יהושע, פרק י״ג, פסוק ל״ב

The final stages of distributing the lands east of the Jordan River bring a formal close to the territorial grants given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. This conclusion serves as a formal record of the inheritance granted by Moses in the plains of Moab. The focus of this historical record can be understood in two ways. It may refer to the physical territories and places that were divided [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, the focus rests on the tribes themselves, highlighting the specific people who merited receiving this land directly from Moses [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל].

Far from being a simple repetition of past events, this summary acts as a crucial foundation for understanding the unique status of the tribe of Levi. When Moses distributed the lands, the process occurred in two distinct stages: first, a general grant of the land to the tribes, followed by a precise drawing of their borders. Recognizing these two steps explains the immediate shift in focus to the tribe of Levi and the double emphasis that they received no land. This clarifies that the Levites were excluded from both the initial general grant and the later specific division of borders [אברבנאל].

The absence of a physical territory for the Levites stems from two fundamental reasons. First, their true inheritance is God, a role deeply connected to the Ark of the Covenant. As long as the Ark remained in a state of wandering and had not yet reached its permanent resting place, it was inappropriate for the Levites to settle into fixed territories. Second, the very concept of an inheritance involves fields and vineyards that a person passes down to their children for generations, carrying the legal right to sell the property. While the Levites were given cities, these were strictly designated for residential purposes. From a financial standpoint, the land itself remained the property of the other tribes. Because the Levites could neither pass these cities down as an estate nor sell them, their residential areas could never be classified as a true inheritance [אברבנאל].