But if any man hates his friend, and lies in wait for him, and rises up against him, and strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities:
The Ohr Hachaim explains that this possuk is hinting to a future story. Chazal tell us that the celestial angel of Edom is destined to make three mistakes in the future. When the time comes for Hashem to take His revenge on Edom for destroying His house and attacking His people.
The celestial master of Edom is the evil one, the inclination that tries to persuade us to do aveiros. The possuk is telling us if any man shall hate his friend – this is referring to a person’s great enemy, the one that is always trying to hurt him – his Yetzer Hara. But this Yetzer Hara acts like a friend to a person, he pretends that he wishes to help him. But in reality, he lies in wait for him. He seeks to entrap him into an aveira.
The Ohr Hachaim explains that the first aveira a person performs is usually a mistake and unintentional. He does not approach him immediately with an evil act to perform. He first hides at the door, trying to convince a person that the evil act that he wishes him to perform is really a positive one. This is a true ambush, and he is in serious danger.
Not only does he lie in wait for him, he also strikes his soul. With the aveira he convinces him to perform, he is striking at his soul and he will eventually kill him.
If he then runs to one of the Arei Miklat – the cities of refuge, the Heavenly Beis Din will send for him and place him in the hands of Hashem for punishment. He will indeed die, as Chazal tell us. He will die in the hands of the avenger of the blood. Hashem will place him in the hands of Klal Yisroel, who will avenge their blood and their aveiros from the hands of the Yetzer Hara.
The Torah says that we should have no pity on him, even though the Tzadikim gained from the existence of the Yetzer Hara. By fighting him, they earned Olam Haba. He is still evil, and needs to be destroyed.
In that case, it will be good for you. The world will be purified and cleansed from the evil of the Yetzer Hara and it will be best for all of us.
