במדבר, פרק ל״ב, פסוק ג׳

The tribes of Gad and Reuben present Moses with a detailed inventory of cities they wish to settle in, a request that momentarily pauses the broader historical narrative but carries deep geographic, historical, and spiritual significance. These cities originally belonged to the conquered kings Sihon and Og [רש״י]. Because the tribes make this request immediately following the war with Midian, one might mistakenly assume they are asking for Midianite territory. However, the land of Midian was never designated to be divided among the Israelite tribes [מזרחי, גור אריה, ברטנורא]. The timing of their request is actually tied to a sudden realization. Having just completed the campaign against Midian, the tribes understood that Moses’ passing was imminent. Fearing that his successor, Joshua, would distribute the land strictly by lottery, they rushed to secure their desired territory directly from Moses [משכיל לדוד].

Instead of asking for a general region, the tribes specifically name each city to serve several purposes. The primary approach among commentators is that this detailed list highlights the area's rich agricultural value. By pointing out that each individual city is prime pastureland, the tribes justify why they, possessing massive flocks, specifically need this territory [ספורנו, אור החיים]. Furthermore, the tribes anticipated criticism. They worried others might accuse them of rejecting the Land of Israel or trying to avoid the upcoming battles. By naming these specific cities, they emphasize that these particular locations—conquered directly by God in plain sight of the entire nation—carry the full holy status of the Land of Israel, unlike the rest of the Transjordan region [אור החיים].

Beyond agriculture and politics, their choice of location is driven by a profound spiritual motive. Several of the requested cities, particularly Nebo and Beon, were named after local idols. The tribes of Gad and Reuben intentionally choose to settle in these very spots to uproot the existing idolatry. Their goal is to purify the centers of heresy and replace idol worship with the recognition of God [רבינו בחיי, ברטנורא].

This detailed inventory of cities also holds a unique place in Jewish law regarding the weekly Torah reading. The Talmud mandates that every person must review the weekly portion by reading the Hebrew text twice and its Aramaic translation once, explicitly noting that this rule applies even to this seemingly mundane list of cities. Commentators offer two main reasons for this emphasis. First, because the list contains the names of idols, people might be tempted to skip the translation to avoid voicing them [רבינו בחיי]. Second, the list functions as a complete standalone thought. If it were removed, the surrounding story would flow without any interruption. Because it seems so disconnected, one might mistakenly think it can be skipped. The law therefore stresses that it remains an essential, inseparable part of the Torah [תורה תמימה].

Interestingly, a historical and textual debate surrounds the Aramaic translation of this list. Certain versions feature expanded descriptions of the cities, translating their names into phrases about beauty and crowns, royal garments, or even identifying one city as the future burial site of Moses. However, scholars and commentators agree that these poetic additions are not the work of Onkelos, who typically preserved the original Hebrew names exactly as they were. Instead, these elaborations likely slipped into the text over time from the Jerusalem Targum [אוהב גר, נתינה לגר, ברכת אשר].