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Ramban on Deuteronomy 19:1/רמב"ן על דברים י״ט:א׳

אכִּי יַכְרִית ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת הַגּוֹיִם וְגוֹ' שָׁלֹשׁ עָרִים תַּבְדִּיל לָךְ, גַּם זוֹ מִצְוָה מְבֹאֶרֶת, שֶׁכְּבָר צִוָּה בָּהּ (שמות כא יג), וְעַתָּה הוֹסִיף לְבָאֵר מִשְׁפָּטֶיהָ, כִּי אָמַר וִירִשְׁתָּם וְיָשַׁבְתָּ בְעָרֵיהֶם וּבְבָתֵּיהֶם, לְלַמֵּד שֶׁלֹּא נִתְחַיְּבוּ בָּהּ אֶלָּא לְאַחַר יְרֻשָּׁה וִישִׁיבָה, וְכֵן עָשָׂה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, וְהוֹסִיף תָּכִין לְךָ הַדֶּרֶךְ, שֶׁיְּהוּ סַרְטְיָאוֹת מְפֹרָשׁוֹת לְתוֹכָהּ, וְשֶׁיִּכְתֹּב מִקְלָט מִקְלָט עַל פָּרָשַׁת הַדְּרָכִים, וְהוֹסִיף וְשִׁלַּשְׁתָּ אֶת גְּבוּל אַרְצְךָ, וְהוֹסִיף עוֹד לְלַמְּדֵנוּ עִנְיַן הַשְּׁגָגָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (דברים י"ט:ה') וַאֲשֶׁר יָבֹא אֶת רֵעֵהוּ בַיַּעַר וְגוֹ', וּמִדְרָשִׁים רַבִּים שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בַּפָּרָשָׁה:

1WHEN THE ETERNAL THY G-D SHALL CUT OFF THE NATIONS etc. 2. THOU SHALT SEPARATE THREE CITIES FOR THEE. This also is an explanatory commandment, since He has already commanded thereon,²³⁹ and now he went on to explain the ordinances thereof, saying and dwell in their cities, and in their houses,²⁴⁰ teaching that they are not obligated [to set aside the cities of refuge] until after taking possession of the Land and dwelling in it. And so Joshua did.²⁴¹ He also added here, Thou shalt prepare thee the way,²⁴² meaning that the roads leading thereto should be direct [without being unnecessarily circumflex], and that [signs reading] “Refuge, Refuge” be set up at the crossroads. So also he added and thou shalt divide the territory of thy Land into three parts²⁴² [meaning, that the cities shall be equidistant from the frontier and from each other]. And he also went on to teach us [the rules of] the matter of “error” [which require the unintentional murderer to seek refuge] as he said, And when a man goeth into the forest with his neighbor etc.²⁴³ Our Rabbis have based many more interpretations on this section.