Masei - Chamishi

The Levites might not inherit a territory in Israel, but they still have to live somewhere. The Tribes were instructed to designate cities in each of their portions for the Levites. The Leviim would be given these cities plus the surrounding areas. The Levites would receive a total of 48 cities, 6 of which would be cities of refuge (which we'll see in the next aliyah). These cities would not be contributed equally by the Tribes. Rather, their distribution would be pro-rated based on the size of the Tribes' territories with those having more land designating more cities. (To see how this worked out, see Joshua chapter 21.)

Author: Rabbi Jack Abramowitz