Imagine a Place

#mishpatim #sanctuarycities #ICE #thestatueofiberty #refugees #politicalescapees #welcoming #immigrants

Parshat Mishpatim brings us to the point where the Hebrews enter into the fine print after witnessing the Ten Utterances. As readers of the weekly Parsha, the days of narrative and dialogue are behind us for now, and we are entering into a Parsha of listed laws. It is not surprising that these laws begin with laws governing slavery, as laws regarding the keeping and treatment of slaves would likely resonate strongly with a people newly freed from bondage. Also introduced are other laws governing day-to-day conduct toward others.

In Exodus 21:13 we find the following verse:

וַאֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א צָדָ֔ה וְהָאֱלֹהִ֖ים אִנָּ֣ה לְיָד֑וֹ וְשַׂמְתִּ֤י לְךָ֙ מָק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָנ֖וּס שָֽׁמָּה׃

If it was not by design—it came about by an act of God—I will assign you a place to which that person can flee.

This is the first mention of the fascinating subject of Cities of Refuge or Arei Miklat. The concept of a City of Refuge is to provide a person who unintentionally kills another a place to flee instead of being pursued by angry family members out for vengeance. Arei Miklat are introduced more specifically in the Torah in Parshat Masei and Parshat Shoftim and then in the Talmud in Tractate Makkot pages, 7a-13b, where we learn the procedure for refuge, the rules of exile and legal protections. (please take a look...it is so interesting!)

I want to make sure that when you read my piece of poetry today, you understand that I have taken the concept of Arei Miklat and adapted it to my hope for the present-day United States. Cities of Refuge today are not at all similar to the Arei Miklat of biblical times. Still, it is important to understand the original concept and the fairness it extends to those who enter its gates to seek protection. Like many laws presented in Parshat Mishpatim, the concept of Arei Miklat is brilliant; it illustrates a way that mercy may be shown to people caught up in a drama that they inadvertently caused.

The piece below is about now. It is about people seeking sanctuary—not accidental murderers, but people seeking to run from terrible circumstances to a place that will shelter them under its protective wings. I understand the complexity of this subject and its political complications, but the bottom line remains the same: this country was built on the diversity of immigrant communities. Many of you reading this blog post now have parents and grandparents who reached these shores as immigrants seeking protection. You may be an immigrant who came to these shores only a few years ago. You understand the concept of being an immigrant deep in your gut. Each immigrant group brings its own flavors and contributions to what the United States has historically hoped to be: a combination of red, white and blue.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom and peace within your borders.

Leann

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Imagine a Place

Just imagine a place

where those who feared for their lives could come to be free?

A place that greeted them with open arms?

Just imagine those accused unfairly,

fleeing those who would harm them,

seeking a place to go,

a safe harbor,

where they would be welcomed

and live their lives day to day,

year by year,

without the threat of violence.

Just imagine them

living,

contributing

to a land filled with those who

also

bled and then fled;

this place of near perfection;

home of the free and the brave.

Imagine at this place

where they would cease running?

Settle and no longer be afraid?

Perhaps we’d call it a city,

a city of refuge.

And what if even a country was established with this principle at its

very core?

Oh, to think of such a place?

A place of open doors and open hearts?

And perhaps this place,

this very special place 

would place a tall statue at their shoreline,

a Colossus,

her eyes boring across seas and borders,

holding a torch that lights the way for these people,

those who wander from hardship?

Imagine that such a place can really be.

Has been.

Will be again

and you know it was not just a dream, 

but a mandate.

Imagine such a place.

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" (Emma Lazarus 1883 The New Collosus

Image taken from Wix image files

וְשַׂמְתִּ֤י לְךָ֙ מָק֔וֹם

אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָנ֖וּס שָֽׁמָּה׃