“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])
וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לֵאמֹר דַּבֵּר כוּ׳ תְּנוּ לָכֶם אֶת עָרֵי הַמִּקְלָט אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶם בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה. הָעִנְיָן שֶׁנִּשְׁנוּ עָרֵי הַמִּקְלָט בְּסֵפֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, כִּי מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ לָקַח מֵחֶלְקוֹ שֶׁל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּמַה שֶּׁכָּבַשׁ אֶרֶץ סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג וְהִנְחִיל אַרְצָם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁזֶּה שַׁיָּיךְ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ הַכִּיבּוּשׁ וְהַחִילּוּק, וְנֶגֶד זֶה הִשִּׂיג יְהוֹשֻׁעַ מֵחֵלֶק מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם, וְגַם בַּמַּאֲמָר הַזֶּה נֶאֱמַר לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּלָשׁוֹן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לְמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם, "וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לֵאמוֹר". וְזֶה עִנְיָן שֶׁמְּבָאֵר הַגְּמָרָא בְּפֶרֶק כֵּיצַד מְעַבְּרִין (עירובין נ"ב:) בַּיִת נִכְנָס בַּיִת יוֹצֵא, פָּגוּם נִכְנָס פָּגוּם יוֹצֵא, שֶׁזֶּה מְדַבֵּר בְּהִתְקַשְּׁרוּת נְפָשׁוֹת, בַּיִת נִכְנָס בַּיִת יוֹצֵא רוֹמֵז עַל כִּי מַעֲלַת וּמַדְרֵגוֹת הַטּוֹב שֶׁבָּזֶה נִכְנָס לָזֶה וְשֶׁמִּזֶּה לָזֶה וּבָזֶה מִתְקַשְּׁרִים, וּפָגוּם נִכְנָס מוֹרֶה עַל הַהֵיפֶךְ כִּי גַּם בְּהַחִסָּרוֹן יִכָּנֵס אֶחָד בְּאֶחָד קְצָת, וְהִנֵּה עִנְיָן שֶׁהָיָה מִצְוַת עָרֵי מִקְלָט שַׁיָּיךְ לְמֹשֶׁה הוּא מְבוֹאָר בַּזוה"ק בְּפָרָשַׁת מִשְׁפָּטִים [קי"ד:] עַל פָּסוּק "וְשַׂמְתִּי לְךָ מָקוֹם", בְּגִין דִּקְטַלִית לְהַאי בְּלָא זִמְנָא כוּ׳, וְגַם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הָיָה קָרוֹב לַאֲבִיזְרַיְיהוּ דְּהוֹרֵג נֶפֶשׁ בִּשְׁגָגָה, לַאֲשֶׁר חָשַׁק תָּמִיד לְהַשִּׂיג עוֹמֶק בְּד"ת וְלָעוֹמֶק הָאֲמִיתִּי שֶׁהִשִּׂיג לֹא הָיָה בְּאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיַּשִּׂיג בְּחַיֵּי מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם, וְעַל יְדֵי גּוֹדֶל הִתְאַמְּצוּתוֹ בְּחִשְׁקוֹ וּתְפִלָּתוֹ הָיָה יָכוֹל לִפְעוֹל מִיתַת מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם, אַךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר הִשִּׂיג מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם אֶת זֹאת, אָז הֵאִיר לוֹ הַש"י עֵצָה שֶׁאַף הוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ יְבַקֵּשׁ רַחֲמִים בְּעַד יְהוֹשֻׁעַ שֶׁגַּם הוּא חָפֵץ בְּטוֹבָתוֹ מְאֹד וּמִמֵּילָא לֹא יוּכַל לַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ שׁוּם דָּבָר נֶגֶד חַיָּיו, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁהִתְפַּלֵּל בַּעֲדוֹ. וּמִתּוֹךְ מְבוּכָה שֶׁהָיָה לְמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם כְּשֶׁהִשִּׂיג זֹאת, הֵאִיר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עֵצָה הַלֵּזוּ, כִּי כָל דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה שֶׁנִּתְגַּלּוּ לְמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם לֹא נִתְגַּלּוּ אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי מְבוּכָה שֶׁהִזְמִין לוֹ הַש"י שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִצְרָךְ לָזֶה.
“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])