Introduction: The Layout of the Land in the Future Division
Chapter 45 of Yechezkel deals with the division of Eretz Yisrael in the Messianic era, and with the special portion that will be dedicated to the Beis HaMikdash, the Kohanim, the Levi'im, the city, and the Nasi. To understand these verses, we must first visualize the layout of this division. One must realize that the familiar division of the Land among the tribes is not how it will be divided in the future. The future division is entirely different, and it is described in detail in chapter 48. Once we understand its structure, all the descriptions here will become clear on their own. It requires a bit of imagination, but it is not complicated.
Imagine the Land sliced into horizontal strips. We slice it from west, from the Mediterranean Sea, all the way to the east, to its eastern border toward the Jordan. We begin in the south, from the area of Eilat, and continue slicing strip after strip until reaching the north, around the Lebanon region. How many strips will there be? Thirteen. Seemingly there should have been twelve, corresponding to the twelve tribes, but there will be an additional strip called the "Terumah" (the sacred allotment) - a unique strip containing the Beis HaMikdash, the portion of the Nasi (the Melech HaMashiach), the portion of the Kohanim, the portion of the Levi'im, Yerushalayim, and the Temple Mount.
The width of each strip will be 25,000 reeds. We recall that the Beis HaMikdash was measured with a measuring reed, each reed being six amos (cubits) long. Thus, 25,000 reeds equal 150,000 amos. Dividing this by 2,000 amos, which equal one mil, gives 75 mil. This is the width of each strip. The length of the strip extends from the sea to the eastern border of the Land. For those who want the measurement in meters: if we calculate a mil as approximately 960 meters, that is 72,000 meters, or roughly 72 kilometers in width for each strip.
The order of the tribes from south to north is: Gad, followed by Zevulun, Yissachar, Shimon, and Binyamin. Then, before Yehudah, between Binyamin and Yehudah, lies the thirteenth strip, the extra strip, the strip of the Beis HaMikdash. North of Yehudah: Reuven, Ephraim, Menasheh, Naftali, Asher, and Dan concludes the strips at the northern tip, in the region of Tel Dan.
The central strip, which is not exactly in the geographic center but rather between Binyamin and Yehudah, is called "Terumah" because it is set aside as a sacred allotment. In the middle of this strip there will be a square measuring 25,000 reeds by 25,000 reeds, which itself is divided into three unequal sections: 10,000, 10,000, and 5,000, running from north to south. The northernmost section, measuring 10,000 reeds, is the portion of the Kohanim. Below it, 10,000 reeds is the portion of the Levi'im. And below that, measuring only 5,000 reeds - half the width of the other strips - is the portion of Israel, in which the city is located. The city itself will measure 4,500 reeds by 4,500 reeds, with an open surrounding area of fifty amos on all sides.
Within the strip of the Kohanim, the Temple Mount and the Beis HaMikdash will be situated, and they are relatively small. If one were to examine this strip and look for the Temple Mount, one would find a tiny point: the Temple Mount itself measures 500 reeds by 500 reeds. Multiplying by six amos per reed gives 3,000 amos by 3,000 amos, which is roughly one and a half kilometers. It stands in the center, and around it is an open surrounding area of another fifty amos, meaning a cleared perimeter surrounding the wall of the Temple Mount.
The Sacred Allotment and the Site of the Sanctuary
וּבְהַפִּילְכֶם אֶת הָאָרֶץ בְּנַחֲלָה תָּרִימוּ תְרוּמָה לַיהֹוָה קֹדֶשׁ מִן הָאָרֶץ, אֹרֶךְ חֲמִשָּׁה וְעֶשְׂרִים אֶלֶף אֹרֶךְ וְרֹחַב עֲשָׂרָה אָלֶף, קֹדֶשׁ הוּא בְכָל גְּבוּלָהּ סָבִיב׃ - "And when you divide the land by lot for inheritance, you shall set apart an allotment to the Lord, a holy portion from the land, the length being twenty-five thousand [reeds] in length and the width ten thousand; it shall be holy in all its territory roundabout."
"And when you divide the land by lot for inheritance" - as we will see in chapter 48, the Land will be divided into horizontal strips. "You shall set apart an allotment to the Lord, a holy portion from the land" - this is the additional strip between Binyamin and Yehudah. Its length is 25,000 and its width is 10,000, and this is the portion of the Kohanim.
יִהְיֶה מִזֶּה אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת בַּחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת מְרֻבָּע סָבִיב, וַחֲמִשִּׁים אַמָּה מִגְרָשׁ לוֹ סָבִיב׃ - "Of this there shall be for the sanctuary five hundred by five hundred [reeds], square all around, and fifty amos of open space for it roundabout."
From that same portion of the Kohanim, which is 25,000 in length and 10,000 in width and designated as holy, a portion will be taken for the Beis HaMikdash itself - the point in the middle of the Kohanim's portion - and it will be 500 reeds by 500 reeds, square on every side, with an additional fifty amos of open space around it.
וּמִן הַמִּדָּה הַזֹּאת תָּמוֹד אֹרֶךְ חֲמִשָּׁה וְעֶשְׂרִים אֶלֶף וְרֹחַב עֲשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים, וּבוֹ יִהְיֶה הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים׃ - And from this measure you shall measure a length of twenty-five thousand and a width of ten thousand, and in it shall be the Sanctuary, holy of holies.
At first glance, the verse seems to repeat what was already stated. The Malbim explains: the prophet had not specified which measuring reed was used to measure the 25,000 in length and 10,000 in width of the Kohanim's portion; therefore, he states that you must measure them with the same measure used for the 500 of the Temple Mount. We have already seen the length of the measuring reed for the Temple Mount, as Yechezkel went on a tour with the angel who measured the entire Temple with a reed, the length of the reed being six amot. It follows, then, that the Kohanim's portion is 75 mil in length and 30 mil in width.
And why does it say "the Sanctuary, holy of holies"? The Malbim explains that there is a progression of sanctity here. Up to the Mikdash, there are five levels of sanctity, one above the other: the portion set aside for the Nasi is holy relative to the rest of Eretz Yisrael, which is why it is called a terumah (an offering or set-aside portion). The city's portion is holy relative to the Nasi's portion. The Levi'im's portion is holier than the city. The Kohanim's portion is holier than the Levi'im's portion. And the Temple Mount is holier than the rest of the Kohanim's portion - this is the fifth sanctity, the holiest of them all. Within the Temple Mount itself, there are an additional five levels: the outer court; above it, the inner court; above it, the Ulam (vestibule); above it, the Heichal (sanctuary) containing the Shulchan and the Menorah; and above them all, the Kodesh HaKodashim (Holy of Holies) containing the Aron and the Keruvim. Five levels leading up to the Temple Mount, and five levels within it; therefore, Scripture emphasizes "holy of holies" - holy in relation to the sanctity preceding it.
The Kohanim's Portion - Houses, Not Fields
קֹדֶשׁ מִן הָאָרֶץ הוּא, לַכֹּהֲנִים מְשָׁרְתֵי הַמִּקְדָּשׁ יִהְיֶה הַקְּרֵבִים לְשָׁרֵת אֶת יְהֹוָה, וְהָיָה לָהֶם מָקוֹם לְבָתִּים וּמִקְדָּשׁ לַמִּקְדָּשׁ׃ - It is a holy portion of the land; it shall be for the Kohanim, the ministers of the Sanctuary, who draw near to minister to the Lord, and it shall be a place for them for houses, and a sanctuary for the Sanctuary.
"It is a holy portion of the land" - this area is holier than the rest of the land, because it is designated for the Kohanim, the ministers of Hashem. They do not take it as an ordinary inheritance to cultivate fields and vineyards, as is the case in the Levi'im's portion, but rather "and it shall be a place for them for houses" alone - permission to build homes to dwell in. "And a sanctuary for the Sanctuary" - that it serves as a preparation of sanctity for the Beit HaMikdash, and through this preparation of holiness, the Temple Mount becomes a holy of holies.
The Levi'im's Portion and the Twenty Chambers
וַחֲמִשָּׁה וְעֶשְׂרִים אֶלֶף אֹרֶךְ וַעֲשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים רֹחַב, וְהָיָה לַלְוִיִּם מְשָׁרְתֵי הַבַּיִת לָהֶם לַאֲחֻזָּה עֶשְׂרִים לְשָׁכֹת׃ - And twenty-five thousand in length and ten thousand in width shall be for the Levi'im, the ministers of the House, as their possession: twenty chambers.
After the initial 10,000 reeds comprising the Kohanim's portion, which borders the portion of Yehudah, we move down to the lower section, approaching the portion of Binyamin: another 10,000 reeds in width by 25,000 reeds in length, which is the Levi'im's portion. The Levi'im are closer in rank to the Kohanim than the rest of Yisrael, which is why their portion borders the Kohanim's portion. The Malbim adds that this also includes the Kohanim who were disqualified from the altar service, who, as we have already seen, are termed "ministers of the House." They were assigned the lower-tier duties rather than offering the sacrifices, which was reserved exclusively for the Kohanim from the sons of Tzadok who did not stray from Hashem's path and did not worship idols. They, too, dwelled in the Levi'im's portion.
"As their possession" - in contrast to the Kohanim's portion, where it states "for houses" alone, in the Levi'im's portion one may also establish an estate of fields and vineyards; therefore, the verse uses the term "possession" (achuzah). "Twenty chambers" - the area will be divided into twenty sections, and in each section, a city for the Levi'im. In the past, the Levi'im had forty-two cities, in addition to the six cities of refuge, known as the Levitical cities, which were designated for the Kohanim and Levi'im. In the Third Beit HaMikdash, however, the Levi'im will have twenty cities, as their territory will be divided into twenty sections. The Radak interprets the matter of the "chambers" differently, suggesting that the chambers will be within the Levi'im's portion adjacent and closer to the Kohanim's portion, but we follow the approach of the Malbim here.
The Possession of the City
וַאֲחֻזַּת הָעִיר תִּתְּנוּ חֲמֵשֶׁת אֲלָפִים רֹחַב וְאֹרֶךְ חֲמִשָּׁה וְעֶשְׂרִים אֶלֶף לְעֻמַּת תְּרוּמַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ, לְכָל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל יִהְיֶה׃ - And you shall set aside the possession of the city, five thousand in width and twenty-five thousand in length, alongside the holy portion; it shall belong to the entire House of Israel.
After the strip of 10,000 for the Kohanim and the strip of 10,000 for the Levi'im, out of the total width of 25,000, there remain a final 5,000, which comprise the holding of the city. "Parallel to the holy portion" - its length shall match the length of the holy portion. "It shall belong to all the house of Israel" - anyone from Israel who wishes to dwell there may do so. And there will be the city, measuring 4,500 reeds by 4,500 reeds, with open land surrounding it, just as there was open land surrounding the Beis HaMikdash.
The Portion of the Nasi - King Mashiach
וְלַנָּשִׂיא מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה לִתְרוּמַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְלַאֲחֻזַּת הָעִיר, אֶל פְּנֵי תְרוּמַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְאֶל פְּנֵי אֲחֻזַּת הָעִיר, מִפְּאַת יָם יָמָּה וּמִפְּאַת קֵדְמָה קָדִימָה, וְאֹרֶךְ לְעֻמּוֹת אַחַד הַחֲלָקִים מִגְּבוּל יָם אֶל גְּבוּל קָדִימָה׃ - And for the prince, on one side and on the other side of the holy portion and of the holding of the city, bordering the holy portion and the holding of the city, on the west side westward and on the east side eastward; and in length corresponding to one of the portions, from the western border to the eastern border.
Until now, we have discussed only the square in the center of the strip, containing the portion of the Kohanim, the Levi'im, and Israel. However, the entire strip stretches from the sea in the west to the edge of the land in the east, leaving a large area on both sides of that square. To whom does it belong? To this, the verse states: to the Nasi. The Malbim explains that the Nasi is King Mashiach. Whatever remains of the strip, east and west of the Temple precinct, will be the holding of the Nasi "on one side and on the other", on both sides, giving him a portion equivalent to that of one of the tribes, from west to east.
לָאָרֶץ יִהְיֶה לּוֹ לַאֲחֻזָּה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְלֹא יוֹנוּ עוֹד נְשִׂיאַי אֶת עַמִּי, וְהָאָרֶץ יִתְּנוּ לְבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל לְשִׁבְטֵיהֶם׃ - In the land it shall be his for a holding in Israel; and My princes shall no more wrong My people, but shall give the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.
This place will be the land and holding of the Nasi, like one tribe of Israel, aside from what lies in the center, which belongs to the Kohanim, the Levi'im, and Israel. On the phrase "la'aretz yihyeh lo" ("in the land it shall be his"), the Malbim explains two approaches: either the letter lamed stands in place of a heh, as though it were written "ha'aretz yihyeh lo" ("the land shall be his as a holding"); or the meaning is that this territory will be called "the land of the Nasi", the land designated specifically for him.
"And My princes shall no more wrong My people" - in the past, a king did not possess an estate of his own, and therefore he would seize fields and vineyards from the people and take them by force. The prime example is Achav: when the vineyard of Navos HaYizre'eli found favor in his eyes, Izevel framed Navos with false accusations, had him executed, and Achav seized his vineyard. From now on, the princes will not take anyone's inheritance by force. The Malbim explains that the term "yono" (wrong/oppress) encompasses both financial exploitation (ona'as mamon) and verbal mistreatment (ona'as devarim), since the core meaning of lehonos is to cause distress: one can distress a person financially by taking what is his, and one can distress him verbally by saying hurtful words to his fellow, concerning which it is said, "You shall not wrong one another."
And why will they not wrong them? Because they will already have plenty. The Nasi received an expansive territory, almost the size of an entire tribe, and has no need to distress anyone in order to seize his inheritance. The Radak adds another reason: "Moreover, they will have a new heart to fear Hashem and keep His commandments" - in those days, they will neither hurt nor destroy on all My holy mountain; all will be God-fearing and wholesome, and consequently they will never come to wrong others at all.
"Let it Suffice You, Princes of Israel"
כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה: רַב לָכֶם נְשִׂיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, חָמָס וָשֹׁד הָסִירוּ וּמִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה עֲשׂוּ, הָרִימוּ גְרֻשֹׁתֵיכֶם מֵעַל עַמִּי, נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה׃ - Thus says the Lord Hashem: Let it suffice you, princes of Israel; remove violence and spoil, and execute justice and righteousness; take away your expulsions from My people, says the Lord Hashem.
The Malbim's explanation here is wonderful. "Let it suffice you" - you have now seen how much you received, a portion almost the size of an entire tribe, and you no longer have any need to rob. You have a vast portion; you will not need to take from others. Consequently, "remove violence and spoil" - do not resort to violence and plunder. And not only that, but "execute justice and righteousness", rescuing the robbed from the hand of the oppressor.
"Take away your expulsions" - this does not refer to the divorce of a wife, but rather to a person being expelled from his ancestral holding. The princes used to seize people, expel them from their inheritance, and take over their estates. The prophet tells them: lift up and remove from yourselves this practice of expelling people from their inheritance. The Radak explains differently, that these words refer to the period before the destruction of the Temple: Hashem is saying to the princes of Israel, the kings of Yehudah who preceded the destruction, "Let it suffice you" - for a long time you held onto violence and spoil, for a long time you did evil, and now the matter is ended and there will be a new reality. However, according to the sequence of the verses, the Malbim's view is more compelling, namely that Hashem is speaking here to the future princes, for what purpose would there be in rebuking those of the past? Therefore: to the Nasi who receives such an expansive portion, almost like one of the tribes - "let it suffice you", be content with what you have; you will have no need to take from others.
Just Balances
מֹאזְנֵי צֶדֶק וְאֵיפַת צֶדֶק וּבַת צֶדֶק יְהִי לָכֶם׃ - You shall have just balances, a just eifah, and a just bat.
Now the prophet commands the leaders to oversee the measures as well, ensuring they are just, and the prince is commanded to administer justice with integrity, as it is written: "You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measures of length, weight, or volume." Our Sages in the Sifra and Sifrei, as well as in Bava Batra 89a, state that overseers must be appointed over this. Indeed, in the past there were officials who traveled from place to place to ensure that everything was done according to the law: they weighed the scale weights, ensured there was no deceit, and carried specialized instruments to determine whether the weights were honest. If not, they would confiscate them and require the merchant to acquire new weights.
This was no simple matter at all, for in those days a person would fashion his own weights. He could make one out of a lighter material, or hollow it out slightly from within, and then place on the scale a weight that, instead of a kilogram, weighed only nine hundred grams. The buyer is unaware, and the seller profits ten percent on every transaction. Consider large quantities - this is a very substantial profit. Therefore, there was an obligation to appoint overseers to examine the matter.
A humorous story is told of someone who summoned a baker to a din Torah. He said: "Every day I buy a loaf of bread from him labeled as one kilogram, and one day I decided to check it, only to discover that the loaf weighed only nine hundred grams." He came to demand a retroactive refund. The beit din asked the baker, "What do you say to this?" He replied, "I will tell you the truth. The margarine I put into the loaves I buy from this very customer, and I do not own any scale weights. I buy a kilogram of margarine from him, place it on one pan of the scales and the loaf on the other, and see that they balance - and that is how I weigh my loaves." There you have it: one person cheats, and then complains about others cheating him.
This brings to mind the issue of recording artists, who constantly complain that they are being robbed because people copy their albums: "We labor and toil, and someone gets my album for a single shekel." Today, one does not even need a single shekel; a person downloads it to a computer or smartphone without spending anything at all. A survey once revealed that most of these artists themselves use pirated audio software, and there we are speaking not of mere shekels, but of thousands of dollars. One complains that another is stealing from him, while he himself is stealing from someone else. Is theft permissible only when it goes one way?
We must recognize that this matter requires inspection even today. In the Ministry of Industry and Trade, there is a department whose role is to calibrate, for example, gas stations, ensuring that when you purchase a liter, you actually receive a liter. You can sometimes see an inspection sticker on the pump indicating that the meter was verified. For it is enough to shave off just a few milliliters from each fueling and from every person, and calculated over time, that amounts to an enormous profit. The same applies to scales and other measures; a dedicated department exists specifically for this purpose.
The verse specifies three measures: "Just balances" - the scales used to weigh coins, which the prince is cautioned to supervise. "A just eifah" - the dry measure. "A just bat" - the liquid measure. They must not act as they did previously, diminishing the eifah and enlarging the shekel and falsifying balances of deceit, as the prophet rebuked them for their corrupt ways. Here the prince is commanded not to conduct himself in such a manner, but on the contrary, to ensure that everything is exact, so that commerce will be conducted with fairness and integrity.
The Eifah and the Bat - A Single Standard
הָאֵיפָה וְהַבַּת תֹּכֶן אֶחָד יִהְיֶה, לָשֵׂאת מַעְשַׂר הַחֹמֶר הַבָּת, וַעֲשִׂירִת הַחֹמֶר הָאֵיפָה, אֶל הַחֹמֶר יִהְיֶה מַתְכֻּנְתּוֹ׃ - The eifah and the bat shall have a single measure, so that the bat contains a tenth of a chomer, and the eifah a tenth of a chomer; its proportion shall be according to the chomer.
The Malbim explains that a chomer equals thirty se'ah, whether in liquid or dry measure. In contemporary terms, according to Rav Chaim Naeh, a chomer represents a volume of close to 250 liters. Based on this large measure, the smaller measure is established, from which a tithe is taken for the king's portion. That is, the standard of the large measure is fixed, and from it ten percent is taken as a tithe for the king. One must take care not to artificially enlarge the measure in order to increase the tithe and demand a greater quantity.
Therefore, he tells them that there must be "a single measure" regarding the collection of the tithe: "The bat contains a tenth of a chomer" - the bat is the liquid measure, amounting to one-tenth of a chomer, of the kor, of thirty se'ah. If we are speaking of approximately 250 liters, a tenth is about twenty-five liters, and this is what is given to the prince. "And the eifah a tenth of a chomer" - so too with the dry measure, a tenth of it is given. Whether in liquid or dry measure, the proportion is one and the same: a tenth. Consequently, if you reduce the chomer, you must reduce the eifah and the bat accordingly.
Standardization of Currency
וְהַשֶּׁקֶל עֶשְׂרִים גֵּרָה, עֶשְׂרִים שְׁקָלִים חֲמִשָּׁה וְעֶשְׂרִים שְׁקָלִים עֲשָׂרָה וַחֲמִשָּׁה שֶׁקֶל, הַמָּנֶה יִהְיֶה לָכֶם׃ - "And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be the maneh to you."
In this way, the standard of coins issued by the king will also be established. The Malbim explains that currency requires a fixed standard to prevent any forgery or fraud, ensuring that one person does not give a smaller coin and another a larger one. This was particularly critical in their time, when coins were made of actual silver and actual gold, so an undersized coin meant that grams of silver or gold were missing. Therefore, the coins issued by the king had to have a fixed measure: the shekel is twenty gerah, and the maneh is sixty shekels, which equal two hundred and forty gold dinars (zehuvim), and likewise for the maneh of silver.
And he commands them to mint coins of twenty shekels, twenty-five, ten, and five - these are the denominations the prince will produce, very similar to what we have today (aside from a coin of twenty-five). The reason is that whoever holds a maneh and wishes to make change will have every denomination needed to break it. Since the maneh is sixty shekels, and the coins are twenty-five, twenty, ten, and five, any combination can equal sixty: two twenty-fives and a ten, or two twenty-fives and two fives, or two twenties and another twenty, and so forth. And this, the Malbim explains, is for the welfare of the state - so that currency is readily available, and a person can pay in whatever combination he needs.
In summary:
In this chapter, Yechezkel describes the future division of the Land: thirteen strips from west to east, twelve for the tribes and one additional strip - the "terumah" (set-aside portion) between Binyamin and Yehudah. In its center lies a square of 25,000 by 25,000 reeds, divided into three: 10,000 for the Kohanim (within which is the Temple Mount, 500 by 500), 10,000 for the Levi'im, and 5,000 for the city and all the House of Israel. Five levels of sanctity ascend up to the Temple Mount, and five additional levels within it. The remainder of the strip, to the east and to the west, belongs to the prince, who is King Mashiach; having received an estate equivalent to an entire tribe's portion, he will no longer need to wrong the people or drive them from their ancestral property. From here, the prophet proceeds to command regarding just scales, a just ephah, and a just bat, the standardization of liquid and dry measures and the tithe, and the standardization of currency - for all of these form the foundation of fair commerce and integrity in the state.