Midrash su Esodo 21:13

We are taught in a Baraitha that R. Eliezer b. Jacob said: (Ib. b) The word refuge was written at every crossing so that the murderer might recognize the way to take." Said R. Cahana: "Where is the passage to prove this? (Deut. 19, 3) Thou shalt prepare thee the way, i.e., you shall establish all preparations needed on this way." R. Chamma b. Chanina, when he wanted to lecture on this case, used to begin with (Ps. 25, 8) Good and upright is the Lord: therefore does He instruct sinners in the [right] way. Now if He puts the sinners in the right way, how much more the upright. Resh Lakish used to begin his lecture on this case with (Ex. 21, 13) And if a man lie not in wait, but God caused it to come to hand; and (1 Sam. 24, 14) As sayeth the proverb of the ancients: Out of the wicked cometh forth wickedness. Of what case does the passage speak? Concerning two men each of whom killed a person; one of them unintentionally [the punishment of which is exile] and the other intentionally [the punishment of which is death], but there were no witnesses in either case. The Holy One, praised be He! causes them to meet at the same inn, and he who had killed intentionally [guilty of capital punishment] is placed under a ladder, while the other, who killed unintentionally [and guilty of being exiled] descends the steps, falls and kills the other [under the ladder]. Hence the outcome is: He who has killed intentionally was killed; and the unintentional murderer was exiled.

[(Exod. 30:13:) <EVERYONE WHO IS ENTERED IN THE RECORDS> SHALL GIVE THIS (ZH): <A HALF SHEKEL>.] R. Meir said: The Holy One took something like a coin of fire²⁰Perhaps the word THIS (ZH) in Exod. 30:13 suggested the biblical Aramaic root, ‘ZH (“light a fire,” “heat”), found in Dan. 3:19, 22. For an explicit connection between the two roots, see M. Pss. 68:5. Cf. also PR 10:12. from under the throne of glory and showed it unto Moses.²¹Below, Tanh. (Buber), Numb. 2:19; Tanh., Exod. 9:9 (at the end); ySheq. 1:6 (46b); PRK 2:10; Numb. R. 12:3; M. Pss. 91:1. Then he said to Moses <EVERYONE WHO IS ENTERED (ha'over, rt.: 'BR) IN THE RECORDS > SHALL GIVE THIS. Moses said: Who shall give? The Holy One said to him: Everyone who crossed over (ha'over) in the sea.