“When you build a new house, make a railing on your roof, so that blood will not be shed in your house if one that falls from it falls.” (Devarim 22:8).
A strange expression—“the falling one will fall.” Why does the Torah not just say “someone,” or “a person”? He has not fallen yet, has he? Because no one accidentally falls out of nowhere.
The Talmud says: it means the one who is destined to fall from above. Before his birth, it had already been decreed that he would die as a result of the fall. If this is destined to happen, then let not you be the culprit. Therefore, the commandment requires making a fence, railings on the roof.
The fence should be at least 90 centimeters long and strong enough to safely lean on.
“…So that blood does not spill in your home” means that you must eliminate all danger to avoid an accident. If you have a hole or a well in your yard, put a fence around them or cover them. If the insulation in your wiring is faulty, repair it immediately. Your home should not pose a threat to anyone’s life, including your own! At a time when there were many snakes in the country, the Sages forbade drinking water, wine, milk and honey if they were in an open container.
And this is true anywhere, not only in the house!
The Torah warns: “Beware and guard your soul very much!” (Devarim 4:9). Life is the most valuable thing that G-d has given us, and we must cherish every minute of it. You cannot put yourself in a dangerous situation. You cannot take unnecessary risks while saying: What do you care? I am taking the risk, not you!
Toward the end, the parshah contains the commandment “You should not have… weights of different equilibrium, large and small”—that is, deviating in one direction or another from the accepted standard. “May you not have in your house [a measure for determining] an eifah large and small… For disgusting to the L-rd, your G-d, everyone who does this, everyone who commits injustice” (Devarim 25:13-14, 16).
The Choshen Mishpat in Shulchan Aruch clearly states: “Anyone who under-weighed or under-measured—it does not matter whether for a Jew or to a non-Jew—has violated the commandment of G-d, ‘Do not cheat when measuring.’”
The Sefer Chasidim records the story of a Jew whose oil barrel had burst. All the oil obviously leaked out. The owner admitted that he had dishonestly measured it when he sold it to non-Jews, and one wise man said: “Blessed is G-d who did so!”
By Rav Yitzchok Zilber ztk"l
Founder, Toldot Yeshurun
Parashas Ki Teitzei: Building A Home With A Railing On The Roof
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