Masei: refuge with hope

The halacha is that the cities of refuge set aside by Moshe on the west bank of the Jordan River did not provide safe haven until after the designated cities refuge were set up in Eretz Yisrael. The Meshech Chochma explains the reason for this law. A murderer was required to stay in the city of refuge until the death of the kohen gadol. Hashem revealed (34:17) that the allocation of land in Eretz Yisrael to the shevatim and families would be done by Yehoshua and Elazar, the kohein gadol. This meant that Elazar would definitely live through the 14 year period of conquest and division of land. A murderer who might go to a city of refuge during those fourteen years would have no hope of release! Therefore, there was no requirement to move to a city of refuge until after the land was divided and all the cities set up.

The Torah does not demand that a person live without the hope of freedom even for a finite period of time. The ability to see new potential and opportunity in each and every day is a special gift.