LEV1028 Preserve the open land surrounding Levite cities. Key concepts: The tribe of Levi was set apart for a special type of service of Hashem. Unlike the other tribes, the Levites were not given land. Their sole occupation was wisdom, and about them we read, “They shall teach Your statutes to Ya’akov, and Your Torah to Yisrael.” Since the Levites possessed great wisdom, the rest of the nation always sought them out and interacted with them. In addition, the Levite cities were refuge cities where those guilty of unintentionally killing a fellow Jew would flee. For these reasons, the entire nation was keenly aware of the Levite cities, for who could know when he might need them? Since the Levite cities were designed for serving the needs of the entire nation, it was important to maintain them so they would be beautiful and pleasant places. Accordingly, the Torah commands that nothing about these cities be changed, for Hashem, Lord of Wisdom, designed these cities and set their parameters, so any deviation from His Word can only be harmful. The Rambam writes, “Why didn't the tribe of Levi receive a land inheritance in Eretz Yisrael and have a share with their brethren in the spoils of the Land after its conquest? Because this tribe was set aside to serve Hashem and teach His righteous ways. Therefore, the tribe was set apart from the ways of the world. Unlike the other tribes, the tribe of Levi did not engage in warfare and did not inherit a portion of the land. They did not gain for themselves by means of their own physical efforts, for they were soldiers in Hashem's army and He gave them to eat from His table. “This lot is not only for that of the tribe of Levi. Any Jew can promote himself and set himself aside to stand before Hashem and serve Him, to learn His straight and righteous ways and teach them to others. Any Jew can cast off from himself the yoke of the many calculations of ordinary men and sanctify himself to be of the holiness of the holy. Hashem shall be his portion for all time, in this world and in the next. Such a person will merit to have what he needs in this world, as was the case of the tribe of Levi.”