Aug 14, 2026 · 3 min · 5 segments
This week's vort is sponsored by my brother in honor of him doing Shanah Bet. - [Click here]() to subscribe to our Spotify channel. <!--THE END-->…
If a person is found dead in a field and no one knows who killed them, the leader of the closest cities have to come together for a special ceremony called the Egl Rufa.
During this ceremony, the city's elders must make a major declaration.
They say, Our hands did not spill this blood.
This sounds very odd.
Did anyone actually think that the leaders of the town murdered this traveler? Of course not.
So why do they have to say it? Rashi explains that the leaders are really saying, We did not see him and send him away without food or someone to escort him.
In other words, the leaders aren't just swearing that they didn't commit a crime.
They're double checking whether he needed help while he was in town.
Did they make him feel welcome? Did they make sure he had what he needed to stay safe? In Ivan Moskowitz's podcast, he points out that this teaches us a huge lesson about life.
It's about actively doing good things.
It's easy to look back on our day and feel satisfied just because we didn't cause any problems or get into any trouble.
It pushes us to ask a much bigger question.
Did I actually make someone else's day better? True goodness isn't just about avoiding harm.
It's about actively stepping up to lift someone else higher.
Whether that means offering a kind word, helping a friend in need, or just making sure no one feels left out.
When we see someone sitting alone at school, at work, or in school, we just can't walk past them.
We are all responsible for each other.
Making sure people feel noticed, welcomed, and supported is a nice thing to do.
If a person is found dead in a field and no one knows who killed them, the leader of the closest cities have to come together for a special ceremony called the Egl Rufa.
During this ceremony, the city's elders must make a major declaration.
They say, Our hands did not spill this blood.
This sounds very odd.
Did anyone actually think that the leaders of the town murdered this traveler? Of course not.
So why do they have to say it? Rashi explains that the leaders are really saying, We did not see him and send him away without food or someone to escort him.
In other words, the leaders aren't just swearing that they didn't commit a crime.
They're double checking whether he needed help while he was in town.
Did they make him feel welcome? Did they make sure he had what he needed to stay safe? In Ivan Moskowitz's podcast, he points out that this teaches us a huge lesson about life.
It's about actively doing good things.
It's easy to look back on our day and feel satisfied just because we didn't cause any problems or get into any trouble.
It pushes us to ask a much bigger question.
Did I actually make someone else's day better? True goodness isn't just about avoiding harm.
It's about actively stepping up to lift someone else higher.
Whether that means offering a kind word, helping a friend in need, or just making sure no one feels left out.
When we see someone sitting alone at school, at work, or in school, we just can't walk past them.
We are all responsible for each other.
Making sure people feel noticed, welcomed, and supported is a nice thing to do.
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