בַּעֲצָתְךָ֥ תַנְחֵ֑נִי וְ֝אַחַ֗ר כָּב֥וֹד תִּקָּחֵֽנִי׃
Dengan nasihat-Mu Engkau menuntun aku, dan sesudah itu Engkau membawa aku kepada kemuliaan.
Rabbeinu Bahya
We should appreciate that the total number of 6 such cities reflects the principle of the 6 extremities of terrestrial earth (six directions) which we discussed already repeatedly. The first three cities which Moses set apart for this purpose on the east bank of the Jordan were quite unable to fulfill their function until they had been joined by these additional three cities on the west bank of which the Torah speaks here and which are as yet unnamed. There is a mystical element connected to this number 6 which also symbolizes 6 extremities in the celestial regions of the universe in which the soul of the sinner will have to receive his pardon from the loving kindness extended to it by Hashem.
Although the three cities which Moses had already set aside were by themselves incapable of performing their function until there were six such cities, when Moses designated them as such he had in mind that they should represent the three letters in the tetragrammaton י-ה-ו. We find that seven letters in the aleph bet are described in the Sefer Yetzirah as כפולות, as having a dual function. In chapter 4, Mishnah 12, of that book we read: “whereas with two stones one can only build two houses, with three stones (read letters) one can build six houses, whereas with four stones one can build 24 houses.” [Although I do not profess to understand the deeper meaning of these progressions, or צירופים, permutations, as they are called in kabbalistic terms, it is clear that our author means that the three original cities set aside by Moses enabled the other three cities to become operational when they would be established and as such perform a dual function also. Mishnah 13 in Sefer Yetzirah chapter one, deals with the permutations of the three letters of the tetragrammaton. Ed.] It appears that whereas three cities are intended as a refuge for the body, the other three complement the whole function by being a refuge for the soul. In terms of what happens to the person who killed unintentionally when he arrives in the hereafter then, it is essential that at the time when he was in a city of refuge on earth there had been 6 such cities (although the killer can only live in one of them.) [I am omitting the balance of this paragraph (6 lines) as I do not understand it. It describes the progression of the souls in the hereafter from one part of “Gan Eden” to another. Ed.] The words תכין לך הדרך, are perceived as a preparation for such killers to escape this world for the world to come.
Although the three cities which Moses had already set aside were by themselves incapable of performing their function until there were six such cities, when Moses designated them as such he had in mind that they should represent the three letters in the tetragrammaton י-ה-ו. We find that seven letters in the aleph bet are described in the Sefer Yetzirah as כפולות, as having a dual function. In chapter 4, Mishnah 12, of that book we read: “whereas with two stones one can only build two houses, with three stones (read letters) one can build six houses, whereas with four stones one can build 24 houses.” [Although I do not profess to understand the deeper meaning of these progressions, or צירופים, permutations, as they are called in kabbalistic terms, it is clear that our author means that the three original cities set aside by Moses enabled the other three cities to become operational when they would be established and as such perform a dual function also. Mishnah 13 in Sefer Yetzirah chapter one, deals with the permutations of the three letters of the tetragrammaton. Ed.] It appears that whereas three cities are intended as a refuge for the body, the other three complement the whole function by being a refuge for the soul. In terms of what happens to the person who killed unintentionally when he arrives in the hereafter then, it is essential that at the time when he was in a city of refuge on earth there had been 6 such cities (although the killer can only live in one of them.) [I am omitting the balance of this paragraph (6 lines) as I do not understand it. It describes the progression of the souls in the hereafter from one part of “Gan Eden” to another. Ed.] The words תכין לך הדרך, are perceived as a preparation for such killers to escape this world for the world to come.
Rabbeinu Bahya
A Kabbalistic approach: the word להורותם is spelled defectively here, the Torah merely writing להורתם. This spelling is support for the interpretation that when one observes Torah and the commandments this will result in man walking the correct path in life. The path leads to the realization of the ideals represented by the concept of כנסת ישראל. Having reached that level, the soul is ready to ascend to the celestial regions, eternal life. This reflects the meaning of the words of Psalms 73,24 ואחר כבוד תקחני אתה, “and You guided me towards honor.” The word להורותם may be translated as “towards the bedroom of my parents.”
Rabbeinu Bahya
We need to examine how Moses could have assumed that the abstract, i.e. any aspect of G’d’s כבוד, could possibly have qualified for perception by the human eye. Moses who was on a level where his physicality had receded into an insignificant aspect of his being, [had he not gone without food and drink for 40 days? Ed.], was not conscious of such limitations as he had not really experienced them. He did not think in terms of his physical attributes losing their effectiveness as he had long since ceased to rely on his physical attributes. He thought in terms of what he would retain of his physical attributes after he would leave an earthly existence. He hoped to attain already at this time what he felt sure he would attain as soon as he would die. G’d told him that this was not possible. The fact that his soul was housed in a functioning body made the granting of such a request impossible.