Numbers 35:25

Until the death of the Kohein gadol. As he causes the Divine Presence to reside in Israel, and lengthens their lives, while the murderer causes the Divine Presence to leave Israel, and shortens their lives, he (the murderer) is unworthy of being in the presence of the Kohein Gadol. Another interpretation: Because the Kohein Gadol should have prayed that this pitfall not occur in Israel during his lifetime.

Who was anointed with the sacred oil. According to its plain meaning, this is one of the shortened passages, as it does not explain who anointed him, but, rather, as if to say, “whom, whoever anointed him with the sacred oil.” Our sages expound this, in Maseches Makos, as verification of a teaching, to teach that, if before his case was decided, the Kohein Gadol died and another was appointed in his place, and his case was then decided, he is released from exile at the death of the second, as it is said, “whom he anointed.” Was it he who anointed him as a kohein, or a kohein who anointed him? Therefore, this is meant to include one who was anointed in his days — that he is released from exile at his death.

and the congregation shall release the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and make him return to his city of refuge whither he had fled; and he shall dwell there until the time that the high priest die, whom the multitude (sagia) had anointed with the oil of anointing;-because he did not pray on the Day of Atonement in the Holy of Holies concerning the three great transgressions, that the people of the house of Israel might not be smitten for strange worship, or impure connexions, or the shedding of innocent blood, when it was in his power to obviate them by his prayer, and he prayed not, therefore hath he been condemned to die in that year.

עד מות הכהן הגדול; according to the plain meaning of the text the word is used to described the senior judge. The idea of “lifetime” imprisonment referring to the lifetime of the judge who imposed the sentence occurs in this sense also in Isaiah 14,17 אסיריו לא פתח ביתו, “he never released his prisoners.”

עד מות הכהן הגדול, the Torah had already made clear that exile is a penalty applicable only to inadvertently committed killing. Seeing that there are different degrees of inadvertent killing, i.e. some border on accidents totally beyond the control of the perpetrator, whereas others are acts of criminal negligence, though unintended, the Torah in determining the penalty does not give us a fixed time, but a variable. When the killing occurred only a short time before the death of the High Priest, the exile spends little time in the city of refuge; on the other hand, there may be times when the exile dies in the city of refuge before the High Priest officiating at the time of the “crime,” dies. These variables are taken into account by G’d Who alone is in possession of all the facts, i.e. the degree of negligence which caused this inadvertent killing. The important reference to G’d’s involvement and calculations in all this is found in Exodus 21,13 והאלוקים אנה לידו, “G’d had caused, directed his hand,” (that of the inadvertent killer.)