Urban Planning

(1) "And much cattle" (Numbers 32:1). This is [the meaning of] that which is stated by the verse (Ecclesiastes 10:2), "A wise man’s heart is to his right," that is Moshe; "but a fool’s heart is to his left," that is the Children of Reuven and the Children of Gad, who made the essential, secondary, and the secondary, essential. Why? Because they loved their possessions more than their selves. As they said to Moshe (Numbers 32:16), "'We will build here sheepfolds for our flocks,' first, and afterwards, 'and towns for our children.'" Moshe said to them, "Do not do like this, make the essential first; 'build towns for your children,' and afterwards 'sheepfolds for your flocks' (Numbers 32:24)."

(2) Instruct the Israelite people to assign, out of the holdings apportioned to them, towns for the Levites to dwell in; you shall also assign to the Levites pasture land around their towns.

(3) The towns shall be theirs to dwell in, and the pasture shall be for the cattle they own and all their other beasts.

(1) ומגרש AND OPEN LAND — an area consisting of an open space round about the city outside it, serving to beautify the city. It was not permitted to build houses there nor to plant vineyards nor to sow a plantation (cf. Arakhin 33b).

(3) ולכל חיתם, such as bees and their beehives or pigeons and their habitats, etc.

MISHNA: The Levites received two thousand cubits surrounding their cities, one thousand cubits of empty lots and one thousand cubits for fields and vineyards. One may neither render a field an empty lot nor an empty lot a field. Similarly, one may neither incorporate an empty lot into a city nor render part of a city an empty lot.

Rabbi Elazar said: In what case is this statement said? It applies in the cities of the Levites. But in the cities of the Israelites one may render a field an empty lot but not an empty lot a field, and one may incorporate an empty lot into a city but not render part of a city an empty lot, in order to ensure that they will not thereby destroy the cities of Israel. The priests and the Levites may sell their fields and houses always and may redeem them always, as it is stated: “The Levites shall have a perpetual right of redemption” (Leviticus 25:32). Priests are also members of the tribe of Levi.

Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: From where is it derived that dwelling in cities is difficult? As it is stated: “And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 11:2). This shows that living in a city is difficult, due to the noise and the general hubbub of an urban area.

Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, also it is forbidden to dwell in a city which has no vegetable garden.