke unto Yehoshua, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, make cities of refuge, of which I have already spoke with you through Moshe.” (Yehoshua, 20:1–2) Why is the subject of the cities of refuge taught in the book of Yehoshua?8For the cities of refuge were already discussed in the Pentateuch. Moshe Rabeynu had taken from the portion of Yehoshua when he had conquered the lands of Sichon and Og, and divided their lands as Israel’s inheritance. Conquering and dividing the land was the portion of Yehoshua. Corresponding to this, Yehoshua also apprehended some of Moshe Rabeynu’s portion. The book of Yehoshua formulates this verse exactly as God spoke to Moshe in the Chumash, saying, “God spoke unto Yehoshua, saying: Speak to the children of Israel.” The Gemara explains this matter in the chapter, “how do you define the city limits” (Eruvin, 52b). “With several houses in a row, if one house stands outside the line and another on the inside, or in a wall, if one turret protrudes outside of the wall and another recedes.” This is discussing the interconnection of souls. “One house is on the inside of the line and another is on the outside” hints at degrees and levels of good, where one enters it into another, and another to another, and in this way they connect.9This is kind of a spiritual representation in terms of good attributes of the geometric form described in the Gemara. Houses represent the domain of the soul. “One turret protrudes and another recedes” teaches of the opposite, for also one’s deficiencies can enter into another somewhat. The subject of why the cities of refuge are in the portion of Moshe is explained in the holy Zohar in Parshat Mishpatim (114b) on the verse, “and I have set aside a place for you.” “This is the commandment to set aside cities of refuge for one who killed was given to you because of the Egyptian that you killed in Egypt. He had the primordial snake and all its brood surrounding him. Then you killed him before his time, and did not fear his brood chasing after you. This was when several women in your youth had chased after you. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, gave you the cities of refuge to flee to, and they are the gates of repentance.” So too was Yehoshua close to Avizraiu, who killed another inadvertently. Yehoshua had constantly yearned to understand the profundity of the Torah, but he could not arrive at the true depth that he sought during the lifetime of Moshe Rabeynu. By means of struggle, yearning, and prayer, he actually brought about the death of Moshe Rabeynu. When Moshe Rabeynu realized this, then God illuminated into Moshe Rabeynu that he himself should plead for mercy on behalf of Yehoshua, for Moshe also greatly desired the welfare of Yehoshua, and then of itself Yehoshua could not do anything against the life of Moshe. We find this in the Torah when Moshe prayed for Yehoshua. When Moshe understood this, he was greatly bewildered, so the Holy One, blessed be He, shined into Moshe the understanding that he should pray for Yehoshua’s welfare. Thus, Moshe’s entire revelation of the Torah was due to the great bewilderment sent to him by God, and it was all necessary for him. (All as part of the principle mentioned many times: “A person can only stand on Words of Torah if he first stumbles in them” (Talmud). Moshe, who transmitted the Torah to the world, had to go though this in order to open the channel. [Hagahot Peretz])
וידבר ה' אל יהושע לאמר דבר וכו' תנו לכם את ערי המקלט אשר דברתי אליכם ביד משה. הענין שנשנו ערי המקלט בספר יהושע, כי משה רבינו לקח מחלקו של יהושע במה שכבש ארץ סיחון ועוג והנחיל ארצם לישראל שזה שייך ליהושע הכיבוש והחילוק, ונגד זה השיג יהושע מחלק מרע"ה, וגם במאמר הזה נאמר ליהושע בלשון שנאמר למרע"ה, וידבר ה' אל יהושע לאמור. וזה ענין שמבאר הגמ' בפרק כיצד מעברין (עירובין נ"ב:) בית נכנס בית יוצא, פגום נכנס פגום יוצא, שזה מדבר בהתקשרות נפשות, בית נכנס בית יוצא רומז על כי מעלת ומדרגות הטוב שבזה נכנס לזה ושמזה לזה ובזה מתקשרים, ופגום נכנס מורה על ההיפך כי גם בהחסרון יכנוס אחד באחד קצת, והנה ענין שהיה מצות ערי מקלט שייך למשה הוא מבואר בזוה"ק בפ' משפטים [קי"ד:] ע"פ ושמתי לך מקום, בגין דקטלית להאי בלא זמנא וכו', וגם יהושע היה קרוב לאביזריהו דהורג נפש בשגגה, לאשר חשק תמיד להשיג עומק בד"ת ולעומק האמיתי שהשיג לא היה באפשר שישיג בחיי מרע"ה, וע"י גודל התאמצותו בחשקו ותפלתו היה יכול לפעול מיתת מרע"ה, אך כאשר השיג מרע"ה את זאת, אז האיר לו הש"י עצה שאף הוא בעצמו יבקש רחמים בעד יהושע שגם הוא חפץ בטובתו מאד וממילא לא יוכל לעשות לו שום דבר נגד חייו, כמ"ש בתורה שהתפלל בעדו. ומתוך מבוכה שהיה למרע"ה כשהשיג זאת, האיר לו הקב"ה עצה הלזו, כי כל ד"ת שנתגלו למרע"ה לא נתגלו אלא ע"י מבוכה שהזמין לו הש"י שיהיה נצרך לזה.
“God spoke unto Yehoshua, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, make cities of refuge, of which I have already spoke with you through Moshe.” (Yehoshua, 20:1–2)
Why is the subject of the cities of refuge taught in the book of Yehoshua?8For the cities of refuge were already discussed in the Pentateuch. Moshe Rabeynu had taken from the portion of Yehoshua when he had conquered the lands of Sichon and Og, and divided their lands as Israel’s inheritance. Conquering and dividing the land was the portion of Yehoshua. Corresponding to this, Yehoshua also apprehended some of Moshe Rabeynu’s portion. The book of Yehoshua formulates this verse exactly as God spoke to Moshe in the Chumash, saying, “God spoke unto Yehoshua, saying: Speak to the children of Israel.” The Gemara explains this matter in the chapter, “how do you define the city limits” (Eruvin, 52b). “With several houses in a row, if one house stands outside the line and another on the inside, or in a wall, if one turret protrudes outside of the wall and another recedes.” This is discussing the interconnection of souls. “One house is on the inside of the line and another is on the outside” hints at degrees and levels of good, where one enters it into another, and another to another, and in this way they connect.9This is kind of a spiritual representation in terms of good attributes of the geometric form described in the Gemara. Houses represent the domain of the soul. “One turret protrudes and another recedes” teaches of the opposite, for also one’s deficiencies can enter into another somewhat. The subject of why the cities of refuge are in the portion of Moshe is explained in the holy Zohar in Parshat Mishpatim (114b) on the verse, “and I have set aside a place for you.” “This is the commandment to set aside cities of refuge for one who killed was given to you because of the Egyptian that you killed in Egypt. He had the primordial snake and all its brood surrounding him. Then you killed him before his time, and did not fear his brood chasing after you. This was when several women in your youth had chased after you. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, gave you the cities of refuge to flee to, and they are the gates of repentance.” So too was Yehoshua close to Avizraiu, who killed another inadvertently.
Yehoshua had constantly yearned to understand the profundity of the Torah, but he could not arrive at the true depth that he sought during the lifetime of Moshe Rabeynu. By means of struggle, yearning, and prayer, he actually brought about the death of Moshe Rabeynu. When Moshe Rabeynu realized this, then God illuminated into Moshe Rabeynu that he himself should plead for mercy on behalf of Yehoshua, for Moshe also greatly desired the welfare of Yehoshua, and then of itself Yehoshua could not do anything against the life of Moshe. We find this in the Torah when Moshe prayed for Yehoshua. When Moshe understood this, he was greatly bewildered, so the Holy One, blessed be He, shined into Moshe the understanding that he should pray for Yehoshua’s welfare. Thus, Moshe’s entire revelation of the Torah was due to the great bewilderment sent to him by God, and it was all necessary for him. (All as part of the principle mentioned many times: “A person can only stand on Words of Torah if he first stumbles in them” (Talmud). Moshe, who transmitted the Torah to the world, had to go though this in order to open the channel. [Hagahot Peretz])