parsha bit: Matot-Mas'ei

[cellio]

This week's parsha gives the command to set up cities of refuge to which an accidental killer may flee. These are ordinary cities, not penal colonies. Rambam says that each city must be "marketable" -- in an attractive location and with sufficient water resources. The cities must be set up to attract settlement in their environments. (Mishneh Torah, "On Homicide", 8:8)