In the Mishnayot (Oral Torah) of Masechet Shevi’it (the
Tractate called “Shevi’it”) Hazal (our Sages) discuss all the fundamental laws
regarding the Seventh year in the produce/agriculture cycle. The last Perek
(chapter) out of the ten chapters in the Masechet discusses the laws of money
and loans on the shemita (seventh
year) of the produce cycle.
There is a very interesting example that the Mishnah brings
down to relate the law it wants to iterate and it is pretty different. The
Mishnah (Shevi’it 10:8) says that when someone pays back a loan on the Shevi’it
(Seventh year of the Shemita Cycle as mentioned above), which we learn all
loans are annulled during this year unless a special contract (called Peruzbul)
is written, there is a phrase he must say in order to repay the loan. The
Mishnah teaches us that the individual can take back the money because the
borrower insists on paying back the loan even though he doesn’t have to.
Then Hachamim (our Sages) explain that it is the same case
like an individual who accidentally murdered someone and ran away to an Ir Miklat (city of refuge for accidental
murderers). What is the case here? An individual who accidentally murders must
run away to one of these cities and literally publicize that he is ‘a murderer.’
The Mishnah explains that if the people in the Ir Miklat want to respect this murderer, after saying a single time
that he is a murderer out loud, he can accept whatever gift they would like to
give him. 
It is known that there were 48 of these Irei Miklat (cities of
refuge) throughout Israel. These cities were owned by the Levi’im (the
Levites), who were the Talmidei Hachamim (Torah Scholars) of Israel throughout
our history. The question arises when one looks deep in this Mishnah and asks
what is going on here? Why do the people of an Ir Miklat want to respect an
accidental murderer! In the end of the day that Jew took someone’s life! The
answer is simple: the people of an Ir Miklat are Levites, they are the model
citizen, the model Jew, the top of the chain of Am Yisrael! Talmidei Hachamim
who really live in the Torah’s values show the world what it means to live with
Hashem. When an individual lives with the Torah they rise above nature and the
boundaries of this world and enter the world of the spiritual. Only in that
place they can even look at an accidental murderer and believe in all their
heart that it was from Shamayim (the Heavens) the murder and everything is run
under G-d’s hand.
When we live with Hashem we learn to respect every
individual in the world.
Shavua Tov!
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