Kommentar zu Bamidbar 35:2

ומגרש AND OPEN LAND — an area consisting of an open space round about the city outside it, serving to beautify the city. It was not permitted to build houses there nor to plant vineyards nor to sow a plantation (cf. Arakhin 33b).

AND OPEN LAND — “a space [consisting of] open land outside and around the city, in order to make the city pleasant; and they [the Levites] are not permitted to build any building there or to plant a vineyard, or to sow any crop. 4. A THOUSAND CUBITS ROUND ABOUT. But afterwards [in Verse 5] it says [that it should be] two thousand cubits! How can we explain this? He assigned two thousand cubits for them around [the cities], of which the inner [area with a radius of a] thousand [cubits, as mentioned in Verse 4] was to be free [open] space, and the outer [area of a thousand cubits] was to be for fields and vineyards round about.” This is Rashi’s language taken from the words of our Rabbis.⁵⁷Sotah 27b. Thus, according to Rashi, two thousand cubits were assigned for each of the four sides round about the Levite city. Of these, the innermost thousand served as the open space, and the outermost was for fields and vineyards. Thus the two verses are harmonized. It will be noted though that Rashi did not assign any dimensions for the city proper. This will be one of the major contentions of Ramban, from which will follow important conclusions (see Note 59).
The correct interpretation according to the plain meaning of Scripture seems to be that Scripture [in Verse 4] is stating that they should assign as open space a thousand cubits directly round about the city, meaning that [the combined open space of both sides of the city] should be a thousand cubits long, five hundred on each side, and similarly [the open space of both sides together] of the width, should be a thousand cubits, five hundred cubits on each side.⁵⁸Thus, where Rashi assigned two thousand cubits for each of the four sides outside the city (as explained in the preceding note), Ramban allocates only five hundred for each side, totalling one thousand on the two opposite sides. After this He stated [in Verse 5] that they should make a square [the dimension of which to be] two thousand cubits by two thousand cubits, and the city should be situated in the center of the square. He thus added to them [the dimensions — in Verse 5] an open space not directly facing the city, equal to the measurement directly in front of the city, so that you find when leaving a thousand cubits as open space round about the city as He assigned at first [in Verse 4], the city, a thousand by a thousand cubits, will be in [the center of] the square.⁵⁹Thus, while Rashi did not designate any dimensions for the Levite city proper, Ramban assigned it a thousand by a thousand cubits. [See in Erubin 56b where one of the Amoraim, Abaye, indeed proposes these measurements for the Levite city, and this may well be the source of Ramban’s interpretation at which many scholars have wondered.] By placing now this square-shaped city of a thousand by a thousand in the center of the larger outer-square of two thousand by two thousand, some important conclusions follow. Since, as has been clarified before, a migrash (open space) of five hundred by a thousand extends in each direction directly facing the city, there still remains a space of five hundred by five hundred above and below these migrashim, near the corners of the outer square. These remaining spaces, Ramban will suggest, were to be designated for fields and vineyards. [In a drawing of Ramban’s design of the Levite city, found in my Hebrew commentary, p. 336, there will be noticed a circle encompassing all these four migrashim directly facing the city up to the walls of the outer-square. The circle naturally cuts down somewhat on the space allotted for the fields and vineyards. I based this upon the Gemara in Erubin ibid., as interpreted by the commentators, especially the Ritba, in order to bring Ramban’s words into consonance with the text there. Ramban’s general concept though of the Levite city and its environs as presented here, according to the plain meaning of Scripture, is clear.] Thus the city given to the Levites was in the form of a square.
Know that the term pei’ah [in Verse 5] signifies “a whole side” [i.e., the whole length of the distance of any of the four sides of the outer square, and not merely any point along that side].⁶⁰Thus, unlike Rashi who explained, for example, eth ‘pe’ath keidmah alpayim ba’amah (for the east ‘side’ two thousand cubits) as any point on that eastern side of the circle, located two thousand cubits away from the city (see Note 57), Ramban applies it to the whole length of that eastern side alongside the city [of which a thousand cubits were directly opposite the city, and five hundred were above and below the city, as explained]. Similarly the expression, a hundred cubits long ‘lapei’ah ha’echath’⁶¹Exodus 27:9. See also Verses 11-13 ibid. means “for the whole ‘one’ side,” and so also similar expressions mentioned there [with reference to the dimensions of the Tabernacle]. This is also true of the term pei’ah at the end of the Book of Ezekiel⁶²Ezekiel Chapter 48. [with reference to the dimensions of the city of Jerusalem and the Sanctuary of the future]. Moreover, if the intent of the verse was to have been [as Rashi interpreted] that they were to assign two thousand cubits round about the city in each direction, He would have said, “And you shall measure without the city ‘l’pe’ath keidmah (‘to’ the east side — two thousand cubits) etc.;” but instead He says [in Verse 5] And you shall measure without the city ‘eth’ pe’ath keidmah, which means “the measure of that [whole] side” [i.e., the whole distance along the eastern side of the outer square area, and also on each of the other outer sides, as the verse continues]. Such a four-sided plane figure having all its sides equal [and all its angles, right angles] is indeed a pleasingly suitable appearance for cities to have, not that they should measure two thousand cubits around the city in all directions [as explained by Rashi], thus eliminating the corners. A similar case is the expression, It shall be eighteen thousand reeds round about,⁶³Ibid., Verse 48. which means that the city [of Jerusalem] will measure on all of its four sides together eighteen thousand reeds, since he [Ezekiel] assigned there for each of the four sides four thousand and five hundred [reeds]. Now it is correct to say that the thousand cubits which He assigned [in Verse 4] as open space directly round about the city that it is not to be planted, and the thousand cubits He added in the second verse at each of the outer sides [not directly opposite the city] be used for fields and vineyards, as our Rabbis have received by tradition. But the term migrash (open space) in Scriptural language applies to both, but in the one case [in the remote corners, not directly opposite the city] it may be cultivated and sown, whereas in the other case [in the migrash facing directly the city] it may neither be plowed nor sown.⁶⁴Deuteronomy 21:4. That is why Scripture separated them from each other [by giving two commands, in Verse 4 and in Verse 5, and not commanding both of them together].⁶⁵With this interpretation Ramban solves the apparent contradiction between Verse 4 which speaks of the migrash as consisting of a thousand cubits and Verse 5 which assigns it to be two thousand. Ramban’s answer is that the term migrash applies to both — open space, and land for planting. Thus Verse 4 addresses itself to that migrash which was for open space, while Verse 5 speaks of the overall concept of migrash which includes both the thousand cubits of open space directly opposite the city, and the five hundred cubits above and below the city for planting, which total altogether two thousand cubits.

ונתנו ללוים מנחלת אחוזתם, "that they give to the Levites of the inheritance of their possession, etc." The meaning of this verse is that while it is true that the Levites were not to have a claim to an inheritance in the land, there was nothing to prevent them from accepting parcels of land as a gift from the other tribes. This is in the same category as the rule that one should provide a livelihood for people who have not been fortunate enough to provide it for themselves. When the Torah is specific, writing ערים לשבת, "cities to dwell in," the meaning is that seeing the Levites have to live some place they need to be allocated cities for themselves. The Torah repeats the statement to indicate that the first time the Torah writes לשבת is to justify why these cities have to be given to the Levites; when the Torah continues with והיו הערים להם לשבת (verse 3) the Torah emphasises that these "cities" must be fit to dwell in. We are told in Makkot 12 that the meaning is that cities must be reserved for residential purposes and that it is forbidden to convert land set aside for residential purposes into מגרשים, open playfields, etc.

צו את בני ישראל ונתנו ללוים מנחלת אחוזתם ערים לשבת ומגרש לערים סביבותיהם, “instruct the Children of Israel to allocate (give) to the Levites from the heritage of their possessions, cities for dwelling and an open space around their cities.” The expression מגרש describes an empty space outside the city for decorative purposes extending around the walls of a city 1,000 cubits all around that city. This area must not be used to build houses on, nor must it be used to plant trees or perform any agricultural activities. It is reserved for use by the livestock of the Levites and their free-roaming animals.

Kap. 35. V. 2. ומגרש לערים (siehe Wajikra 25, 24). סביבתיהם. Da עיר femininum ist, so kann sich סביבתיהם nur auf לויים beziehen. Das Weichbild wird den Städten beigegeben, damit die Leviten nicht nur Städte, sondern auch eine Umgegend als Eigentum haben.

ערים לשבת, “cities to dwell in;” while the Levites were not given ancestral lands, at least they were given houses, i.e. some real estate where to make their permanent homes. (B’chor shor)