Responsibility for Innocent

A very strange case that is discussed in the Torah is the עגלה ערופה, the calf whose neck is broken. This is a ceremony that takes place when a corpse is found near a particular city. That city must take responsibility for the apparent murder that took place. They should have done more to protect people coming in and out of their town.

The elders go near a body of water and break the neck of the calf. They declare, “Our hands did not spill the blood of this individual.

It is very difficult to understand the significance of this ceremony. The Keli Yakar suggests that the calf signifies an animal that will no longer be able to bear fruit. Similarly, the person that was murdered is no longer able to father children. This is to emphasize the gravity of the crime.

This may also explain why there is a prohibition of cutting down a fruit tree. We must not even prevent a tree from bearing fruit.

How sad it is that so many of our precious young people have lost their lives in their youth. They will not be able to raise families. The only consolation is the high place where they are found in Heaven, where they are greeted by the angels and Hashem Himself. It is time for all of the sadness to turn into rejoicing.