RAV KOOK ON Massei: Unchecked Violence

With harsh words, the Torah admonishes a society where murderers can evade punishment through bribes: “Do not defile the land in which you live and in which I live.” (Num. 35:34) In what way does letting murderers go unpunished “defile the land”? And why does the Torah emphasize that this is the land where both we and God dwell? The Sages taught in Shabbat 33a: “For the crime of bloodshed, the Temple is destroyed and the Shekhinah [God’s Presence] departs from Israel. As it says, “Do not defile the land in which you live and in which I live.” If you do defile it, you will not dwell in it, nor will I dwell in it.” Why is it appropriate to punish such a disfunctional society with destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, loss of the Shekhinah, and exile?