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Ramban on Numbers 35:14/רמב"ן על במדבר ל״ה:י״ד

אאֵת שְׁלֹשׁ הֶעָרִים – וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁבְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן תִּשְׁעָה הַמַּטּוֹת, וְכָאן אֵינָם אֶלָּא שְׁנַיִם וָחֵצִי, הִשְׁוָה מִנְיַן עָרֵי מִקְלָט שֶׁלָּהֶם, כִּי בְּגִלְעָד נְפִישֵׁי רוֹצְחִים, דִּכְתִיב: ״גִּלְעָד קִרְיַת פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן עֲקֻבָּה מִדָּם״ (הושע ו ח), לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר ל״ה:י״ד) מִדִּבְרֵי רַזַ״ל (מכות ט). וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין הַמִּקְלָט אֶלָּא בְּשׁוֹגְגִין, הָיוּ שׁוֹפְכֵי דָּמִים בְּמִרְמָה וּמַרְאִין עַצְמָן כְּשׁוֹגְגִין, וְהֻצְרַךְ לְהַרְבּוֹת לָהֶם עָרֵי מִקְלָט לִקְלֹט אֶת כֻּלָּן שֶׁלֹּא נוֹדַע מִי הַמֵּזִיד. וְאִם כֵּן צִוָּה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא זֶה עַל שֵׁם הֶעָתִיד, עַל דֶּרֶךְ ״וְקָם הָעָם הַזֶּה וְזָנָה״ (דברים לא טז), אוֹ שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ שֶׁהָיָה אֲוִיר אֶרֶץ גִּלְעָד מְגַדֵּל רוֹצְחִים מֵאָז הָיְתָה לְגוֹי. וַאֲנִי תָּמֵהַּ, כִּי עַל דַּעַת רַזַ״ל (מכות י) הַכָּתוּב שֶׁאָמַר ״וַעֲלֵיהֶם תִּתְּנוּ אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁתַּיִם עִיר״ (במדבר ל״ה:ו׳) - כֻּלָּם לְמִקְלָט צִוָּה בָּהֶם, וְהִנֵּה הָיוּ מֵהֶם בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן ל״ו עָרִים וּבְעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן ו', וְכֻלָּן קוֹלְטוֹת לְדַעַת רַזַ״ל. וְהִנֵּה הָיוּ הַמִּקְלָטִים לְכָל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיֹשֶׁר וְהַשְׁוָיָה, כִּי אַרְבַּע עָרֵי מִקְלָט יַגִּיעוּ לְשֵׁבֶט. גַּם חָשַׁב שֵׁבֶט מְנַשֶּׁה בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן מִפְּנֵי שֶׁרוּבּוֹ שָׁם הָיָה. וְאוּלַי בְּעָרֵי הַמּוּעָדָה רִבָּה ה' בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן לִכְבוֹד מֹשֶׁה שֶׁיַּבְדִּיל הוּא חֶצְיָן, אֲבָל בִּכְלָלָן בְּמִדָּה וּבְמִנְיָן הָיוּ. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט נִרְאֶה בְּעֵינַי כִּי אֶרֶץ עֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן הָיְתָה גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד, כִּי הֵם שְׁנֵי מַלְכֵי הָאֱמוֹרִי גְּדוֹלִים שֶׁהַמִּקְרָאוֹת מַפְלִיגִים בָּהֶם, וְאַף כִּי עַמּוֹן וּמוֹאָב טָהֲרוּ (ס״א נזהרו) בָּהֶם. וּמַלְכֵי אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן מַלְכֵי עֲיָירוֹת, לְכָל מוֹשֵׁל עִיר יִקְרְאוּ לוֹ מֶלֶךְ, כַּאֲשֶׁר אַתָּה רוֹאֶה ״מֶלֶךְ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם אֶחָד מֶלֶךְ חֶבְרוֹן אֶחָד״ (יהושע יב י), וּבֵינֵיהֶם מַהֲלַךְ חֲצִי יוֹם. וְכֵן הִזְכִּירוּ חֲכָמִים (שמו״ר לב ב) בֵּין בֵּית אֵל לָעַי אַרְבַּעַת מִילִין, שֶׁלָּזוֹ מֶלֶךְ וְלָזוֹ מֶלֶךְ. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁכֵּן הָיָה הַמִּנְהָג בַּדּוֹרוֹת הָהֵם שֶׁכָּל אֲדוֹן עִיר יִקָּרֵא מֶלֶךְ, אוֹ הָיָה לִכְבוֹד אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמִדְרַשׁ רַזַ״ל. מִכָּל מָקוֹם לֹא הָיוּ מַלְכֵי אֲרָצוֹת רַק מַלְכֵי עִיר וָעִיר. וְכֵן כָּתוּב: ״שִׁבְעִים מְלָכִים בְּהוֹנוֹת יְדֵיהֶם וְרַגְלֵיהֶם מְקֻצָּצִים הָיוּ מְלַקְּטִים תַּחַת שֻׁלְחָנִי״ (שופטים א ז). וְהִנֵּה הָיְתָה עֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד רְאוּיָה לְשָׁלֹשׁ עָרֵי מִקְלָט כְּכָל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הַיַּרְדֵּן וָהָלְאָה, וְהָיוּ אֵלֶּה הַשֵּׁשׁ עָרִים לְבַדָּן קוֹלְטוֹת, וְהָאַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁתַּיִם לְמִגְרְשֵׁי הַלְוִיִּם לֹא לְמִקְלָט:

1YE 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.”⁷⁵ This is Rashi’s language, based on the words of our Rabbis.⁷⁶ 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.⁷⁷ Or perhaps the Rabbis will say that the climate of the land of Gilead was conducive to producing murderers since it became a nation.⁷⁸But I wonder! For in the opinion of our Rabbis, of blessed memory,⁷⁶ 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,⁷⁹ 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,⁸⁰ 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,⁸¹ 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 cities⁸² 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],⁸³ 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,⁸⁴, Verses 9 and 16. although between them [these two cities] there is a distance of [only] half a day’s walk.⁸⁵ Similarly the Sages mention⁸⁶ that between Beth-el and Ai is a distance of [only] four miles, and yet each of these cities had its own king.⁸⁴, 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.⁸⁷ 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.’⁸⁸ 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.⁸⁹