NUM396 The Jewish nation shall give cities to the tribe of Levi to dwell therein; these cities also shall serve as havens for those guilty of unintentional manslaughter. Due to their devotion to serving Hashem, the tribe of Levi was singled out to serve Him in a unique way. Unlike the other tribes, they received no land inheritance and did not toil in the fields, vineyards or orchards. Still, the Levites needed cities where they could live and raise their families and keep animals. Due to the special qualities of the tribe of Levi, the Levite cities were made havens for those who committed unintentional manslaughter, for perhaps such unfortunate people could gain atonement through dwelling in a place that became holy with the special sanctity of the Levites. Also, in that Levites possess good, sensitive hearts, sublime wisdom and refined character, everyone knew that if someone guilty of unintentional manslaughter would seek refuge among them, they would not hate him or harm him, even if the person who he killed was one of their relatives. See [[LEV1028]] Leviticus 25:34 cities CHINUCH 208-9

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NUM405 Someone accused of a capital offence shall not be put to death before he is given a fair trial. Any capital punishment case is a very serious matter, and extreme care must be taken. Qualified judges must hear the case, and they are commanded to make every effort to find a reason to acquit the accused and save him from the death penalty, provided, of course, that they stay within the bounds of justice. Witnesses are forbidden to judge the case, for having personally seen what transpired, they might be incapable of energetic efforts to find a reason to acquit the accused, for in their hearts they already might have decided that he is guilty.

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NUM410 Anyone found guilty of unintentional manslaughter is sent by the court to a refuge city; the killer, too, as a mitzvah to go to such a city. To murder someone is a terribly grave sin, for killing destroys the world. Our Sages teach that if someone intentionally kills another, he will not escape judgment--even if he had fulfilled all of the mitzvos. Therefore, even if someone kills another person unintentionally, since he is the cause of such a terrible mishap, it is fitting that he suffer the torment and misery of exile, for exile is almost as bad as death. Going into exile means leaving one’s homeland, friends and loved ones, and having to dwell all of one’s days among strangers. In addition, the mitzvah contains an element of salvation, for upon reaching the refuge city, the person who killed unintentionally no longer is in danger of being unjustly killed by his victim’s “blood redeemer,” who might seek to avenge his relative’s death. Also, exile has the benefit that the relatives of the victim do not suffer seeing their loved one’s killer on a regular basis. Such would be extremely distressing for them, so the Torah, all of whose ways are pleasant, provides a solution.

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NUM418 A witness who testifies in a capital case may not play the role of judge. See [[NUM405]] Numbers 35:12 trial CHINUCH 261-2

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NUM422 When someone is found guilty of murder, do not accept a money payment in exchange for the death penalty. If it were permitted to accept ransom and thereby exempt murderers from the death penalty, men of wealth in moments of anger would kill people and later would use their money to save themselves from the punishment. The swords of the wealthy would drip with blood, and social order would be destroyed.

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NUM424 When someone is found guilty of unintentional manslaughter, do not accept a money payment to exempt him from exile. See [[NUM422]] Numbers 35:31 ransom CHINUCH 263

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DEUT181 Do not covet what belongs to your fellow Jew. One should not wonder, “How can the Torah forbid us to have covetous thoughts when we see beautiful, attractive things in the possession of our neighbors?” Such a question assumes that one has no power over one's thoughts. In truth, a person can stop himself from covetous desire and only fools and people stooped in sin think otherwise. It certainly is within our capability to control our thoughts and wishes so that we do not desire everything that we see. It is simply a matter of willpower. Just as we can come to want something, we just as easily can make ourselves not want it and completely divorce ourselves from thinking about it. Not one of our thoughts, fixed or fleeting, is hidden from Hashem. Accordingly, if we transgress His Will by thinking thoughts that He forbids, He punishes us. On the other hand, for those who love Him and turn all of their thoughts towards perfecting how they serve Him, He sets aside unlimited amounts of kindness. Nothing is better for a person than a virtuous and pure thought, for such is the beginning and end of every good deed. About this mitzvah, our sages teach (Mechilta, Parashas Yisro, chap. 20), “Physical desire leads to coveting, and coveting leads to theft.” Key concept is obvious, for distancing us from theft benefits everyone. As soon as one permits oneself to harbor covetous thoughts for something that belongs to his fellow Jew, he violates this prohibition. His punishment is great, for coveting leads to several types of woe, as received from prophecy about the incident involving Achav and Navos [1 Kings 20-22—AJL].

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DEUT198 Believe that Hashem is One. This idea is the most fundamental principle of the truth faith. It is the fixed pillar upon which the hearts of all sensible people rely. Our Sages teach (Berachos 61a) that each of us must be ready to give up his life for this principle--that Hashem is the One and unique God--for all who do not acknowledge this truth are considered as having denied the Jewish faith’s central principle. This is so because Hashem's rule over the universe is perfect and complete only by virtue of His Absolute Oneness. That is, His sovereignty is complete only because He alone creates and gives everything its existence, without any other power acting as His partner. If someone does not believe in this truth, he nullifies a positive commandment of the Torah. And so doing, he transgresses the entire Torah, for all of its commandments are dependent upon belief in the One and Unique God. Such a person denies the root principle of our faith and is not reckoned as a member of the Jewish People. He is considered a heretic. Conversely, he who fulfills this mitzvah, for he believes and trusts in the One God, is elevated to supreme heights. This mitzvah is one of the Torah’s six “constant” commandments. We are obligated to fulfill this precept at all times, without any interruption. [See Mishnah Berurah, Siman 1 in the Biur Halachah, s.v. Hu klal.]

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DEUT219 Love Hashem. In the words of the Sifri [i.e., a collection of midrash on Deuteronomy—AJL], “How does a person go about achieving love for Hashem? [Hashem commands] ‘And these words that I command you today shall be on your hearts.’” That is, by means of studying and reflecting upon the Torah, love of Hashem is certain to be generated in one's heart. Having achieved this love, one feels obligated to do as Avraham Avinu--to help others to achieve this love and to guide them towards devoted service of Hashem. Key concept is obvious, for unless one loves his Maker, he will not properly fulfill His commandments. It is fitting for a person to put all of his thoughts and energy towards the goal of achieving love for Hashem. He should remind himself at all times that whatever there is in the world--wealth, children, honor or anything else-- all are nothing compared to love for Hashem. At all times, one should strive for wisdom, in order to attain as much recognition of Hashem as possible. In sum, do everything in your power to train your heart so that all day long, your only thoughts are about אמונתו ויחודו-- faith in Him and His One-ness. Try to reach a point that never, even for a moment, you forget your wholehearted love for Him. One violates this mitzvah when one places his affection in materialistic matters, in the fleeting pleasures of the physical world, to selfishly indulge in them not for the sake of Heaven, or one thirsts to obtain honor in this world of lies. By filling one's heart with such desires, one nullifies the positive command to love Hashem, and one’s punishment is great. Like the mitzvah above [See [[DEUT198]] Deuteronomy 6:4 believe CHINUCH 272-3], this one, too, is one of the Torah’s six constant commandments [also cited in the Mishnah Berurah, Siman 1 in the Biur Halachah, s.v. Hu klal.], for love of Hashem must fill our hearts always.

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DEUT265 Read the Shema twice a day. Hashem wants to give His nation, the Jewish people, the merit of accepting upon themselves, each day, morning and night, His kingship and One-ness. Because man is a physical feature, drawn after his material desires and other foolishness of this world, Hashem in His kindness provides us opportunities to elevate ourselves. One example is this command, whose fulfillment requires us to remember Him and concentrate on the concept of His One-ness, on a regular basis, in the evening and in the morning. Saying Shema in the morning helps us to be careful about our deeds throughout the day, and saying it in the evening instills the same care in us for the whole night.

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