“Jacob left Beer Sheba and headed toward Haran… he approached the place and spent the night there because the sun had set… Jacob got up early in the morning and took the stone that he had placed at his head. He erected it as a monument, and poured oil on its top… He named the place Beth El (House of G-d). The city’s original name, however, had been Luz.” (Vayetze 28:10, 11, 18, 19)
This place where Jacob spent the night was located in the Holy Land. Another city was later built outside the Holy Land and was also named Luz. This city was built sometime after the forty years that the Jews spent in the desert; built by one of the citizens of the original place called Luz. The city was granted a special blessing from G-d that no enemies could enter it; several nations over the millennia have tried, unsuccessfully. Even the Angel of Death himself cannot enter this city, enabling the residence of Luz to live forever. However, everyone has a limited time period that they can live for, and the citizens of Luz are no different. Therefore, once someone’s time comes to an end, as long as they remain inside the city they are safe; but if they leave, the Angel of Death immediately takes his soul. We do learn that when people got very old and grew tired of living, they would simply step outside the city…
Does anyone know any stories about similar such places?
