פירוש על במדבר 35:14
Rashi on Numbers
את שלש הערים וגו׳ THE THREE CITIES [YE SHALL GIVE ON THIS SIDE OF THE JORDAN etc.] — Although in the land of Canaan there were nine tribes and here (on the east side of the Jordan) there were only two and a half, it (Scripture) gives them (the latter) the same number of cities of refuge, because in Gilead (on the east side) murderers were more numerous, as it is written, (Hosea 6:8): “Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, it is covered with footprints of blood” (Makkot 9b; cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 160:2).
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Ramban on Numbers
YE SHALL GIVE THREE CITIES BEYOND THE JORDAN. “And even though in the land of Canaan there were nine tribes, and here [on the east side of the Jordan] there were only two [and a half], Scripture gave them an equal number of cities of refuge, because in Gilead [on the east side of the Jordan] murderers were numerous, as it is written, Gilead is a city of wrong-doers; it is covered with footprints of blood.”75Hosea 6:8. This is Rashi’s language, based on the words of our Rabbis.76Makkoth 10a. Now even though the [cities of] refuge were only for those who killed in error [and these murderers of Gilead killed deliberately], they would kill in treachery and make themselves appear as if they had done it in error, and therefore it was necessary to increase [proportionately] the number of their cities of refuge, in order to be able to take in all of them, since one could not tell who had killed deliberately. If so, [we must say that] the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded this on account of the future [since He knew that murderers in Gilead would be numerous], similar to that which it says [of the future generations], and this people will rise up, and go astray.77Deuteronomy 31:16. Or perhaps the Rabbis will say that the climate of the land of Gilead was conducive to producing murderers since it became a nation.78Exodus 9:24.
But I wonder! For in the opinion of our Rabbis, of blessed memory,76Makkoth 10a. the [cities mentioned in the] verse which says, and beside them [i.e., apart from the six cities of refuge], ye shall give [to the Levites] forty and two cities,79Above, Verse 6. were all commanded as cities of refuge, and thus there were thirty-six of them in the land of Canaan, and six beyond the Jordan,80Since from the total of thirty-eight cities which, as clearly stated in Joshua Chapter 21 (see Note 68), were in the land of Canaan, we must now deduct the three main cities of refuge, leaving us a total of thirty-five additional cities of the Levites in the land of Canaan – and consequently a total of seven such additional cities for beyond the Jordan to complete the total of forty-two — we must perforce understand Ramban’s language in speaking of thirty-six cities for the land of Canaan and six for beyond the Jordan as based on the theory mentioned above in the text that the factor of appraised value was also taken into consideration, and hence the seven cities on the eastern side of the Jordan were regarded as six, thus leaving a total of thirty-six for the land of Canaan. and they all offered protection, in the opinion of our Rabbis, of blessed memory! Thus the cities of refuge throughout the Land of Israel were [distributed] justly and equally, for each of the [twelve] tribes received four cities of refuge. He also counted the tribe of Menasheh in the land of Canaan,81I.e., in Joshua Chapter 21, Verse 25, the half-tribe of Menasheh in the land of Canaan is mentioned among the other nine tribes as giving cities to the Levites, which served as cities of refuge. This was because, as the text continues, the larger part of the tribe was there; therefore, although their land was smaller, the number of cities they gave to the Levites equalled that of their brethren beyond the Jordan [each giving two cities]. This proves that the determining factor was not because in Gilead murderers were numerous and that therefore the two and a half tribes beyond the Jordan were given a larger proportion of cities of refuge. because the majority of it was there [thus the nine tribes in the land of Canaan together with Menasheh were given thirty-six cities of refuge, i.e., those which constituted the cities of the Levites, plus the original three cities of refuge, making a total of thirty-nine]. Perhaps in [the proportion of] the [six] appointed cities82Joshua 20:9. The phrase refers to the six cities that were originally designated specifically as places of refuge. According to the Rabbis, these six cities offered protection whether the murderer knew that they were cities of refuge or not; in the other forty-two cities he was protected only if he knew that they offered protection (Makkoth 10a). G-d increased [the number of these cities] beyond the Jordan, in honor of Moses, so that he would set aside half of that number [since he could not enter the land of Canaan], but in their totality [of forty-eight cities] they were all divided up by measure and according to proportion [each tribe receiving four cities].
According to the simple meaning of Scripture, it appears to me that the land on the [east] side of the Jordan was very large, for it contained [the kingdom of] the two great Amorite kings [Sihon and Og], about whose might the verses speak in superlative terms, and [this kingdom became] even greater when Ammon and Moab became a legitimate [conquest for Israel] through them [i.e., through Sihon and Og who captured the lands of Ammon and Moab, and from whom Israel subsequently took them by the right of conquest],83Chullin 60b. Israel was not allowed to fight against Ammon and Moab (see Deuteronomy 2:19). But since parts of their lands were captured by Sihon first, this injunction was removed. whereas the kings of the land of Canaan were merely kings of cities, and every ruler of a city was called a “king,” as you see [from the verse]: the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one,84Joshua 12:10. See also ibid., Verses 9 and 16. although between them [these two cities] there is a distance of [only] half a day’s walk.85This language possibly indicates that Ramban wrote this on the basis of his personal experience, which would indicate that these parts of his commentary were written [or emended] when he was already living in the Land of Israel. See my article on this issue in Hamayon, Tammuz, 5728. Similarly the Sages mention86Shemoth Rabbah 32:2. that between Beth-el and Ai is a distance of [only] four miles, and yet each of these cities had its own king.84Joshua 12:10. See also ibid., Verses 9 and 16. It is possible that it was the custom in those generations to call every ruler of a city “king,” or perhaps [this was only in the Land of Israel] in honor of the Land of Israel, as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, explained.87Bereshith Rabbah 85:16: “Any king or ruler who had no [seat of] sovereignty in the Land of Israel would consider himself worthless.” In any case, they were not kings of countries, but only kings of particular cities. And thus it is written, [And Adoni-bezek said], ‘Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered food under my table.’88Judges 1:7. The seventy kings subject to Adoni-bezek were clearly not kings of countries, but of small local areas. Thus the land on the [east] side of the Jordan was a very large land, and required three cities of refuge just as the whole of the Land of Israel on the [west] side of the Jordan did, and only these six cities offered refuge [to unwitting murderers], and the forty-two cities [set aside] were for the open lands of the Levites and not for refuge.89Ramban is here explaining the verses “according to their simple meaning,” and not according to the opinion of the Rabbis, as mentioned above (at Note 82). See also my Hebrew commentary, p. 338, for further explanation.
But I wonder! For in the opinion of our Rabbis, of blessed memory,76Makkoth 10a. the [cities mentioned in the] verse which says, and beside them [i.e., apart from the six cities of refuge], ye shall give [to the Levites] forty and two cities,79Above, Verse 6. were all commanded as cities of refuge, and thus there were thirty-six of them in the land of Canaan, and six beyond the Jordan,80Since from the total of thirty-eight cities which, as clearly stated in Joshua Chapter 21 (see Note 68), were in the land of Canaan, we must now deduct the three main cities of refuge, leaving us a total of thirty-five additional cities of the Levites in the land of Canaan – and consequently a total of seven such additional cities for beyond the Jordan to complete the total of forty-two — we must perforce understand Ramban’s language in speaking of thirty-six cities for the land of Canaan and six for beyond the Jordan as based on the theory mentioned above in the text that the factor of appraised value was also taken into consideration, and hence the seven cities on the eastern side of the Jordan were regarded as six, thus leaving a total of thirty-six for the land of Canaan. and they all offered protection, in the opinion of our Rabbis, of blessed memory! Thus the cities of refuge throughout the Land of Israel were [distributed] justly and equally, for each of the [twelve] tribes received four cities of refuge. He also counted the tribe of Menasheh in the land of Canaan,81I.e., in Joshua Chapter 21, Verse 25, the half-tribe of Menasheh in the land of Canaan is mentioned among the other nine tribes as giving cities to the Levites, which served as cities of refuge. This was because, as the text continues, the larger part of the tribe was there; therefore, although their land was smaller, the number of cities they gave to the Levites equalled that of their brethren beyond the Jordan [each giving two cities]. This proves that the determining factor was not because in Gilead murderers were numerous and that therefore the two and a half tribes beyond the Jordan were given a larger proportion of cities of refuge. because the majority of it was there [thus the nine tribes in the land of Canaan together with Menasheh were given thirty-six cities of refuge, i.e., those which constituted the cities of the Levites, plus the original three cities of refuge, making a total of thirty-nine]. Perhaps in [the proportion of] the [six] appointed cities82Joshua 20:9. The phrase refers to the six cities that were originally designated specifically as places of refuge. According to the Rabbis, these six cities offered protection whether the murderer knew that they were cities of refuge or not; in the other forty-two cities he was protected only if he knew that they offered protection (Makkoth 10a). G-d increased [the number of these cities] beyond the Jordan, in honor of Moses, so that he would set aside half of that number [since he could not enter the land of Canaan], but in their totality [of forty-eight cities] they were all divided up by measure and according to proportion [each tribe receiving four cities].
According to the simple meaning of Scripture, it appears to me that the land on the [east] side of the Jordan was very large, for it contained [the kingdom of] the two great Amorite kings [Sihon and Og], about whose might the verses speak in superlative terms, and [this kingdom became] even greater when Ammon and Moab became a legitimate [conquest for Israel] through them [i.e., through Sihon and Og who captured the lands of Ammon and Moab, and from whom Israel subsequently took them by the right of conquest],83Chullin 60b. Israel was not allowed to fight against Ammon and Moab (see Deuteronomy 2:19). But since parts of their lands were captured by Sihon first, this injunction was removed. whereas the kings of the land of Canaan were merely kings of cities, and every ruler of a city was called a “king,” as you see [from the verse]: the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one,84Joshua 12:10. See also ibid., Verses 9 and 16. although between them [these two cities] there is a distance of [only] half a day’s walk.85This language possibly indicates that Ramban wrote this on the basis of his personal experience, which would indicate that these parts of his commentary were written [or emended] when he was already living in the Land of Israel. See my article on this issue in Hamayon, Tammuz, 5728. Similarly the Sages mention86Shemoth Rabbah 32:2. that between Beth-el and Ai is a distance of [only] four miles, and yet each of these cities had its own king.84Joshua 12:10. See also ibid., Verses 9 and 16. It is possible that it was the custom in those generations to call every ruler of a city “king,” or perhaps [this was only in the Land of Israel] in honor of the Land of Israel, as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, explained.87Bereshith Rabbah 85:16: “Any king or ruler who had no [seat of] sovereignty in the Land of Israel would consider himself worthless.” In any case, they were not kings of countries, but only kings of particular cities. And thus it is written, [And Adoni-bezek said], ‘Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered food under my table.’88Judges 1:7. The seventy kings subject to Adoni-bezek were clearly not kings of countries, but of small local areas. Thus the land on the [east] side of the Jordan was a very large land, and required three cities of refuge just as the whole of the Land of Israel on the [west] side of the Jordan did, and only these six cities offered refuge [to unwitting murderers], and the forty-two cities [set aside] were for the open lands of the Levites and not for refuge.89Ramban is here explaining the verses “according to their simple meaning,” and not according to the opinion of the Rabbis, as mentioned above (at Note 82). See also my Hebrew commentary, p. 338, for further explanation.
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Rashbam on Numbers
את שלש הערים תתנו מעבר לירדן, the ones Moses had already set aside for this purpose as we know from Deuteronomy 4,41.
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