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I have a book in hand about the meaning of the
formulaic statement of innocence/request for forgiveness recited by the elders
of a city during the Eglah Arufah ceremony, in which a cow that has not
yet been used for labor is slaughtered to atone for the finding of
a murdered body in the outskirts of the city. Any ideas as
to subject headings that might apply to this book?
Steven
Deut. 21:1-9
If one be found slain in the land which the Lord thy God
giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath
smitten him; then thy elders and thy judges shall come
forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that
is slain. And it shall be, that the city which is
nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer
of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the
yoke. And the elders of that city shall bring down
the heifer unto a rough valley, which may neither be plowed nor sown, and
shall break the heifer's neck there in the valley. And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near--for them the Lord thy
God hath chosen to minister unto Him, and to bless in the name of the Lord;
and according to their word shall every controversy and every stroke
be. And all the elders of that city, who are nearest
unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was
broken in the valley. And they shall speak and say:
'Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen
it. Forgive, O the Lord, Thy people Israel, whom Thou
hast redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of Thy
people Israel.' And the blood shall be forgiven them. So shalt thou put away the innocent blood from the midst of thee, when
thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord. (JPS,
1917)
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