וענו ואמרו ידינו לא שפכה את הדם הזה ועינינו לא ראו
The elders of the city closest to the unknown victim of a homicide declared, “Our hands have not spilled this (innocent) blood, and our eyes did not see.” Rashi explains that this does not mean that the elders are in any way suspected of homicidal intent. They lament that they had not seen the victim; thus, they had not sent him off properly with food and accompaniment, as is the appropriate procedure for sending off a welcome guest. It seems from Rashi’s explanation that had we accompanied the victim, he might not have become a victim. People pick on loners,…
