Shoftim 19:02 · unit 3
TT #194 · Parashas Shoftim · Fifth Aliyah · Passuk 19:02
The Complete Passuk
שָׁל֥וֹשׁ עָרִ֖ים תַּבְדִּ֣יל לָ֑ךְ בְּת֣וֹךְ אַרְצְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃
You shall set aside three cities for yourself in the midst of your land that the Eternal your God is giving you to possess.
Chabad / Judaica Press
Source Citation
Torah Temimah points to Makkot 10a.
TT lemma: בְּתוֹךְ אַרְצְךָ.
Sefaria — Makkot 10a
Core Text of Chazal
Core Text
בְּתוֹךְ אַרְצְךָ – וְלֹא בַּסְּפָר.
English: ‘In the midst of your land’ – and not on the border.
On the daf / in context: The cities are to be distributed within the interior, not clustered at the edge.
Type of Learning
Derash on placement (Bavli) — the phrase ‘in the midst’ guides the geographic distribution.
What Is Learned
The cities of refuge are to be located within the land in a balanced way, not only on the frontiers.