The Torah recounts the 42 journeys of the Jews in the desert.
God instructed the Jewish people to wipe out all Canaan’s inhabitants and get rid of their idols after crossing the Jordan River. The borders of the land of Israel were set. The land was to be divided by lottery amongst the nine and a half tribes (Reuben, Gad and half of the tribe of Menashe were going to settle on the eastern bank of the Jordan).
God appointed a leader from each tribe to divide his tribe’s portion of land between the tribal members.
The Israelites were commanded to provide the Levi’im with 48 cities where they would dwell — 42 cities plus the six cities of refuge which would be designated. Along with these cities, the Levi’im were given fields surrounding the cities for their cattle.
The Israelites were commanded to designate six cities of refuge. These cities offered refuge to a person who accidentally kills another. The murderer must remain in the city of refuge until the death of the serving Kohen Gadol. The Israelites are ordered not to take bribes from an intentional or unintentional murderer who wants to lower his sentence.
In last week’s reading, God instructed Moshe to give the daughters of the deceased Tzelaphchad his portion in the land of Israel. The elders of Tzelaphchad’s tribe now protested that this would cause Tzelaphchad’s male descendants — who could possibly be from another tribe — to inherit their mother’s properties, thus possibly transferring land from the portion of their tribe to another. God therefore instructed Tzelaphchad’s daughters to marry men from their own tribe, so the land their children inherit will remain in their ancestral tribe.