“At a distance, around the Tent of Meeting, they shall encamp” (Numbers 2:2). We learned there: One who begins Shabbat on the road creates for himself circles up to four cubits,11A person may not leave his "place" on Shabbat and go more than two thousand cubits. If he is on the road, and not in a town or city, his "place" is defined by the four cubits around him. He can walk two thousand cubits in any direction, and begins measuring from the edge of the circle. this is the statement of Rabbi Ḥanina.
He may carry within four cubits and say: ‘My residence is in my place,’ and his place acquires for him two thousand cubits in each and every direction12He can carry within four cubits, and he can walk (without carrying) a distance of two thousand cubits. (Mishna Eiruvin 4:7–8). How much is four cubits? Rabbi Yehuda says: So that one may take an object from his feet and place it at his head (Yerushalmi Eiruvin 4:1).
When one begins Shabbat in a province, even if it is as large as Antioch, he may walk it in its entirety, and outside of it two thousand cubits in any direction that he wishes. When one begins Shabbat in a cave, even if it is like Zedekiah’s cave that was eighteen mil, he walks it in its entirety and outside it two thousand cubits in any direction that he wishes (Tosefta Eiruvin 3:13). From where did they find a basis for Shabbat boundaries?
From the Torah, as it is stated: “You shall measure outside the city: The eastern side two thousand cubits, and the southern side two thousand cubits, and the western side two thousand cubits, and the northern side two thousand cubits…” (Numbers 35:5).13See Mishnah Sota 5:3. Likewise you find regarding Joshua, when he went to destroy Jericho, Joshua said to them: ‘You are destined to observe Shabbat there, do not distance the Ark more than two thousand cubits in any direction.
Why? It is so it will be permitted for you to pray before the Ark on Shabbat.’ Likewise it says: “However, there shall be a distance of a measure of two thousand cubits between you and it” (Joshua 3:4). Likewise you find that when the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses that Israel would be arranged by banners, He said to him: ‘Arrange them in each direction at a distance of two thousand cubits,’ as it is stated: “At a distance [mineged], around the Tent of Meeting, they shall encamp.”
What is mineged? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: At a distance of a mil, which is two thousand cubits. From where is it derived that this mineged is at a distance of a mil? We derive a verbal analogy, mineged mineged.14Namely, the word mineged, which appears in the following two verses, create a verbal analogy.
Here it is written: “At a distance [mineged], around the Tent of Meeting, they shall encamp.” And there it is written: “She went and sat herself down at a distance [mineged], at a distance [harḥek] of about a bowshot, for she said: I will not see the death of the child. She sat at a distance, raised her voice, and wept” (Genesis 21:16). Just as there it is a mil, so too here, it is a mil.
From where is it derived that mineged that was said regarding Hagar is a mil? Here harḥek is written, and there raḥok is written; “however, there shall be a distance [raḥok] of a measure of two thousand cubits between you and it” (Joshua 3:4). Just as there it is a mil, here too, it is a mil.