Sforno on Numbers Chapter 35
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לִבְהֶמְתָּם. לְמֶרְכָּב וּלְמַשָּׂא.
לבהמתם, for riding and carrying loads.
וְלִרְכֻשָׁם. בָּקָר וְצֹאן.
ולרכושם, cattle and flocks.
וּלְכֹל חַיָּתָם. כְּמוֹ דְּבוֹרִים שֶׁל כַּוֶּרֶת וְיוֹנֵי שׁוֹבָךְ וְזוּלָתָם.
ולכל חיתם, such as bees and their beehives or pigeons and their habitats, etc.
מֵאֵת הָרַב תַּרְבּוּ. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֶעֱלוּ אוֹתָהּ בְּדָמִים, וְהָיָה הַמְעַט שֶׁל אוֹתוֹ שֵׁבֶט שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ חֵלֶק מוּעָט שָׁוֶה בְּדָמִים אֶל הַחֵלֶק הָרַב שֶׁהָיָה נוֹתֵן לַלְוִיִּם אוֹתוֹ הַשֵּׁבֶט אֲשֶׁר חֶלְקוֹ רַב הַכַּמּוּת.
מאת הרב תרבו, seeing that the value of the land had been determined not in terms of quantity but in terms of quality, when the tribe with large tracts of land contributed more square cubits for the cities of the Levites this did not represent an unfair burden.
עַד מוֹת הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל. כְּבָר בֵּאֵר שֶׁהַגָּלוּת הִיא עַל הַשּׁוֹגֵג, וּבִהְיוֹת מִינֵי הַשְּׁגָגוֹת בִּלְתִּי שָׁווֹת, כִּי מֵהֶם קְרוֹבוֹת לְאֹנֶס וּמֵהֶן קְרוֹבוֹת אֶל הַמֵּזִיד, נָתַן לַגָּלוּת זְמַן בִּלְתִּי שָׁוֶה בְּכָל הַשּׁוֹגְגִים, כִּי מֵהֶם שֶׁתִּהְיֶה שִׁגְגָתוֹ מְעַט קֹדֶם מִיתַת הַכֹּהֵן, וּמֵהֶן שֶׁיָּמוּת הָרוֹצֵחַ בַּגָּלוּת קֹדֶם שֶׁיָּמוּת הַכֹּהֵן, וְזֶה בְּמִשְׁפַּט הָאֵל יִתְבָּרַךְ הַיּוֹדֵעַ וְעַד שֶׁיַּעֲנוֹשׁ אֶת הַשּׁוֹגֵג כְּפִי מַדְרֵגַת שְׁגָגָתוֹ, כְּאָמְרוֹ ״וְהָאֱלֹהִים אִנָּה לְיָדוֹ״ (שמות כא:יג).
עד מות הכהן הגדול, the Torah had already made clear that exile is a penalty applicable only to inadvertently committed killing. Seeing that there are different degrees of inadvertent killing, i.e. some border on accidents totally beyond the control of the perpetrator, whereas others are acts of criminal negligence, though unintended, the Torah in determining the penalty does not give us a fixed time, but a variable. When the killing occurred only a short time before the death of the High Priest, the exile spends little time in the city of refuge; on the other hand, there may be times when the exile dies in the city of refuge before the High Priest officiating at the time of the “crime,” dies. These variables are taken into account by G’d Who alone is in possession of all the facts, i.e. the degree of negligence which caused this inadvertent killing. The important reference to G’d’s involvement and calculations in all this is found in Exodus 21,13 והאלוקים אנה לידו, “G’d had caused, directed his hand,” (that of the inadvertent killer.)