Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 18:20/רמב"ן על במדבר י״ח:כ׳
אבְּאַרְצָם לֹא תִנְחָל – שֶׁתִּהְיֶה נוֹחֵל חֶלְקְךָ כְּאֶחָד מִכָּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְחֵלֶק קָטָן לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּאַרְצָם כְּלָל, כִּי הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר נָתְנוּ לָהֶם עָרֵי מִקְלָט הָיוּ וּלְצוֹרֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵן. הָאַזְהָרָה הַזּוֹ בַּכֹּהֲנִים, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן הִזְכִּיר בַּלְוִיִּם ״בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יִנְחֲלוּ נַחֲלָה״ (במדבר י״ח:כ״ד) כַּמּוּזְהָר בַּכֹּהֲנִים. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ דָּרְשׁוּ (ספרי קרח מה): ״בְּאַרְצָם לֹא תִנְחָל״ - בִּשְׁעַת חִלּוּק הָאָרֶץ, ״וְחֵלֶק לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְתוֹכָם״ - בַּבִּזָּה, ״אֲנִי חֶלְקְךָ״ - עַל שֻׁלְחָנִי אַתָּה אוֹכֵל.
1THOU [Aaron] SHALT HAVE NO INHERITANCE IN THEIR LAND. This means that you [Aaron] will not inherit a share amongst any one of all the tribes of Israel.209 Neither shalt thou have [even] a small portion in their land at all, for the cities which were given to them [the Levites] were [also] cities of refuge, and were used by the rest of Israel. Now this admonition applies to the priests, and afterwards He mentioned with respect to the Levites: among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance,210 just as He had admonished the priests. And our Rabbis interpreted the verse:211 118. “Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, as referring to the time when the Land was divided up [amongst the tribes]. Neither shalt thou have any portion among them, that is, a portion of the spoil [taken from a defeated enemy]. I am thy portion — you eat at My table.”212Chukath