- Residents of steep cities prematurely age
Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: כל עיר שיש בה מעלות ומורדות – Any city that has steep ascents and descents, making travel through it difficult, אדם ובהמה שבה מתים בחצי ימיהן – the people and animals in it die in the middle of their normal life span.
The Gemara asks if they literally die so early, and answers, אימא מזקינים בחצי ימיהן – They age halfway through their years, meaning the strain of walking up and down causes them to age prematurely.
- How to align the square of the city
It was taught in a Baraisa, בא לרבעה – When the surveyor comes to draw the square of the city, מרבעה בריבוע עולם – he needs to align the square with the direction of the world, meaning facing due north, south, east and west. נותן צפונה לצפון עולם – He places its northern boundary facing the north of the world, דרומה לדרום עולם – and its southern boundary facing the south of the world. וסימנך – and the signs for determining which directions are due north and south are: עגלה בצפון ועקרב בדרום – The constellation of the calf is in the north and the scorpion is in the south.
Rebbe Yose says, אם אינו יודע לרבעה בריבוע של עולם – if he does not know how to align the square with the directions of the earth, because he is unfamiliar with the above constellations, מרבעה כמין התקופה – he draws the square according to the seasons, meaning according to the points of sunrise and sunset on the longest and shortest days of the year. The Baraisa goes on to explain how this is done.
- The source for one thousand amos of open area outside the Levitical cities
It was taught in a Baraisa that Rebbe Eliezer b’Rebbe Yose said, תחום ערי לוים אלפים אמה – the boundary of the area added to the Levitical cities is two thousand amos in every direction. צא מהן אלף אמה מגרש – Subtract from this strip one thousand amos adjacent to the city, to be left as an open area. נמצא מגרש רביע – It comes out that the open area will be one fourth, (which the Gemara clarifies later) והשאר שדות וכרמים – and the remainder of the area around the city, another strip one thousand amos wide, serves as fields and vineyards.
The Gemara asks what the source is that the open area should be one thousand amos wide, and Rava answered that the passuk states, מקיר העיר וחוצה אלף אמה סביב – The open areas of the cities that you give to the Leviim shall be from the wall of the city, outward, one thousand amos, which means that אמרה תורה סבב את העיר באלף – the Torah is stating: Surround the city with a strip which is one thousand amos wide.
