Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 35:2/רמב"ן על במדבר ל״ה:ב׳
אוּמִגְרָשׁ – רֶוַח מָקוֹם חָלָק חוּץ לָעִיר סָבִיב, לִהְיוֹת לָעִיר לְנוֹי. וְאֵין רַשָּׁאִין לִבְנוֹת בּוֹ בַּיִת וְלֹא לִטַּע כֶּרֶם וְלֹא לִזְרֹעַ זְרִיעָה אֶלֶף אַמָּה סָבִיב (במדבר ל״ה:ד׳), וְאַחֲרָיו אוֹמֵר אַלְפַּיִם אַמָּה (במדבר ל״ה:ה׳). הָא כֵּיצַד? אַלְפַּיִם הוּא נוֹתֵן לָהֶם סָבִיב, וּמֵהֶם אֶלֶף פְּנִימִיִּים לְמִגְרָשׁ וְהַחִיצוֹנִים לְשָׂדוֹת סָבִיב וְלִכְרָמִים, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר ל״ה:ד׳) מִדִּבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (סוטה כז). וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי עַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט, שֶׁיֹּאמַר שֶׁיִּתְּנוּ לְמִגְרָשׁ אֶלֶף אַמָּה בִּסְבִיבוֹת הָעִיר כְּנֶגְדָּהּ, שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לָהּ לְאָרְכָּהּ אֶלֶף אַמָּה חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת לָרוּחַ הָאֶחָד, וּלְרָחְבָּהּ כְּמוֹ כֵן אֶלֶף אַמָּה חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת אַמָּה לְכָל רוּחַ. וְאַחַר כָּךְ אָמַר שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ מְרֻבָּע אַלְפַּיִם אַמָּה עַל אַלְפַּיִם אַמָּה, וְתִהְיֶה הָעִיר בָּאֶמְצַע הָרִבּוּעַ. הוֹסִיף לָהֶם מִגְרָשׁ שֶׁלֹּא כְּנֶגֶד הָעִיר כַּשִּׁעוּר הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁכְּנֶגֶד הָעִיר, עַד שֶׁנִּמְצָא כְּשֶׁתַּשְׁאִיר לְמִגְרָשׁ אֶלֶף אַמָּה בִּסְבִיבוֹתֶיהָ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה בַּתְּחִלָּה, תִּהְיֶה הָעִיר אֶלֶף עַל אֶלֶף בָּרִבּוּעַ, וְהִנֵּה הָעִיר רְבִיעַ בְּמַה שֶׁיִּתְּנוּ לַלְוִיִּם. וְדַע כִּי לְשׁוֹן פֵּאָה יֵאָמֵר עַל הַצַּד כֻּלּוֹ, וְכֵן ״מֵאָה בָאַמָּה אֹרֶךְ לַפֵּאָה הָאֶחָת״ (שמות כז ט) - לָעֵבֶר כֻּלּוֹ, וְכֵן כָּל הַנִּזְכָּרִים שָׁם, וְכֵן הַפֵּאוֹת שֶׁבְּסוֹף סֵפֶר יְחֶזְקֵאל. וְעוֹד, שֶׁאִם הָיָה אוֹמֵר לִמְדֹּד מִן הָעִיר אֶל הַחוּץ אַלְפַּיִם אַמָּה לְכָל רוּחַ, הָיָה אוֹמֵר ״וּמַדּוֹתֶם מִחוּץ לָעִיר לִפְאַת קֵדְמָה״ וְגוֹ', אֲבָל "וּמַדֹּתֶם אֶת פְּאַת קֵדְמָה" הִיא מְדִידַת הַצַּד הַהוּא כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי. וְכֵן נָאֶה לָהֶם לֶעָרִים שֶׁתִּהְיֶה לָהֶם אֲחֻזָּה מְרֻבַּעַת, לֹא שֶׁיִּמְדְּדוּ אַלְפַּיִם אַמָּה לְאַרְבַּע הָרוּחוֹת כְּנֶגֶד הָעִיר וְהַקְּרָנוֹת לֹא תִהְיֶינָה לָהֶם. וְדוֹמֶה לָזֶה ״סָבִיב שְׁמֹנָה עָשָׂר אָלֶף״ (יחזקאל מח לה), כִּי הָעִיר בֵּין כָּל סְבִיבוֹתֶיהָ שְׁמוֹנָה עָשָׂר אֶלֶף, כִּי מָנָה בְּאַרְבַּע הַפֵּאוֹת אַרְבַּעַת אֲלָפִים וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת, שֶׁהֵן שְׁמוֹנָה עָשָׂר אֶלֶף לְכֻלָּן, כִּי מָדַד בְּאַרְבַּע הַפֵּאוֹת. וְנָכוֹן הוּא שֶׁיִּהְיוּ אֶלֶף אַמָּה אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָהֶם סָבִיב כְּנֶגֶד הָעִיר לְמִגְרָשׁ שֶׁלֹּא יִזָּרַע, וְהָאֶלֶף אֲשֶׁר הוֹסִיף בַּכָּתוּב הַשֵּׁנִי בְּאַרְבַּע הַפֵּאוֹת לְשָׂדוֹת וּכְרָמִים כְּמוֹ שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, אֲבָל שֵׁם הַכֹּל מִגְרָשׁ בִּלְשׁוֹן הַכָּתוּב, אֶלָּא שֶׁזֶּה נֶעֱבָד וְנִזְרָע וְזֶה לֹא יֵעָבֵד בּוֹ וְלֹא יִזָּרֵעַ, וּלְכָךְ הִפְרִישָׁן זֶה מִזֶּה:
1AND 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.57 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.58 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.59 (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].60 (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’61 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 Ezekiel62 [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,63, Verse 35. 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.64 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].65 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.